Good news, but earlier this year I took up the possibility of obtaining an Irish Passport (dual nationality, my mother was born in N Ireland, I was born in London) which was issued free of charge, including postage, as I was over 65.
I also received a couple of personal calls re a problem, and was able to call that person back on a non premium line.
I subsequently received a call to ensure I would be at home over the following few days so that I could take delivery of the new passport, sent by courier free of charge.
As you may guess, I will not be renewing my British passport at the cost of almost 200 euros (I live in Spain) and I certainly will not be making any attempt to call a real person to discuss any problems, as I know that is impossible even on the only number available, a premium charge call number.
