Dealing with the Consulate in London for citizenship through descent

[Bagpuss]

Hello everyone,
I have compiled all my documents as best I can to make a request for citizenship through direct descent. However I am totally unable to get an appointment with the Consulate through their online booking system and they do not respond to emails about this. Has anyone else actually been successful in using the Prenota Online booking system of the Italian consulate in London to get an appointment for this type of request? Please let me know as I want to find out if it is actually possible. A lawyer in Rome has told me that and I quote "Based on my experience, these situations - albeit unfair - are very frequent with Italian consulates, which are in fact a very difficult body to deal with". The lawyer has told me that I do indeed have the right to ask for citizenship as my mother was Italian and therefore I do not technically need legal aid. However because the consulate is so hard to deal with, he is offering to get my application processed me for his fee which I find outrageous since technically my case is straightforward. Has anyone else had such an experience? thank you for any advice or comments on this matter.

[mler]

There is an entire section in the Tapatalk forum that focuses on the London Consulate.