OK, it seems you now can switch to the new #TLScontact option for booking from 17th October onwards and they do have loads of free slots available. Just gotta re-upload all the required documentation to this new site. To get to the TLSContact booking find your original email to log back into the gov.uk visa application and select "Book appointment".
I reckon Sopra Steria are now just milking the UKVCAS for as much money as they can squeeze out of it as their contract comes to an end in October.
Because "Free and chargeable appointments are available at ALL Service Points across the UK (excluding Premium Lounge)" and "Increased number of free appointments available" appears to be absolute bullshit as we've tried at the supposed 9AM free slot release time three times now and ... zero, nada, zilch...
Ah, fun fun, looks like free UKVCAS appointments are somewhere between "endangered" and "extinct" now.
It probably really does not help that the government has chosen to change providers mid-October which just piles chaos on top of the existing eVisa chaos.
They say...
* Free and chargeable appointments are available at ALL Service Points across the UK (excluding Premium Lounge)
* Increased number of free appointments available
Really? Hmmm...
Yvan
Richmond Chambers