Scam is a strong word, but.....
Logged on to site, filled out the paperwork, paid almost $250 this company, for what? So I could call around town to the local acceptance agents and schedule an appointment? Appointments are two weeks out! Why am I paying for expedited service? NOWHERE does it say in their application process to make sure and check with the local locations FIRST for scheduling issues. These people do NOTHING but take your money, for services you could easily do on your own at the USPS passport office. Especially if you have to wait two weeks at least for an appointment. The "welcome" email even gives the impression that an appointment is waiting for you ("A reservation has been confirmed on your behalf to expedite your application. You must send us your documents by the ship date that you agreed to. Review this email carefully to ensure your order is processed effectively.") There is NO reservation made for the acceptance agent. Therefore, if there are no or extremely limited appointments available, you are stuck with that. These people have a fancy website to collect your info and then print it out in a package. That is all. Oh, and take your money. Oh, and now let's see how much trash email I get! UPDATE: I reiterate my displeasure with this agency/process. I was able to get into a local passport office today (1 day after filling out application) only to be told that I was missing a form for a Lost Passport. YOUR SYSTEM changed that because my answers to your questions indicated that a new passport was needed. This passport agency was very patient and waited while I completed the lost form. Then, when getting ready for final package completion, the USPS agents (2 different ones) asked for the Letter of Authorization which was not supplied. I reached out to company customer service and was informed that they did not believe there was a requirement for such a letter so they could not send one. Passport agency says yes, needed, company says no, not needed. Stuck in the middle. Paid for expedited service which is NOT happening. I believe a refund is in order. Refund requested via email sent to me from customer service - - let's see how this goes. In retrospect, going directly to the passport agency at USPS would have been much more efficient, and not cost me NEAR as much.