SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Some customers had questions about a service that promises to expedite the delivery of your passport.
April Long and her kids are planning to travel to Europe this summer.
“I needed a passport for the baby and then my other daughter,” Long said. “We tried for a couple of weeks to make appointments online so we could go in and get it done quickly, but there's no appointments available anywhere in San Diego that we could find.”
She turned to a service called Rush My Passport. On its website, it said, “We save you time and a trip to the passport office.”
She started to fill out the application and put in her daughter’s information. “When I got close to being done with that, it prompted me to a screen that said find a place to take your paperwork in, which I thought they were going to do that part for us. I thought they would have appointments kind of set aside and they didn't. I was in the same place that I was before trying to search for an appointment in San Diego.
Long paid $172.
“You have to pay first, and then you start the process,” she said. “After filling out the application at the bottom of the screen, it said if you continue from here, you won’t be able to request a refund.”
Long talked to her husband, and they decided to fill out the application on their own because she said the service was not what she thought it would be.
She applied for a refund, but it was denied.
The company’s website shows thousands of positive reviews about how quick and easy the service is to use. One person wrote the service “worked quickly and smoothly.”
Another person said the experience “was excellent.”
Other review sites, like the Better Business Bureau, show dozens of complaints. One person called the service “wild and misleading,” saying all they do is fill in a form that you can do yourself.”
Long felt the same way.
“I normally am pretty good about researching things and like how we spend our money, so that frustrated me. I felt like I've been misled,” Long said.
Rush My Passport is operated by Expedited Travel.
A spokesperson told ABC 10News that “every passport type and processing speed selected could have a unique set of requirements depending on the individual needs of the customer.”
“One of the many benefits of our service is that we guide and support our customers throughout the application process; both through our intuitive technology, and our dedicated team of passport and visa specialists,” wrote Michael Orzechowski, Vice President of Expedited Travel’s partnerships and marketing team.
Orzechowski, who told ABC 10News the company has been around since 2006, said there is not a “one size fits all” approach when it comes to applying for a passport.
“We exist to guide people through the process,” Orzechowski told ABC 10News over the phone. He said the company has helped millions of people get their passports.
After ABC 10News started looking into Long’s issue, she received an email saying she would be issued a full refund.
Long found out about the service through AAA because the company recommends it online.
In a statement, a spokesperson said, “In response to recent complaints regarding this service, we have taken immediate action to address these concerns. Our team is committed to continuously improving our recommendations and ensuring customer satisfaction.”
AAA also confirmed it would be working with Rush My Passport so that its members understand what the company does and does not offer.
On the Department of State’s website, there is a page dedicated to courier and expeditor companies.
It emphasized these are “private companies” that don’t operate as part of the Department of State.
It said, that if you use a courier company, “you will not receive your passport faster than applying at one of our passport agencies.”
The government agency also said while courier companies charge extra fees, the Department of State does not.
“Just go in and get it. I know it's time consuming, and you have to maybe take a day off work, but instead of spending extra money on any sort of services, I really wouldn't trust anything that's out there that you can find online,” Long said.
