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Passport-USA Reviews Summary
The company has garnered significant negative feedback, primarily due to its misleading portrayal as an official government site for passport applications. Customers frequently express frustration over being charged for services that are available for free, leading to feelings of deception and financial loss. While some users report positive experiences with customer service, particularly in securing refunds, these instances are overshadowed by widespread concerns regarding transparency and the handling of personal information. Overall, the sentiment reflects a strong warning against using the service, emphasizing the need for clearer communication and ethical practices.
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They make it look like an online application site. Now they have my social and $38. Is there anything that can be done?
Never been scammed before online, but this one got me! Now my info is out there in the hands of unscrupulous people.
Subtle fraud... don't use it... It appears as though you have to pay before you can print out the form...
Posing as the US goverment site!
Now they have my $38 AND my SS#? Great!
I am going to try to email & call to get back my money.
But Im MORE worried about my information they now have!
This is a total scam. The writing in fine Blue Print at the bottom of the first page that seems insignificant gives the correct information that you are paying only for filling out the form. However, the actual government website: travel.state.gov... is actually just as easy if not simpler to fill out than the passport USA. Org site. When paying for passportUSA, it states "just the document". I thought this meant I was paying only for the passport book since this is a document and one early option was to pay for a book and other things that I did not want. I have reported them to my credit card company which refunded my money, they are looking into this. I have also filed a formal complaint with e-commerce.gov which is the international Better Business Bureau. Do the same!
This website gives you the false expectation you're actually paying the US Government for a passport renewal. This is a total SCAM! The owners of this website should have a class action suite filed against them.
Why am i charged a $38 fee to fill out my application? I was not aware this was not an official government site. SCAM
Utter disgrace, using similar typefont, colors, and templating as US government site. Report this company to google
https://safebrowsing.google.com/safebrowsing/report_phish/?hl=en
And report to the federal government
https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
I typed all my info and then it said i owed $38 it didnt seem right so i googled if this was legit. Its obviously a scam but they now have all my info! What do i do? I am so worried!
As everyone else writes. Somehow they have the search optimization so that when you search for passport renewal they come up first. Its a rip off and not part of the US governement
The government needs to take this website down. It is purposely misleading, made to appear like a government website and leads people to think they are paying for their passport. IT'S A SCAM! Passport USA is criminal and needs to be prosecuted as such.
I was just scammed by this bogus site, DO NOT USE IT! Go to a US Government site for free. You pay $38 for NOTHING but the same exact form as the government site has. WHen I called to ask what I just paid for, the woman said a "lifetime" membership.
I agree with everyone else who has reviewed this fraudulent company. They present as an official government website and take your money for a form that is free. Makes me sick to my stomach that I gave them private information. This should be illegal!
Ok if I had did a check on the reviews I would see this is a third party now they have all our information and $38 that was wasted it is a free form! I was under the impression I was on an official website and this was part of the process. Don't do it!
This is the first time I've been so in a hurry that I didn't realize I was getting TOTALLY SCAMMED for money. Very frustrating to now realize I was not on the government website and paid this company $38 for absolutely nothing. I thought I was paying to submit an online application but there is no online process. Just go to: https://travel.state.gov/content/passports and save yourself.
So pissed, I didn't catch this:-(
I, too, used this site and almost processed my husbands through them as well. But, as it turned out, when I visited the post office for stamps, the postal clerk informed that there should not be a charge... it's free to apply! Not a happy camper about it, but at least I didn't go ahead with my husbands. Out $38.00!
Scam. It charges you money to just fill out the form. This is a free process on the legitimate website.
I thought i was paying the fee to submit my passport application but it was only to store the file on their server. You still have to pay the fees to submit the application.
All this to say that they now have all my personal information!
I gave out sensitive information to these crooks. They are posing as a US government site, add no value to the passport application process, and they are not even located in the USA.
If it were possible, I would rate ZERO stars.
I, too, was taken by this deceptive company. It never occurred to me there would be a private company that would charge for forms that are publicly available. It is not until you have filled out the renewal application that a $38 charge appears. I thought it was a part of the fee for renewal.
I am absolutely appalled and disgusted in myself for falling for this scam. I am a first time passport purchaser and was unknowing of what I was looking at. I found this site, paid the fees and printed out the forms I needed to get the ball rolling. I was quite satisfied that I had done this on my own without asking for help... BOY WAS I WRONG! I had a conversation with my co-workers about what I had done (unfortunately months after the purchase was made) and was told it seemed very odd. They asked me what site I had gone and then proceeded to print THE SAME FORMS THAT I PAID FOR FOR FREE ON AN OFFICIAL POST OFFICE SITE! Needless to say I am extremely angry about this. Being a single mom, making little money to be SCAMMED. Yes, it was only $38 but $38 out of money I could have used for groceries. I am extremely disappointed and I hope this site gets shut down.
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- SmartCustomer’s sole mission is to increase online transparency for buyers and businesses
- SmartCustomer has helped over 200M buyers make better purchasing decisions online
- Suspicious reviews are flagged by our algorithms, moderators, and community members
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