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US Passport Online

US Passport Online review: fraud, theft 9

M
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6:55 pm EDT
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I went online to renew my passport this company made it self look as if it was the government US Passport company. I filled out my information and submitted my information. When I noticed that the website was a 3rd party company and wasn't in fact the government I called them 20 mins later to cancel my order. I talked to a female named "Stephanie" who was extremely rude and refused to give me a full refund of the money in which I was charged. She told me there is a $45 non-refundable charge that I will not be getting back. I said that I had only just signed up for it and that I noticed right after that it was not really the US government website so I cancelled. She was not helpful at all and when I asked to speak to a supervisor she said well she will just say the same thing but I will transfer you. Then she transferred me to a voicemail. I called back and talked to a guy named "Tom". As I am on the phone with Tom I can hear someone in the back ground yell "Stephanie, what was that guys last name... McClure?" Stephanie replys "Yes, that is it first name Matthew". I asked Tom why they are talking about me and he puts me on hold and comes back and acts like nothing happened and said the supervisor was out of the office but would be right back and would return my call if I leave her a message. So, I left her a message. I called again five minutes later to find out what exactly they were going to be charging me for and of course they had closed at 6pm EST. They were just lying to me about the supervisor calling me and then left for the day. I called back the next day and spoke to the Supervisor who could barely speak english. She was extremely rude and heartless saying that she wouldn't refund my money and couldn't do anything about it. Even lied and said that as soon as I hit submit they were charged because they "reserved" my spot with the passport office. Such liers. DON'T DO BUSINESS! I AM OUT $45!

Update by Matt1983
Jun 02, 2011 10:58 pm EDT

Sounds like we all get to meet Stephanie. The only idiot is the person that believes you are not working for the US Passport Online, LLC. HappyCustomer01 aka Employee of the company. You have no morals and charged me $45 for the 20 mins that it took me to call and cancel. Then lie to me about BS charges as the reason why you could not refund me.

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happycustomer01
US
Jun 02, 2011 9:36 pm EDT

Everything is actually clearly stated for you on that website Matt1983 . If you have absolutely no idea how to read or to take the initiative to call and ask for information then you obviously are a complete idiot . I read the terms and conditions and was aware of everything, all the case managers are very helpful, and very courteous especially Stephanie, she was my case manager and I actually got my passport sooner than expected. I think your just pissed off because you didn't learn to read before you agree or sign anything in life .

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D Liu
Atlanta, US
Jul 12, 2011 4:04 pm EDT

"happycustomer01" is clearly an employee of this scam site. The site is NOT clear about where the money goes, and is cleverly designed to take your money when you click "next, " after filling out your credit card information.

The only thing that is clear about this site is that it is designed to scam people out of their money. All of the information that customers need to know before placing an order is in fine print or is not clearly stated.

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Becky10
US
Feb 09, 2012 9:19 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Totally agree this company is a scam, appears as if it's a government agency--not a 3rd company billing. I called the company to cancel and was told of $45 cancellation fee which they refused to remove. Plan on disputing on my credit card.

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trevorJordet
Norristown, US
Aug 17, 2012 6:25 pm EDT
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these people are the lowest of the low... total ###

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trevorJordet
Norristown, US
Aug 17, 2012 6:27 pm EDT
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i was so mad i speed dialed their phones an entire day so they got nothing done... they were so pissed, the last person who hung up on me called me a little ###

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tarmotley
Chicago, US
Apr 20, 2013 2:07 am EDT

These people are complete liars and the company/website is setup to capture the $45 non-refundable fee. They told me the same BS about the States Department charging them the $45 fee (a complete lie). It is blatantly obvious that their call center scripts for this and teaches their first line and managers how to talk to customers like they are idiots. Nick the first line was so interested in my call that he continuously put me on mute (disrespectful) and Silvia the manager was well trained in how to talk over me not allowing me to express my point. Simply put there is absolutely ZERO reason for them to collect a $45 fee for doing nothing. Had they started my process, fine I understand the fee but their lie about it going to the States Dept is why this company and their employees are ###

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James DC
Oceanside, New York, US
Apr 09, 2021 12:20 am EDT
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This service is an absolute scam. The website claims to "expedite" and process the renewal of your passport, but the service does absolutely nothing more than have you complete their form which asks the very same questions asked on the official US Passport office form DS 82, from which the service then copies onto the DS 82 form, which you could have done in the first place. They then send you an electronic copy of the DS 82 form, which you have to print, instructing you to submit the completed form and necessary documents to the U.S. Passport office. It would have been faster and less of an effort to have done this directly on the U.S. Government Passport website. It should also be noted that they made an error on the form!

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James DC
Oceanside, New York, US
Apr 09, 2021 11:28 am EDT
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Replying to comment of James DC

It should be noted that their website clearly states that this is a service independent of the U.S. Passport Office, and I stand corrected and retract my comment regarding the fact that this is a scam. It appears that the only service they provide is to copy the info provided by you into the DS 82 Form; however, in a phone call conversation with US Passport Online to have them correct the error I mentioned earlier, I questioned what service they provided, other than copying the information provided by you. They explained that they verify the info to assure that the application for the renewal would be approved by the U.S. Passport Office. In that conversation, based on their explanation, I acknowledged my responsibility for the charged fee. I further commented that had I been more careful to understand the services to which I agreed, I would have applied for the passport renewal directly through the U.S. Passport Department. In any case, it was no problem for them to correct the error, but to their credit, completely voluntarily without my asking, they offered to cancel my order and refund the $70.00 fee less a $10.00 administration fee, an offer that I very graciously accepted. They said to allow 7-10 for the credit to my account and to contact them if I don't get it by then. More to their credit is the fact that within minutes of that conversation I received an email confirming the cancellation of my order and credit due me. It should be finally noted that my phone conversation was answered by a very pleasant and professional representative, and that the company has proven itself to be a very fair and responsible organization. My thanks to them.

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NxE
US
Sep 10, 2021 2:57 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Stay far away from this company. It's a scam. They basically charge you $70 for sending you back a form that you filled in. I admit that I did not pay enough attention because I thought it was the government website and then thought I was paying the government charge. This is a warning to others to make sure you pay attention to where links take you. It seems like you are going to the government page and then takes you to a third party. Then when I tried to get a refund, they were very rude. I looked back on the email they sent with "my link" and it says that they strongly object to chargebacks or bank disputes. That right there tells you they know they are taking advantage of people.
Then a few weeks later, I got a call from a guy claiming to be from the passport office of the government asking me to verify my information and to send a copy of my driver's license on a link he would send me. Now I have to worry about my information not being secure.