Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
There's no need to use a passport agency. In fact, this simply adds a few days to the process and can be very expensive on top of the passport fees you pay to the USA government.
Originally Posted by
Kagehitokiri
3rd parties can guarantee faster than direct, in some cities but not all
i dont understand why government doesnt offer at same/higher price..
I've never used a passport agency for a basic passport renewal, but I find their services pretty valuable on visas. On several of my visa apps, their QA process has informed me of unwritten rules or pitfalls in my documents before submitting to the consulate. Flaws or ambiguities in business introduction letters, incorrectly-formatted foreign addresses, photos that don't meet extremely precise specs, or other little things that the agency knows that particular consulate is known for rejecting visas for. Fixing errors with the agency in 1 day saves potentially weeks in back-and-forth with the consulate. The errors are things I'd never have known about otherwise.
Granted, I think I could get a passport renewal right the first time, and if I lived in a city with a same-day option I'd probably do it that way. But if you have to use an agency, you'll have peace of mind that they'll meet or beat their promised times. It's their entire business model to do so.