[Slap My Jack]

Mine took around 2 weeks with expedited service. I placed the application during the middle of the third week of August. It was finished and shipped overnight on September 1st. It did not actually arrive until around the 7th of September which might have just been a USPS issue.

I don't see why you would go through a third party to get a passport. It's a government document and I believe you have no choice but to go to the post office if you are getting a passport for the first time. Third parties just add fees and privacy concerns, especially since you have to ship your birth certificate to the State Department when you first apply (you get it back).