AA Passports Visa never delivered, "tough luck for you; no refunds." Solution? Drive to Houston! Richardson, Texas

I paid $485 for an "expedited" work Visa to Brazil. After not hearing from AA Passport for several days after it was due back, I called and asked about the status and was told the Visa never arrived. I was given a litany of excuses, none of which mattered a bit to me. No apologies, just BS about the Consulate didn't do this or that. I paid nearly $500 so I wouldn't have to deal with these problems. Bottom line is they accepted payment, didn't deliver (and didn't bother to tell me), and were indignant that I was pissed. They did not uphold their obligation to render services. They never bothered to tell me, and they acted put-out that I had the nerve to actually expect my work Visa and that I was really going to travel Brazil. Newsflash: People don't just run around applying for Visas for fun; they're a necessity for travel. Part of the challenge is that to get a visa to Brazil you have to book the flight first. The consulate wants to see a return flight! So yes, I had to book the flight to get the visa; and then this goofball company can't deliver. had to find out on my own 36 hours before my flight. Their excuse? First, it was Brazil wasn't issuing anymore visas. "Fine, then surely you have a rejection letter. Let me see it." Nope, she just expected me to take her word for it. Then the excuse was that FedEx didn't deliver my application in time. "Fine, let me see the tracking numbers." She said, "We don't have to give them to you." Actually, you do. They are mine. I paid for them. It's right here on my receipt. BUT THEY DON'T EXIST! YOU NEVER SUBMITTED MY APPLICATION! They couldn't show me a rejection letter from the Consulate. No proof our passports ever made to the Consulate. All they had were verbal excuses and refusal to refund my money. Their solution was less than laughable: "Drive to the Consulate in Houston. I can't get you an appointment until next week, but if you show up and be 'first in line' tomorrow morning, they might issue you a Visa. Or not. It's not my problem now." Which is what I did: I drove to Houston and met with the Consulate General. I was informed 1) there's no such thing as 'expedited' Visa service; it's all based on appointments. 2) They had no record of me applying for a Visa; AA Passports never sent my paperwork down there.