ComplaintsforTrans World Entertainment Corporation

• Initial Complaint

  12/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I went to FYE in Hanford on December 1st. I purchased a few items and the person at the register kindly offered me a free (keyword: "free") pass for discounts. I thought it was the kind of place that just wants your phone number (like ********, so I gave it and she gave me a pamphlet with a card I never activated and I thought that was that. I checked my bank account today and found that my card was charged $11.99. They are using my debit card information, not from me providing it to them, but from the purchase I made at their store. They never asked me for consent to pay this subscription, I never even gave them my card info. I can't afford this, but any attempts I have made to cancel are ignored. I tried the website, and emailing them. I will try going tomorrow but this mall is not within walking distance and I don't have a car. I feel like I have been cheated.

  Business response

  01/04/2024

  At the time of purchase a customer paying with a credit card is offered our membership program.  There is a pamphlet for our membership program which explains all the terms and conditions of the program.  The customer is given this pamphlet at the time of purchased.  There is a phone number within the pamphlet that allows them to cancel via phone.  
  The customer had reached out and cancelled the membership on 12/29/2023 and we have confirmed the cancellation as of 1/4/2023. We have processed a refund of $11.99 that may take a few business days to reflect in their account. There will be no further charges for the membership due to the cancellation. 
  Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern.
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been trying to cancel the “FYE VIP” membership that I was duped into signing up for, for weeks now. I called, emailed, and tried to use their faulty app to cancel and even with “confirmation” it was cancelled im still getting emails saying when I’ll be charged. If I’m charged I will be contacting my credit card company. This is a predatory business practice and they are simply not going to remove my membership despite constant pleading.

  Business response

  12/21/2023

  To Whom It May Concern:
  
  At the time of purchase a customer paying with a credit card is offered our membership program.  There is a pamphlet for our membership program which explains all the terms and conditions of the program.  The customer is given this pamphlet at the time of purchased.  There is a phone number within the pamphlet that allows them to cancel via phone.  
  
  We have confirmed that the membership was cancelled by the customer over phone on 12/9/2023. The cancellation confirmation number is **********. There will be no charges for the membership due to the cancellation during the free trial. 
  
  Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/15/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I went to the ********* Mall on June 11th, 2023 and decided to go to Fye. I purchased some shirts there because there was a sale going on. At checkout, I was asked for my email to sign-up for a rewards program. I was not told that I was agreeing to pay for anything and assumed it was a free membership. Afterwards I received a pamphlet for the Backstage VIP program. I thought this was odd, as they did not mention any sort of paid membership. I reviewed the contents of the pamphlet and it instructed me to go to a certain link to activate said membership. I assumed that just meant I had the option to opt in to the VIP if I wanted to, which I did not. I did not think much of it until about a month ago or so when I saw a $11.99 charge from Fye on my debit card statement. I did some digging and found out that they have been charging me for the VIP membership every month since my initial purchase at the store. As was stated before, I was never told that I was going to be charged, I never activated the VIP membership, the only thing I gave them was my email. They seemed to have taken my card information from the purchase and used the email I provided them at checkout to automatically sign me up for their membership without my consent. After doing some digging, it appears I am not a one off case. From the BBB reviews and various statements on other websites, this seems to be a very common occurrence with this store. I think it is very slimy and deceitful to unknowingly sign people up for your VIP program without their explicit consent. Even if it is part of the employee training to properly explain the program and that you will be charged, clearly said training is not being implemented if so many people are running into this issue. I would like the total amount charged to be refunded.

  Business response

  12/20/2023

  To Whom It May Concern: At the time of purchase a customer paying with a credit card is offered our membership program.  There is a pamphlet for our membership program which explains all the terms and conditions of the program.  The customer is given this pamphlet at the time of purchased.  There is a phone number within the pamphlet that allows them to cancel via phone.   We have confirmed that the membership was cancelled by the customer on 12/6/2023. A full refund totaling $59.95 has been issued as of 12/18/2023. The refund will show as separate $11.99 credits. There will be no further charges for the membership due to the cancellation.  Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern.

• Initial Complaint

  12/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Signed up for “Backstage Pass” subscription. Knew very well that the first month was a free trial; I was told by the employee. I cancelled the subscription the same day, yet proceeded to later receive national geographic magazines in the mail. Months later I noticed two unauthorized charges on my credit card in October, one for $22 and one for $8. For context, I cancelled my subscription for the back stage pass in July. The transactions were specifically for the national geographic magazines. I then cancelled the second subscription that I was not informed would continually charge me.

  Business response

  12/12/2023

  To Whom It May Concern: **** ****** signed up for membership #************ in July and the membership is now showing as inactive.  At that time, as is stated on the receipt copy you included with in the mailing, the customer signed in acknowledgement of the program.  The customer also received a discount on their purchases in the store, that day. **** ****** signed up for ******** ********** **** and ******** *********** Both subscriptions were cancelled on 12/6/23. The customer will receive a refund for $31.  Please note that the publisher may send additional 1-2 issues even though the subscription is cancelled.  The customer may keep those with our compliments. Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/22/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Back in July, I went into the store and bought my wife a gift, the store associate asked if I wanted to sign up for their vip program. I told the associate that I was not interested because I never shop here normally. I paid for my purchase with a credit card and now my card is being charged 11.99 a month for something that I never authorized! My wife and I have tried numerous times to contact FYE customer service to only be ignored. Went back in the store to see if they could stop it and they told me that they can't help and told me to call the customer service number.

  Business response

  11/28/2023

  To Whom It May Concern: At the time of purchase a customer paying with a credit card is offered our membership program.  There is a pamphlet for our membership program which explains all the terms and conditions of the program.  The customer is given this pamphlet at the time of purchased.  There is a phone number within the pamphlet that allows them to cancel via phone.   We have confirmed that the membership was cancelled on 11/24/2023 with the cancellation confirmation number being **********. A full refund totaling $47.96 has been issued as of 11/27/2023. The refund will show as separate $11.99 credits. There will be no further charges for the membership due to the cancellation.  Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  24 June 2023: Went to a physical location in Louisiana. Set up subscription (******) with cashier and was told that I'd be able to activate my subscription and membership through the link in my email. I tried multiple times to activate membership but when I would submit my information , it kept telling me to call their phone number in order to activate the membership. After these issues, I wanted to cancel it all together. I went on the FYE website and tried calling the number that the business provides on the site (specifically to cancel their subscription) three times, but the number is disconnected/not working. I would like for them to change the number on their website to a functional number so that others may also actually cancel their subscriptions, as well as cancel mine altogether: Membership Number ********.

  Business response

  11/08/2023

  To Whom It May Concern: At the time of purchase a customer paying with a credit card is offered our membership program.  There is a pamphlet for our membership program which explains all the terms and conditions of the program.  The customer is given this pamphlet at the time of purchased.  There is a phone number within the pamphlet that allows them to cancel via phone. We tested the phone line and did not run into any issues. There are operating hours for this and they are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 10 pm.  We have confirmed the cancellation of the membership as of 11/6/2023 with the cancellation confirmation number being **********. There will be no further charges for the membership due to the cancellation.  Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern. 

  Customer response

  11/08/2023

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.   Regards,  ******** ***

• Initial Complaint

  11/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I visited FYE store in the ******** ***** NJ and was offered a discount if I signed up for a store loyalty card, MEMBER #: ********. I was never informed this would involve a recurring charge and when I checked my Credit Card statement am disgusted to find I have been charged $10 a month since January. I was clearly a tourist and paid using a foreign credit card, I should never have been deceived into signing up for the scheme as it was obvious I wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the pass as I live half the world away. A quick ****** suggests I am not the only person conned in such a manner, I really do not want to take this any further or make a fuss, i want them to cancel my membership and refund all payments taken from my card.

  Business response

  11/03/2023

  To Whom It May Concern: At the time of purchase a customer paying with a credit card is offered our membership program.  There is a pamphlet for our membership program which explains all the terms and conditions of the program.  The customer is given this pamphlet at the time of purchased.  There is a phone number within the pamphlet that allows them to cancel via phone.   We have confirmed the cancellation of the membership as of 11/3/2023 with the cancellation confirmation number being **********. A full refund totaling $95.92 has been issued as of 11/3/2023. The refund may show as separate $11.99 credits. There will be no further charges for the membership due to the cancellation.  Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern. 

• Initial Complaint

  09/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On Dec. 22, I purchased a birthday present for my daughter at FYE at the ******** Mall. The cashier said that they can give me a discount if I give her my phone number and e-mail address for a rewards program. She did not mention that this was a free trial or anything else that will bill you in the future. I recently discovered that since January this year 2023, I was charged $11.99 every month for something that I never signed up for (FYE Backstage pass). I called FYE and they cancelled my membership but they would only refund 4 months instead of the total of 9 months. I did some ****** searches and it appears that many people experienced the same exact thing, so it doesn't seem to be isolated incidents but a pattern to defraud their clients. The total amount charged for something that I did not sign up for or ever used any benefits from was $107.91. I was TOLD that I would get refunded 4 months of those $107.91. If they actually do, the total damage would be $59.95. This complaint is not just about the money but about a pattern of deceiving their customers.

  Business response

  10/11/2023

  To Whom It May Concern: At the time of purchase a customer paying with a credit card is offered our membership program.  There is a pamphlet for our membership program which explains all the terms and conditions of the program.  The customer is given this pamphlet at the time of purchased.  There is a phone number within the pamphlet that allows them to cancel via phone.   We have confirmed the cancellation of the membership as of 10/11/2023 with the cancellation confirmation number being **********. A full refund totaling $107.91 has been issued as of 9/26/2023. The refund will show as separate $11.99 credits. There will be no further charges for the membership due to the cancellation.  Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern. 

  Customer response

  10/11/2023

  Better Business Bureau:  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  I did get a full refund as requested and I'm ok with this and don't want to take any further action. However, while the business claims that I received a pamphlet, I did NOT receive any documentation. All that the sales person said that he or she (don't remember) needed my phone and e-mail for a free rewards program. I did not receive any documentation at all.  Like I said, as I got my refund I won't pursue this any further. I do think that they probably pay a commission to salespeople to sell those memberships and in order for them to get that commission (I don't know this as a fact but I would assume that this is the case), they (sales people) engage in unethical conduct to create those membership sales by not telling people what they are signing up for. This reminds me of what happened at ***** ***** a while ago where customers were signed up for accounts that they never requested to open because corporate created incentives for sales personnel to open those accounts.  Regards,  ******* *****

• Initial Complaint

  09/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I WILL NEVER SHOP AT FYE AGAIN. If you shop here at checkout prepare to be signed up for their backstage pass and their weird magazine subscription unrelated to fye at all by the way. THEY DO THIS WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT. This shouldn’t be legal. I caught the sketchy magazine subscription first and went through the customer service email to get it cancelled. I got charged two times for 11.99$ backstage pass before I caught it and called which they then tried to tell me they will keep it active for me for my benefits after I said I wanted to cancel??? I had to get angry for them to agree to cancel, absolutely ridiculous. I’ve never had an interaction like this with a established business like this before. I want my money refunded, I never consented to this subscription they got my information at checkout and didn’t tell me anything about this. Not to mention I left a couple bags with things I purchased and no one contacted me at all, about 30$ at least worth even though they had all my information. Never shop at FYE.

  Business response

  09/26/2023

  To Whom It May Concern: At the time of purchase a customer paying with a credit card is offered our membership program.  There is a pamphlet for our membership program which explains all the terms and conditions of the program.  The customer is given this pamphlet at the time of purchased.  There is a phone number within the pamphlet that allows them to cancel via phone.   We have reached out and confirmed the cancellation of the membership as of 9/14/2023. The cancellation confirmation number is Z232578827. We have processed a refund for the two months totaling $23.98 that will show as two separate $11.99 credits. The magazine subscription was recently cancelled by the customer on 7/12/2023 and there were no charges. The customer may receive an additional 1-2 copies which they can keep free of charge. We reached out to the manager of the store who advised that they did not see a bag that was left by a customer around the time of purchase.  Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern.

  Customer response

  09/26/2023

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.   Regards,  ******* *****

• Initial Complaint

  08/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was in the store in May of 2023 and made a purchase. I was asked if i wanted to be part of their rewards program so I agreed and that was it. I noticed today (8/14/23) that I had multiple charges on my credit card from FYE Backstage pass which I realized upon looking it up that it was the rewards program. I was never told at any point ever that there would be a charge. I called their customer service number and they first tried to get me to stay on the plan as it was "worth the money" according to them. I said I didnt want to and wanted all my money back and was told we can give you your most recent payment back. I want all the payments back. It is disgusting and deceitful practice to sign people up for something with no knowledge of a monthly payment. I have sent an email to the company as well telling them how upset I am with their business practices.

  Business response

  08/15/2023

  To Whom It May Concern: At the time of purchase a customer paying with a credit card is offered our membership program.  There is a pamphlet for our membership program which explains all the terms and conditions of the program.  The customer is given this pamphlet at the time of purchased.  There is a phone number within the pamphlet that allows them to cancel via phone.   We have cancelled the membership as of 8/15/2023 with the cancellation confirmation number being **********. A full refund of 4 months totaling $47.96 has been issued as of 8/15/2023. There will be no further charges for the membership due to the cancellation.  Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern. 

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩