ComplaintsforTrans World Entertainment Corporation
Family Entertainment
Current Alerts For This Business
Pattern of Complaint:
BBB reached out to this company regarding a pattern of complaints which was found to exist regarding falsely promoting the company’s Backstage VIP Pass and unauthorized charges appearing on consumer’s cards. A number of consumers throughout the country have reported that they were encouraged to sign up for a free membership loyalty program, however consumers later noticing unauthorized charges on their credit or debit cards. Complaints allege being signed up for this program without consent and having difficultly cancelling the membership once charges are noticed on their statements. Some consumer advise they are told they've earned free magazines only to later received multiple charges to their accounts. Many consumers report unauthorized debt or credit charges to their cards which they did not authorized. The company failed to respond to BBB’s requests.
Need to file a complaint?
BBB is here to help. We'll guide you through the process.
Complaint Details
Note that complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. See details.
Initial Complaint
11/03/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Service or Repair Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
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
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
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 $11.99 credits. There will be no further charges for the membership due to the cancellation. Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern.Customer response
10/11/2023
Better Business Bureau: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I did get a full refund as requested and I'm ok with this and don't want to take any further action. However, while the business claims that I received a pamphlet, I did NOT receive any documentation. All that the sales person said that he or she (don't remember) needed my phone and e-mail for a free rewards program. I did not receive any documentation at all. Like I said, as I got my refund I won't pursue this any further. I do think that they probably pay a commission to salespeople to sell those memberships and in order for them to get that commission (I don't know this as a fact but I would assume that this is the case), they (sales people) engage in unethical conduct to create those membership sales by not telling people what they are signing up for. This reminds me of what happened at ***** ***** a while ago where customers were signed up for accounts that they never requested to open because corporate created incentives for sales personnel to open those accounts. Regards, ******* *****Initial Complaint
09/14/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Service or Repair Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
I WILL NEVER SHOP AT FYE AGAIN. If you shop here at checkout prepare to be signed up for their backstage pass and their weird magazine subscription unrelated to fye at all by the way. THEY DO THIS WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT. This shouldn’t be legal. I caught the sketchy magazine subscription first and went through the customer service email to get it cancelled. I got charged two times for 11.99$ 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
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.Initial Complaint
08/09/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Billing Issues
- Status:
- Answered
I made a purchase in the Concord, NC store and was signed up for the “Backstage Pass VIP” membership without my knowledge 6/7/2023. The company refuses to refund the $11.99/month membership fee that I have been charged for 7/7/2023 and 8/7/2023. The only way to cancel the membership is to call a customer service hotline where they try to sell you the same membership for half price. It is very clearly underhanded the whole way around.Business response
08/24/2023
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 cancelled of this membership as of 8/24/2023 with the cancellation confirmation number being **********. A full refund of 2 months totaling $23.98 has been issued as of 8/24/2023. 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
07/28/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Order Issues
- Status:
- Answered
A little over a month ago, I went into FYE to purchase a birthday gift. The cashier informed me of a free rewards program that could save me money on my next purchase. Today, I found I was charged $12 from FYE for a subscription I was not ever made aware of. I have called customer service twice. The first time, the man refused to cancel my subscription. The second time I called, I was on the phone for ten minutes listening to why I shouldn’t cancel. After a long time, the lady said she was cancelling my subscription. She gave me a confirmation code that I needed to confirm my cancellation. When I tried signing into the account, I didn’t have a username to sign in with. And when I clicked “forgot username”, I was sent an email saying I didn’t have a username. So therefore, I can’t get into my account to confirm my cancellation and my money is being stolen. And I also received magazines that apparently is a complete other subscription I didn’t sign up for. I want to cancel all FYE subscriptions and be refunded my $12. They can find my account with this number: ********Business response
08/02/2023
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. The customer had reached out and cancelled the membership on 7/27/2023 and we have confirmed the cancellation as of 8/2/2023 with the cancellation number being **********. A full refund of 2 months totaling $23.98 was issued during the cancellation on 7/27/2023. There will be no further charges for the membership due to the cancellation. We have confirmed that the magazine subscription was cancelled by the customer on 7/29/2023. The customer has not been charged and the publisher may send them additional 1-2 issues, which they may keep with our compliments. Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern.Initial Complaint
07/24/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Service or Repair Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
On July 15, 2022, I made a purchase at the FYE store in Salem, OR, which is now closed. During checkout, they asked if I would like to sign up for their free membership program, I said yes, assuming they would just send coupons to my email. Since August 15, 2022, I have been charged 11.99/month without my consent for their "Backstage Pass Club". Today I received a Membership Renewal Notice from FYE, and I didn't remember signing up for this, so after checking back in my bank account, and doing my research, I see that many others have fallen for the same scam. It looks like FYE's corporate team also pressures cashiers to sell the scam to customers. I have lost $143.88 in total to this company and my bank may not be able to refund the entire amount. I have reached out to FYE to see what they will say.Business response
07/26/2023
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. The customer had reached out and cancelled the membership on 7/24/2023 and we have confirmed the cancellation as of 7/26/2023 with the cancellation number being **********. A full refund of 12 months totaling $143.88 has been issued as of 7/26/2023. 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
07/29/2023
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Thank you for the refund. Regards, ******* *********Initial Complaint
07/20/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Billing Issues
- Status:
- Answered
This business is charging my card without authorization on a monthly basis. I’ve tried to cancel and was told they don’t send cancellation emails. They are scamming me monthly and didn’t tell me they would charge my card monthly. I went in to purchase a product and the guy said if I gave them my email I. Could save 10% But he not once said it was a membership or that they would keep my credit card number on file to charge it monthly. The first time I called to cancel they said I couldn’t because it was the same day of purchase and my account wasn’t showing up. They are scamming people. And I would like to dispute all charges made by this business.Business response
07/21/2023
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. The customer had reached out and cancelled the membership on 6/12/2023 and we have confirmed the cancellation as of 7/21//2023 with the cancellation confirmation number being **********. A full refund totaling $47.96 has been issued as of 7/21/2023. 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
07/17/2023
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
I purchased a shirt from FYE on October 20, 2022 for delivery. Unfortunately the Halloween shirt arrived after the party we needed it for. I did not open the package but put it as return to sender and returned it to the post office on November 1st. It is now July 17, 2023 and I have not received a credit. FYE claims it has not been processed yet as it’s a return to sender not an ***. It has been 9 months this is ludicrous and unprofessional. Please help.Business response
07/18/2023
To Whom It May Concern: Online orders generally take 3-5 business days to process before they are shipped out. The product that was ordered is printed on demand and ships in 3-7 days, as stated on our websites product listing. The order was placed on 10/20/22 and shipped out on 10/26/22. The customer reached out on 12/11 stating that they had refused this order on 11/1. When an order is refused, the tracking information may not update for us to see, which happened in this case. We did not receive the order back to us and have no tracking information that states the package was delivered back to us. Our return policy states that returns will not be accepted without a return authorization provided by our customer service team, and that credits are processed up confirmation of the return by our suppliers. We have processed a refund as an exception to this policy and ******** ******* should see the refund in their account in the next 2-5 business days. Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern.Customer response
07/22/2023
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. On this date, I have received credit for the returned shirt. I recommend the company detail their return policy on the purchase email. I had no idea there was a process and just simply returned the package to the post office. Regards, ******** *******
*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. ↩
BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.
BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles.
When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.
BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile.
As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB accreditation, and some businesses are not accredited because they have not sought BBB accreditation.
Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of BBB Rating
Customer Complaints Summary
71 total complaints in the last 3 years.
25 complaints closed in the last 12 months.