ComplaintsforTrans World Entertainment Corporation

• Initial Complaint

  07/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  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

  More info

  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

  More info

  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,  ******** *******

• Initial Complaint

  06/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Manager of the store told my wife and I about discount card we could sign up for. She said it’s not a credit card or anything like that. I even asked her if there were any hidden costs in which she said there were not. We gave our information and paid for our merchandise with a debit card which she said we had to use. Once we completed our transaction she then told us it would be a $11.99 charge a month. We feel scammed as she didn’t say anything about a charge until after the transaction. She lied to me when I asked about hidden charges when she was describing the program. She refused to cancel our membership and told me to call a number. I called the number and couldn’t get through to a rep that day. This business runs on bad faith. They should tell people right at the beginning that there will be a charge.

  Business response

  06/23/2023

  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 has reached out and cancelled the membership and we have confirmed the cancellation as of 6/23/2023. There have been no charges due to the free trial with the membership and the cancellation will prevent any future charges from occurring. Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern. 

  Customer response

  06/23/2023

  this business refuses to acknowledge that they deceive customers. I have reached out to my state attorney general along with reaching out to news sources to warn people of this scam. Manager was very rude and said she didn’t need to tell people about the fee as it said it in the pamphlet which is given to people after they signed up. If people didn’t read it, they would be charged without knowing   I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.  - Regards,  ***** ****

• Initial Complaint

  06/12/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Signed up for a membership for the *** Backstage Pass VIP called to cancel the membership but many people have said they don’t cancel it so hoping to confirm it’s cancelled and I won’t have to pay for the subscription next month.

  Business response

  06/14/2023

  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 6/12/2023. The cancellation confirmation is **********. There have been no charges due to the free trial with the membership and the cancellation will prevent any future charges from occurring. Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern. 

  Customer response

  06/14/2023

  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

  04/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  At a local FYE location, I was asked to join a VIP program and I agreed. To complete this program registration, I was asked to select 3 FREE magazines. I did not want them but was told I had to do it in order to fulfill the VIP membership. It was for 3 or 6 months and then would stop unless I opted to continue the subscriptions. About a week later, I noticed a $1 charge on my bank account. I found out that I was charged a $1 for this FREE magazine subscription. I did not authorize this in any way at all for a 3rd party to somehow have access to my bank account that wasn't even provided to FYE. I called FYE and all they could do was say I could cancel the VIP program to cancel any further charges for these so called FREE magazines. Last week I noticed a withdrawal of $73 from a place I didn't recognize and found out that the Magazine company in India has withdrawn money again from my bank to pay for magazines I assumed were cancelled. I had to call again to do this and today, again another charge withdrawn from my account for magazines. Who does FYE think they are giving my personal information to a 3rd party to authorize ANY charges on my bank account after selling this to me as a FREE subscription. I am unable to contact FYI corporate to complain so I am officially informing BBB about FYE. This has caused me stress, concern and several phone calls to hopefully get a return from someone in India that is telling me I will get this money back but who knows? A total of a $125 has been taken from my account without warning or authorization because FYE falsely claimed these were FREE magazines that were unavoidable to opt out of in order to be part of a VIP program they are selling. My only other option to keep them from taking money out of my bank account is to cancel my entire banking and start over using a new account. This inconvenience is unacceptable as I would not have elected any of this if I was aware it would lead to this.

  Business response

  05/04/2023

  To Whom It May Concern:
  
  ***** ****** signed up for membership #******** on 2/15/2022. ***** ****** called and cancelled the membership on 04/28/2023. 
  ***** ****** signed up for **** ******* ********* ******, and ****** ***********.  Today, 5/3/2023, the subscription has been refunded.  The customer will receive a refund a full refund for the amount that they were charged in a couple of business days. 
  
  
  Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern.
  
  

  Customer response

  05/08/2023

  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. BBB spoke to the consumers and the following was relayed:I think we finally got it.  I think it did the trick.  They came out and caulked it up real good.  I think that finally did the trick.   Regards, ***** ****** 

• Initial Complaint

  04/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Placed a $525.82 order (Order# ********) from FYE online on 11/7/2022 for a Christmas event. Item was marked as shipped two days after placing my order, however the item never was picked up by the carrier. As of writing this today 4/25/2023 no package was received. Tracking number ********************** shows **** is STILL waiting for the item. Any attempts to resolve this with customer service have led to no help. They claim the tracking information wouldn't show anymore due it being shipped in November , however **** hold records for these shipment for 2 years. Customer service told me I had to file a claim with *** ** in order to get my refund, the shipment and tracking was not with *** **. I've confirmed with *** ** this is NOT their tracking number and its ****. I'm out $525.82!

  Business response

  05/05/2023

  To Whom It May Concern: The customer reached out on 4/25 stating they never received their order through ****. We advised that the order shipped out through ***** so they would need to file a claim through *****. The customer attempted to file a claim through **** and we advised that the order shipped out through ***** so the claim would need to be through them. The customer then attempted a ***** claim on 5/2/23 but ***** would not allow the claim to be filed. We processed a refund on 5/5/23 and informed the customer.  Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I shopped at *** on 2/11/23 and was asked to get a FREE rewards card. I found out on 3/16/23 that I was being charged $11.99 monthly for a *** rewards program. I did not sign up for this. I called the company and they claimed to cancel it. I called the store and the person claiming to be the Asst. Manager said no one else has had this happen. I had to cancel my credit card and put a fraud alert on this charge. This should not be allowed to happen. I see this exact thing has happened and been reported by many people. I would like verification that this is closed. I have no supporting documents, as I never signed up for this monthly fee. I had to give my name for *** to find me in the system. My name was only given because I was told this card was FREE!! Thank you.

  Business response

  03/23/2023

  To Whom It May Concern: At the time of purchase customer paying with a credit card are 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 member **** ******, was signed up for in one of our stores on February 11th, 2023.  The member called and cancelled on March 16th, 2023, the cancellation confirmation number the member was given is #**********. The member will receive a refund of $11.99 in about 7-10 business days. Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern. 

• Initial Complaint

  02/22/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I made a purchase at FYE on 11/19/2022. The store associate told me about their "free" rewards program to get a discount on my in-store purchase... so I signed up. There was no indication whatsoever that there would be a monthly fee associated with this reward program, which I was told was free. Apparently I was signed up for FYE's "Backstage Pass VIP" which I never wanted to nor asked to do. I was then charged $11.99 on 12/21/2022 and $11.99 again on 1/23/2023. I noticed these changes yesterday on 2/21/2023. I then immediately called to cancel my membership, which the phone rep said was cancelled. Then, I noticed ANOTHER $11.99 charge on my card tied to 2/21/2023, the day I cancelled my membership. This charge did not show up until after I cancelled this "Backstage Pass VIP" membership. So I was charged a total of $35.97 for a membership I never even agreed to pay for, except for maybe being hidden in some pamphlet I didn't even grab. Again, the store associate told me this was a FREE rewards program. These businesses practices are deceptive and immoral...preying on people who do not check their credit card statements after signing up for a "free" rewards program. I have never encountered such a practice from any other company ever. Normally you would be told up front that you are signing up for a monthly "membership" not a free "rewards program". My VIP number is ******** for identification purposes.

  Business response

  02/28/2023

  At the time of purchase customer paying with a credit card are 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 membership # ******** for ******** ******, was cancelled on February 23rd, 2023. We have processed a refund of three months at $11.99, the customer should see this to his account in the next 7-10 business days.  The cancellation confirmation number is, **********.Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern.

  Customer response

  03/02/2023

  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. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** ******
  
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a few items on Dec 16 2022 and was asked some information for their loyalty program. I asked the cashier whether this was a free program and it was confirmed that it was and that FYE would email me coupons and that was it. If it was not free, I would not have provided my information and would not have consented. to joining Today, I was charged with FYE's "Backstage VIP" membership on my debit card - which is something I did not consent to. I have shopped here one time and would have no reason to join a program that costs money. FYE signed me up for this without my consent and is now charging me money for a program I did not consent to join. I have tried calling the cancellation line and they are conveniently "closed". This appears to be a consistent problem with FYE based on other consumer complains with BBB.

  Business response

  02/28/2023

  At the time of purchase customer paying with a credit card are 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 membership # ******** for ****** ****, was signed up for in one of our stores.  The membership is now cancelled, cancellation completed on February 23rd, 2023.  The member will be refunded in full, two months of $11.99 charges and should be reflected in the members next few billing cycles; 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. ↩