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FYE

FYE review: won't cancel/keeps charging after cancellation 48

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7:32 pm EST
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I had received (without prior permission, nor any notification of) the FYE Backstage VIP Pass. I say I was not informed because when purchasing a few last minute christmas gifts, the clerk asked if I would like to save 15% on my NEXT purchase (notice the 'next', because there was no savings advertised for the current one) to which I replied no thank you. I guess the clerk just decided to add the card on and then after wrapping all the presents I found at least 2-3 packets of the same information, as well as cards detailing information on the VIP Backstage Pass. I promptly discarded these packets due to the fact that I had made no purchase of them (to my knowledge) and I was under the impression they were some sort of promotional product I need not worry myself with. After about a month or so, I check my credit card online statement (which should have been a balance of 0.00$, I had just made a payment) only to find that a product marked as FYE VIP Pass had charged me a total of 11.99$. I am beside myself with rage, the company CIC Triple Advantage has previously attempted to access my account for a total of 3 months in the past, and I made one complaint to the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and POOF, the whole mess was gone and I received my money back in full. I do not want to have to do this again, and I am hoping this works and clears out this charge and any further charges to my credit. This is fraud in the highest form and companies that commit it should be stripped and shut down.

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

48 comments
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suejronj
Hendersonville, US
Oct 15, 2009 6:05 pm EDT

Within the past year I prepaid for songs that I could download at later date. I might have used 2 or 3. I recently went into FYE website to download some songs, I presumably paid for and couldn't find the option to download. In contacting them about it, I got a reply that FYE no longer offers this option and that I could get a refund if I supply them with information that FYE SHOULD HAVE, not me. You would think that they would email me a notice of their discontinuing this service.

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chi_chan243
Stockton, US
Nov 03, 2009 12:52 am EST

I have been charged with $9.99 two times now even after I have cancelled it! I demand it to be stopped and to be given a refund!

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StaN80
US
Nov 06, 2009 7:18 am EST

The store manager has no customer service skills and the store it's self seems disorganized. She wont allow you to buy a single product and you are un able to exchange a product if you recieved it damaged! It is rediculous. This store doesn't even carry the rewards card. A friend of mine bought a game system where the wires were no good and she wouldn't even let her exchange for the same product! She bought it only the day before!

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LRB
Buffalo, US
Feb 03, 2010 4:03 pm EST

The problem was the cashier. He/she did not properly inform you of the terms. Although I find it interesting that you freely gave your full name, address and phone number without question. And that you signed TWO slips without wondering what you were signing.

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NikkiBlink
Braintree, US
Feb 04, 2010 8:29 pm EST

This happened to me as well. In my situation, I gave no information to the cashier besides my debit card. I did not give my address or phone number. The only slip I signed was my receipt. I never asked to be signed up for a program of any kind, and yet I have had money taken out of my account for the past two months. I called the number to cancel last month, but I was still charged again this month.

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Scott Gere
US
Jan 25, 2017 11:16 am EST
Replying to comment of NikkiBlink

FYE

I just got back 2 years worth of $11.99 a month FYE charged me while I was enrolled in their scam without my knowledge. I'll tell you how I did it.

There are a lot of problems with what fye is doing with their programs but I will just cover how to get your money back.

First, call fye, have your service canceled, ask them how long you have been signed up, where you were signed up and how much money they have debited from you since your sign up. Make sure you get a cancellation number. They won't help you with anything else so don't try to get them to refund you. The true culprit is the business that signed you up without your knowledge and it should be illegal. They essentially stole and misused your credit or debit card number.

Once I found out I was being debited by fye, I had them cancel the subscription then I started at the bottom. I called the store where I was signed up. Make sure you get the store manager. If they are not available, find out when they will be in and call back. Only the manager will be able to help you.

Be polite. It may be their fault, but if you yell at them they will be less likely to want to help you. Explain your situation to them, that you did not sign up for the service and that you want them to deal with it. In my situation the manager said she would email the company to sort it out. Make sure you tell them how much money was taken from you by fye and how long you have been signed up without your knowledge.

If for some reason they refuse to help you make sure you mention that you intend to file a report with the federal trade commission, the better business bureau, the mall or building that their shop is in and the police, since this is credit card fraud. They will most likely take you seriously at this point. Again, be polite but persistent.

Make sure you follow up with the manager regularly, call them maybe once or twice a week to keep them honest. It took the manager 2 weeks to give me a final answer and in the end she said the company would refund all of my money, 2 days later I got an email from fye saying the money would be refunded, 2 more days and all at once, 24, $11.99 deposits hit my bank account.

Be patient, if they are wrong there is a way to get your money back, but be prepared to follow through with your promise if they don't help you. My next plan was to call the mall the business is located in and inform them of the credit card number theft, then the police, the the FTC and BBB.

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FYE DESTROYER
SK
Mar 06, 2010 12:48 pm EST

I just checked my checking account and I see a debit pending for $9.99 to FYE. What the heck is this FYE - VIP Backstage Pass? My husband doesn't know either. We have no idea what FYE is! Is it a retail store? Do they sell tickets to concerts? Backstage Pass? Backstage pass to what? I'm a V.I.P.?

We are Amercian diplomats in Slovakia and have been here since July of 09. Neither of us have flown back to the states for anything. Today is Saturday. Come Monday, I plan to open a can all over this FYE outfit! From the blogs and complaints I'm reading online, it might behoove the American people that I lawyer up on this one!

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redninja
Winchester, US
Mar 12, 2010 2:35 pm EST

are you stupid?

you save the 10% on the purchase RIGHT THEN!
the computer automatically does it. plus it saves you 10% every time you shop.

and, i find it hard to believe that you gave her your full name, address, birth date, phone number and email...
then signed a seperate piece of paper that CONFIRMS that you are signing up for the 30 day free trial.

Get a life. stop lying.

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PinkNinja
US
Mar 30, 2010 8:12 am EDT

I feel the same way about this VIP crap! I was in a hurry, shopping for a picky 10 year old in a massive crowd-- all fighting for overpriced dvd's and cd's-- when the cashier asked me to sign up for the rewards program! She knew I was distracted and was in a hurry so she quickly asked for my zip code and phone number. I never gave my actual address and she had my name from my credit card. She looked me right in the eye and said to go online and finish the registration. Here I thought it was like a bonus card-- one you'd use at a grocery store. She NEVER mentioned there is a monthly fee!
Of course my bank statement came and there it was... $11.99. I *immediately* cancelled. He said he was sending a $20 gift card for being an "active member" for 2 months. (I shopped there ONCE) Another month went by... no gift card but yet another charge for the membership! About a week later the gift card arrived. How nice! I was *thrilled*! And so was my 10 year old! Here I thought it was sent for being inconvenienced! LOL! Yeah... it wasn't.
I called to cancel the membership, yet again, only to find the offices were closed until Monday. Typical.
I immediately took my son back to FYE to quickly use the card. Well... we get there and the friggen store had CLOSED! Not just closed for the night, but no longer in business! I was LIVID to say the least! I drove 28+ miles to another location to find that that store was also in mid closing sales--- which meant there wasn't much left.
So...REDNINJA, congrats to you for being so smart! You *never have done something inadvertently? BULL-----! I'd love to see you stand there, in public, and thoroughly read the crap most cashiers hand people. LMAO
"Get a life"? Really? Do you normally go to random sites and tell people how it is? You're an idiot.

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Dummy1234
US
Mar 30, 2010 11:01 am EDT

Now I see why Redninja is such an advocate! I had no idea you worked for them! Is this your job, to sit here and defend? Why don't you get to work on the cashiers who conveniently forget to tell the stupid customer there is a monthly fee?!

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SeanRuediger
Riverside, US
Apr 03, 2010 1:29 am EDT

My name is Sean. I was a previous sales associate working for FYE (Trans World Entertainment). I am very familiar with this VIP discount card you all are talking about. It's called a "Backstage Pass Card." There are two versions of it the BSP and the BSPVIP. The Backstage Pass is only a $25.00 fee a year to have the card, and you save 10% off your purchase everytime oyu come in to FYE. The Backstage Pass VIP is a discount card that works for FYE, but also thousands of other locations in the area, such as restaurants, airfare, hotels, etc. You also save the same 10% discount for FYE as well. It was originally $9.99 a month to keep the card, prior to November 2009, but after November, the company changed the card's renewal fee to $11.99 a month. To even get the BSPVIP card, you'll have to pay by a credit card, so if you WANT TO keep it, it'll be a $11.99 renewal fee.

The information above is listed in the fine print on the card's booklet, as well as the receipt you HAD TO sign to even be charged for the card. If you were signed up for the card, the company's rules were you had to sign two receipts -- One approving of the transaction, and another one which AGREES to the FINE PRINT that if you DO NOT CANCEL AFTER THE FIRST MONTH, it will be an $11.99 charge to your card to KEEP the discount card. You also get a $20.00 FYE gift card if you kept it for two months, meaning, you get the first month free and you pay $11.99 to keep the card for the month.

To even sign up for the card though you need the following information for our records and computers: First & Last Name, Full Address (City, State, Zip), Phone Number, Email Address. Without the above information, it would be a fraud to even charge someone with the card UNLESS you STILL signed both receipts WITHOUT reading the fine print on them. (Note: ALWAYS read the fine print!) The sales associate might have put in fake information to charge you though, so who knows.

The experience I have had with this card isn't pleasant, nor is the time I have had working for FYE or Trans World Entertainment. I have seen the true colors of this company for whom they really are, and I'll be honest -- It has disappointed me. To one of the commenters above, yes, there is a quota each sales associate has to obtain a day and a week for these Backstage Pass VIP cards. Actually, we have a quota for a lot of things; reserves, bsp, bspvip, special orders, magazine subscriptions, etc... This is part of the reason why I left the company, because of this quota. It was rather demeaning to my own being having to sell these discount cards to people that obviously didn't want them.

I do not support FYE, Trans World Entertainment, nor these Backstage Pass VIP cards. To put this all on a lighter note, I believe that the experiences you guys have had might have been a misunderstanding, or just crooked sales associates trying to make their quota, because believe me -- I have had my managers and district managers breathing down my neck if I didn't make the quota or make "good numbers."

I apologize to everyone that has had a hard time with the company. I am on your side and I'm quite familiar with the frustration. I just wish that you all will understand that it probably wasn't the sales associates fault. It might have been pressure to push harder for the company or the risk of losing your job. It's a shame honestly. It really is.

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SeanRuediger
Riverside, US
Apr 03, 2010 1:33 am EDT

&&& Pinkninja:

The $20.00 gift card you don't automatically get in the mail, you have to mail out for it yourself using the slip included in the VIP discount card package. It's in the little folder. A lot of people were confused about this and I agree -- it's confusing and misleading. The whole thing is a big scam, and I don't support it, but guess what -- I sold it to hundreds of people for 10 months, and I regret it entirely. It's honestly a rip-off.

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redninja
Winchester, US
Apr 04, 2010 8:22 pm EDT

I'm not supporting ANYTHING! I tell my customers 100% what they are getting. Before I let them sign, I tell them that "If you don't call this number in 30 days, it's 11.99 a month that gets charged to this card."

Half of these complaints are BULL! You can't just sign someone up without all of their information!

And do you know what it's like to LOSE YOUR JOB if you don't get enough sales? I agree that some cashiers can trick you into something... but you, the customer, still need to AGREE TO IT!

"I'd love to see you stand there, in public, and thoroughly read the crap most cashiers hand people."
Um... if someone just signed me up for something... using my credit card... you damn well believe I'd take the time to read a small paragraph that is not only on my packet... but on my damn reciept! In about 10 words! It's the contract you sign for us! So don't sit there and blame Fye.

You know what? the backstage bass and fye AREN'T RELATED! We could care less if you keep it. Either does the company. It's not our job to make you keep it.

Bottom line:
As Sean claims, it's pressure. DMs will fire you in a heartbeat if you don't meet your quota. And while I don't "trick" people, I do know some cashiers do. But, even so, you'd have to be a complete idiot to fall for it. Even if a cashier uses a fake phone number, zip code... whatever... and just slides your card... you still need to sign a seperate sheet of paper that has the contract of you signing the card. And, they have to scan the actual card... then sit there and fill everything in... most customers would question what the cashier was doing.
Most people would read a contract before signing something that isn't a credit card slip...
And you get your money back ANYWAY if you complain enough to the backstage pass company.
Even if the FYE was closed... it doesn't matter. FYE can't cancel the card for you. Can't get your money back. As I said, they are two seperate things. It's the backstage pass the screws you over, NOT FYE.

And I'm stupid? Who signs up for something when their kid is screaming? Most educated people would say "I'm sorry, I'm busy." Because, when people do sign up for the backstage pass, THEY ASK ABOUT IT FIRST! They just don't go "oh, okay!"... sign a contract... then run off.

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PinkNinja
US
Apr 07, 2010 11:39 am EDT

Who the hell do you think you're calling uneducated? How about I give you my address and I'll show you just how uneducated I am!? You little twit... You sit there and cry about poor you losing your job if you don't ram enough of these VIP cards down peoples' throats! Did you ever think maybe you should look for a better job, that maybe lying to people in order to get ahead isn't morally responsible?
Because, in essence, that's what you're doing.
But let me guess: not you. You NEVER left out *any details! Whatever. You're a piece of sh--.
I'm smarter than you honey and make far more money, I'm sure.
And did I mention anywhere in my complaint that my child was screaming or that my child was even with me? LMAO

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Sioela
Little Rock, US
Apr 20, 2010 5:17 pm EDT

I have had the regular Backstage Pass for a while. It was 25$ a year, and saved me a percentage at the store. That was great considering I worked at a mall, and like shopping at my local suncoast.

Well I moved to another state, and much to my glee I found a suncoast in my podunk miserable little town. I went in to browse, chose a few movies, and found out I needed to renew my Backstage Pass. Well, I wasn't worried, its was 25$ a year, I verified with the clerk.

She said, Yes it is 25$ a year. If you want to upgrade, you can for 10$ a month. Its called Backstage VIP

Me: No thanks. I only want the regular Backstage Pass. I dont need or want the VIP.

She asked: Are you certain?

Me: Yes, I do not want the additional charge.

I checked my receipts read everything before buying and asked the clerk to double check that I only had the regular Backstage Pass. She confirmed it.

LO AND BEHOLD... i am getting charged 10$ a &^&*^( month for a service i SPECIFICALLY said no to.

So, FYE needs to get their ### together, and quit cheating their customers. This is ridiculous. I have cancelled my membership.

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FYE VIP scam
US
May 21, 2010 3:55 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I too was scammed by the FYE Backstage Pass VIP club.

I shop at FYE occasionally, and know about their yearly membership to get a discount just at FYE, but had never signed up for it. I worked at a mall this holiday season and whenever I shopped at FYE the clerk would ask me if I wanted it and usually I would just say no thanks. But one time they were offering what I thought was a free trial of it and you could get a $20 gift card as well. I was told the first month is free but after that it's $12. Silly me for thinking that it was $12 a year to get discounts on a few CD's, when in reality it was $12 A MONTH (which the clerk failed to mention).

I had planned on cancelling it after the month anyway, but forgot, so I got the initial $12 charge. So I'm thinking, well I guess I have it for a year now. But the next month I got charged again so I called to see what was up. I come to find out it is in fact $12 a month, because it's not just for FYE, it's also for "thousands of locations nationwide, " which were pretty much just a bunch of Domino's Pizza and Dunkin Donuts locations. When I called they also verified my name and address, which was somewhat close to what it really was but was completely wrong. So they said since they had the wrong information, they would give me a month for free, and since I didn't even know it could be used at other places, I said fine. Since I now had it for another two months, not long after that I filled out the form for the gift card (with the correct address on it).

So the two months go by, and still no gift card. I figured I wouldn't cancel it right away because I was still waiting for the gift card (but by now of course I had spent more on the membership than the $20, but I wanted to use the gift card along with the discount). More time goes by and still no gift card, so a little over a week ago I give up on the gift card and call to cancel before it charges me for the month. The guy answers and asks if I got the gift card, I said no. He said the address it was sent to, which was the WRONG ADDRESS that they had from before. He says my membership is still active until the 18th, I said fine. He then mumbles something like "OK we will keep your account active" and hangs up without giving me any type of confirmation number or anything. Silly me again for thinking that it was actually cancelled and he meant we will keep your account active until the 18th, when he really meant we will keep your account active until forever. Of course, a few days later, I get the $12 charge again (actually it was still processing). As soon as I see that I call again, and this time I talk to a woman, and she tries to give me a different spiel about sending me 4 $10 rebates in addition to another free month. I said no you had my address wrong last time what makes me think you'll get it right this time, and eventually she gives up and says my account is cancelled as of that day and gives me a confirmation number.

Silly me one last time for thinking that that last charge wouldn't go through. It did, so if I get charged another month I will be filing a complaint with the BBB.

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ayoungbird
colorado springs, US
Jul 01, 2010 12:09 pm EDT

Well my husband and I have never even heard of f.y.e. as we do not have one here. I do not know how we got charged 11.99. we do not have a card or packet or anything so i had to call the number on my bank statement to even find out who this charge was. So like the Slovakian i am confused who/how this charge appeared on my card. No i am not stupid, i did not sign any papers at any store (again there are none here--had no idea who they are) and I did not give out information to a sales associate unless f.y.e has another store name possibly. I have a JUSTICE for girls club card, lol.

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HumanScam
St. Louis, US
Aug 27, 2010 9:33 pm EDT

Pay attention to what a cashier is saying to you dumb dumb.

At my local FYE I was purchasing $50+ worth of merchandise. The cashier told me that I would save 10% on my purchase so I did. they also explained that if I did not call and cancel I would be charged after the first 30 days of having the card. I went home and hung the discount card on my fridge. The following Monday I called and cancelled my card. The man on the phone tried again to get me to keep my card. To which I replied "I want to cancel my card". He then gave me a confirmation number. I checked my records and there was no charge. People always look for someone else to blame when things don't go their way. I'm sure that there are associates who are unethical, that's undeniable. To criticize the organization as a whole is ridiculous. If you were talking to a customer and they told you about a discount card and you were not paying attention to them because you didn't think they deserved your attention then you deserve to be scammed I say. but in my situation the person spoke, I listened, and I benefitted.

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kailin_aisling
US
Sep 07, 2010 9:18 pm EDT

You don't have to give any information. These A-holes are linking this card to DEBIT CARDS without any prior information. NOTHING else was provided by myself. I declined the card, and paid for my purchase with my debit card. 3 months later, I notice I've been being charged 11.99 monthly for this effing card. I don't like accusing people of dishonesty, but this is ridiculous. So I go into my local FYE store today, after reading this stuff. I ask about the VIP card. I'm explained to that it's free, blah blah, so i ask to see the paper work and sign up- to which the cashier tells me, to come back when I'm ready to make my purchase, and they'll link the card to my credit or debit card to save me having to fill the paper work out, and so its discount is applied with every purchase! I respond, that's ok I'm not buying today, so I'll just take a look at the paperwork, and fill it out. They said they cant do that. I ask why. Get a run around. So then I say, "could it be, because its not free and you're fraudulently charging people for this card even when they decline it, and fail to sign ANYTHING asking for it?" I got asked to leave the store for "Disturbing customers". Screw FYE. And RedNinja, they are doing this to people. Without consent. Without a signature.

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bugmenot2
US
Oct 28, 2010 10:49 pm EDT

I bought a CD (stupid) from FYE for $20 (stupid) and got hit with the same scam on my debit card. I occasionally make dumb mistakes, though: circa 2003, I bought a copy of Jesus Christ Superstar from FYE, and ended up with a $40 charge to Sam Goody's and a subscription to People Magazine.

Basically, this company exists by ripping people off, because the price of entertainment has dropped almost to zero. I can watch the movie I bought on Hulu for free now. I can listen to the CD on youtube, or buy it for 6 dollars on Amazon or iTunes. FYE's market is gone, and that's why they're so heavy-handed about these promotions.

I cancelled my debit card and got a new one, rather than deal with getting them to stop the charge. Today I finally got my first letter from them, asking me to put my card information on a "charge authorization form" so that my "benefits" won't expire. I'm shivering. I'll never go there again, they're on their way out of business, and soon their assets will be liquidated and/or donated to Goodwill for tax write-offs. CDs and DVDs are obsolete.

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PHHowes
US
Nov 24, 2010 5:39 pm EST

I signed up at the store, received the discount on my BluRay. I was interested in the discount at AMC and when that didn't work I called and cancelled. I spoke with Martin who was very helpful and that was it. The number for the customer service is [protected] and after that there was a little bit of automation and then Martin.

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LoyaltoFYE
Shelby Township, US
Apr 01, 2011 7:36 pm EDT

I understand the frustration of having sales associates omitting information but this can all be avoided if everyone would just pay a little attention to what is going on and read a receipt before signing. These offers are for FYE customers who are loyal and the program can be very useful if utilized correctly. All the information you need can be found on the web site fyevip.com or by calling the number previously listed.

There are two card available for FYE, first is the The Backstage Pass which is $25 for the year. After you spend $250 it pays for itself then you save 10% on every purchase after that, clearly for someone who shops there often. Then the VIP is Free for one month and a monthly charge of $9.99 or $11.99 per month after that which is for people who love coupons and has a printer. You save 10% in FYE stores and can print coupons from the website for a large verity of stores.

Another thing that bothers me is all this talk of FYE associates somehow inputting information they haven't been given. Are they faking the information or getting it out of you without your knowledge? If the case is a bad associate not letting you know all the information for what you are signing up for then that really sucks for the company because they don't intend on ripping people off. Yes FYE is under pressure with the increase of ILLEGAL downloading but they still have customers who choose to support their favorite artist or actor or go just because (in a good case) knows an associate and trusts their judgement on entertainment. This is a specialty entertainment store with many different options for their loyal customers and people passing by take that for granted.

These are hard times and a lot of people and companies are strapped for money so when things like this happen blood starts to boil and when that happens people don't always draw the right conclusion or react in a manor of sense. Read receipts that you sign or packets of info you receive, call and talk to a manager or go online for additional info. All these things can help aid you in preventing a bad experience with one associate and taking it out on the entire company.

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FYE VIP scam
US
Apr 02, 2011 4:38 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

In response to LoyaltoFYE:
1. The VIP card is a joke. There is no reason anyone would willingly pay for it. Once I knew I was scammed, I actually did try to see if the thing had any value to it. But as I mentioned in my earlier post, that "large variety of stores" you mention was basically just a bunch of Dunkin Donuts and Dominos Pizza locations, for which you can probably get the same exact coupons online for free.

2. The cashiers don't take your information. They (well the register does) just save your credit card number. Which is why when I actually checked out my VIP account online the address they had for me was wrong, since I never actually gave them one.

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Customer Dan
Salt Lake City, US
Jul 01, 2011 4:00 pm EDT

I would like to say that during my FYE purchase I was told about the VIP Backstage Pass, I agreed to it, because I planned on canceling the plan within the first few days. Yes, I am a jerk because I wanted to exploit the company 20% (the initial 10 and the other 10 being my birthday) for a Blu Ray video I wanted to buy. Yes, the sales reps from my experience walk you through it so you'd probably have to be pretty dumb to just sign up for something you don't completely understand.

THAT BEING SAID: Canceling my service was a ###ing NIGHTMARE. My account was created, I called the number and explained. I was *told* that my account would stay active (and that it needed to sit there for a few more days for me to "think about it" and all the "benefits" I'd miss out on blah blah whatever).

I call in a few days later after sitting on all the "fabulous" benefits and such, and in the call I was told *twice* that they would be keeping my account active. Mind you, they didn't state something like "Are you sure you would like this canceled? Here's all of our great blah blah" no, first they would give you the sales pitch and slip in there that your account would be active and to have a nice day. Luckily for me, before whoever was on the other end hung up I said "No, I do not agree to what you've said and I will keep calling here until this membership is canceled. May I speak to your supervisor?" Then I was given a cancellation number.

I swear if I see a charge on my card heads will roll.

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shodges87
Hayward, US
Aug 12, 2011 5:58 am EDT

Please everyone, raise hell with this one. I have called the store manager and have spoken to two people in corporate. I have demanded, and after a lot of ###, finally gotten my signed copies. First of all, the first problem is that they tell you that it is $25 a year, even their WEBSITE it says $25 a year, but they will charge you $11.99 a month. I found out that the only way you agree to it is this: you know how when you use your credit card and you have to sign a slip? The agreement for the $11.99 charge is on THAT.

Second, even if you cancel it they will continue to charge you. You have to cancel over and over again.

FILE COMPLAINTS WITH THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION AND THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU! THIS IS THE ONLY WAY THIS WILL STOP! PLEASE DO THIS ASAP! What they are doing is illegal. It is deceptive business practices and fraud. Please do this for yourself and others.

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DeercaughtinHeadlights
Brooklyn, US
Aug 31, 2011 1:39 pm EDT

Well I'm a sales person and I don't convince anyone to get anything. Its wrong but U can;t force anyone to get something they really don't need, I mean come on how often is the average person going to shop at an entertainment center unless you're a DJ or a game addict. I'm paying for something i didn't even know I was signing for, all i know is that the sales person told me I was going to B saving 10% on my purchase today because of a special promotion they had going on. Of course the only thing I heard was 10%. I had no idea I was going to B VIP of anything...So what did I do?...I called my bank and change my ACCOUNT #...Lesson Learned, ..Always listen to what anybody has to say especially when they're trying to sell U something.

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SummerSin
US
Feb 25, 2012 10:48 pm EST

Well... I willingly signed up for it.. but because of financial new financial issues I can't' afford to be having almost 12 bucks being taken out of my account for benefits I can't really use in the first place right now. I called to have my membership cancelled... but the guy was almost infuriatingly persistent with trying to convince me to keep the membership. But, after four times of saying "I'd just like the membership cancelled, " he gave me a cancellation number, and that was it. We'll see what happens next month.

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LDavi74
Torrance, US
Mar 14, 2012 12:43 am EDT

i never signed my name on any paper to authorize any charges, although the receipt says "by signing below and giving my birthdate, i agree to..." there is no signature. plus, the receipt says, in black and white "unless i call to cancel during the 30 day trial, i authorize to autimatically charge $11.99" however, on fye's website it says nothing SAME DAY it was purchased. Now tell me that doesn't sound misleading, especially because i have it in their own written words.

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jessxcorexx
Brookhaven, US
Mar 27, 2012 5:35 am EDT

Keep in mind, I don't typically do online banking for security purposes. I signed up for this card in June of 2011, and the employee told me that if I change my mind within 30 days I can go back and cancel it, he never mentioned fees or ANYTHING. I didn't even get a "booklet" like everyone else is talking about. He just handed me a credit card sized card. I worked for a retail company who always did the same thing (but the catch is: OURS WAS TRULY FREE) so I thought nothing of it. Sure enough, I thought about it and realized "why would I have 30 days to cancel something that is free, especially since I only shop here once a year?" I went back to the store and the same associate was there, and I told him I had changed my mind. He took my membership card from me and cancelled it. I thought that was that and I was on my way. Well, last night in my rare instance of checking my bank account, I noticed an $11.99 charge for FYE VIP BSP. I was like "What in God's name is this?" So I looked it up, sure enough it was this pesky little card. Going on a history search with my card, they have been charging me $11.99 since July. So I sent the company an e-mail (a not very nice one mind you) basically stating that I want ALL of my money back since they have dishonest, lying employees, or I'm going to get a lawyer (heh I may have went a little overboard). I got a return e-mail within 2 hours. It stated "We're sorry to inform you of this, but if you did not cancel within the 30 day grace period, you must wait a year before you can cancel your account." ARE YOU SERIOUS?! I'm going to give the company a call when they open, I'm going to give them a piece of my mind, and I will NOT let them push me around. I work in customer service and I know how to get what I want, and what I want is my money back. This company is nothing a but a bunch of ### who feel the need to push things on you, and then lie to you when you want to cancel your account. I don't care about your damn ~quota~, what everyone at FYE is doing is WRONG and FRAUDULENT. This company needs to shut down. I'm so done.

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jessxcorexx
Brookhaven, US
Mar 27, 2012 6:27 am EDT

I had success, this is what everyone needs to do. Speak in a harsh (not yelling) tone. When they refuse to help you or anything, say that you want to speak to a supervisor, NOW or you'll keep calling until you get to one. Tell the supervisor the problem, they will refund you for 4 of the months right then and there and then you have to submit a form in writing to get your remaining credits. Also tell them that you're never shopping there again, they apologize 10 times. I hope this solves everyones problem. Here's the phone number for everyones referenece: [protected]. GOOD LUCK! (:

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dawn02
Bedford, US
Sep 28, 2012 1:07 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

VIP Backstage Pass is a RIP OFF! We did the 30 day free trial and decided where we live that we do not benefit for it so we called to cancel it. Apparently the D-bag who took the call couldn't understand English very well and documented that we want to continue the services. Needless to say the charges kept rolling in despite our efforts to cancel. I spoke with several Indians and Hindu's and such before I got to speak with a English speaking supervisor. I filed a huge complaint and intend to have the representative fired who caused all of this grief. I will also be filing as many complaints as I can everywhere I can and this included my local FYE store. What a bunch of crap! DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THE VIP BACKSTAGE PASS MEMBERSHIP! No matter how hard they push you and if they sign you up without your permission sue their ###!

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NearlyScammed12324
ewtrfwef, US
Feb 07, 2013 11:12 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I've had this happen to me today. I purchased something from F.Y.E and used my card. The cashier asked for a birth date and I gave him it (I figured he needed to verify my debit card like how some places ask for ID). Then he asked for my address and full name. At this point I got suspicious, so I asked, "Why do you need it?". He said, "Oh, I'm just trying to get you a 10% discount."

"Is there anything else I need to know about this?"

"Nah, I just give you this catalogue and you get a 10% discount. Please sign the receipt"

"Oh, okay."

I figured that I was getting the 10% discount because they would send me junk mail or something; but to just to be sure I re-read my receipt to see if I was charged for anything I didn't buy.

Apparently, I was about to be. On the middle of the receipt it says that if I don't cancel a subscription in 30 days, I will get charged 11.99$ per month ( for how many months exactly? indefinitely?). What the cashier played off as me signing a regular receipt for identity verification was actually him making me sign up for that subscription. He intentionally did not inform me of any subscription or any charges when I asked him if there was anything I needed to know.

So I immediately called the number on the receipt to cancel and it asked for my member ID # (which I also was not informed of by the cashier). I looked on the receipt and found it. To think, if I would have thrown it away there'd be no way for me to access the account in order to cancel it. After entering the number, I was put on hold for 3 minutes before reaching a customer service rep who asked me for my name and birth date again to verify if I was me. After giving it to him, he told me that I was not yet in the system (because it makes sense that he would have my name and birth-date if I weren't?); and I would have to call back in 5 days in order to cancel. Obviously that is just a ### hurdle they put in the way hoping I would forget to call. So I cancelled my debit-card and ordered a new one (so that they would not have my card #), and will be calling them in a few days.

I have absolutely no respect for this business and will never be going back. How quickly and smoothly the cashier tricked me into signing up for the membership makes me think he has done this multiple times before; and if he is doing it again and again he is probably ordered by management to do so.

F.Y.E is a bunch of lousy scammers; never pay with a card if you go there.

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NearlyScammed12324
ewtrfwef, US
Feb 07, 2013 11:20 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Also, what is with the people here saying "Just listen to the cashier"?

It is extremely easy for the cashier to just blatantly lie to you. I know because it happened today. You can't listen if THEY WON'T TELL YOU.

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liesandlovenotes
New Bedford, US
Feb 21, 2013 10:29 pm EST

First of all they cant sign you up for the vip without asking for your personal information and second you would of had to sign a paper which clearly states that you will be charged monthly then gets sent to their home office.

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liesandlovenotes
New Bedford, US
Feb 21, 2013 10:32 pm EST

Oh and that first response is also wrong because there are 2 cards one is $25 for the year strictly just for fye and the second card is free for 1 month then its 11.99 a month but this card saves you at other places over 100, 000 different stores its like a AAA card

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NalaNacious
Sparta, US
Dec 30, 2013 6:30 pm EST

Here's my experience:

I was at my local Sam Goody, purchasing Christmas Presents. My total was high and the cashier offered me 10% off, and explained to me the card and that I could cancel within 30 days without a charge. I agreed; It lowered my total by a bit and I was in a rush. Today, I called the company and asked to be removed. The woman on the phone began to steamroll me with a barrage of nonsense. She is apparently going to send me a $20 gift card (Yeah, right), and urges me to look at the benefits before I cancel. I made the mistake of calling while I was at work, and had to do something midway through, and ended up just agreeing to get her off the phone. I'll call tomorrow to cancel.

HERE IS WHERE I GOT IRRITATED:

I decided to check out this AMAZING service, so I log on. First of all, seriously, my password needs an upper and lowercase letter, a number, AND a special character?!?! Insanity. That nonwithstanding, I found a really good deal (30% off eye exam and glasses), and since I have been needing to get my eyes re-examined, I called the company the deal was for. When I did, I was informed that the optometrist had been out of practice since 2005 and had DIED in 2009. Apparently, they never took this "deal" off. So, according to the site, I could also use this same deal at my local Sears. So I called them. They do not take this discount and have no idea what I'm talking about. Apparently, this company is just willing to call peoples' bluff on the deals, and that makes me angry. I don't mind calling to cancel services. I understand the run-around; I've worked phone jobs. They have a script that they have to stick to, as do the employees who push the card in the first place. What grinds my gears is the clear lac of ethics presented by this company.

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Scam alert 2012
Mesa, US
Feb 20, 2014 3:51 pm EST

I fallen for this as well. I'd like to call it a scam, but it was more of a case of not being up-front. I bought a cheap dvd at an FYE and the cashier asked if I'd like to sign up for their backstage pass. I asked her " is it like a rewards points program? " to which she replied yes. I then asked " is it free? " and she again said "yes, it's free to sign up". So I said, fine and she starts asking me all these personal questions about where I live and so on. I should have known right there to just stop her and walk out, that was dumb on my part. Even dumber when she tells me to sign the bottom of this long receipt ( I thought she ran my debit card as credit and was having me sign that ) and I didn't read what was on it. After my transaction was finished, and everything was bagged, THEN she mentioned, "You have 30 days to cancel or you will be charged $11.99 a month. The number is on the bottom of your receipt."
I accept it was a dumb-dumb thing on my part to sign anything without reading it, but I felt like I was tricked into signing up.
I used to work at Frys Electronics when I was younger and they put a lot of pressure on saleman to sign people up for their credit card. It sucks when companies do this because it turns alot of people dishonest just to save from getting fired.

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user1394670
Hanover, US
Jul 15, 2014 5:25 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

These people are very sneaky to say the least. I agreed to the backstage pass club and also understood the free magazine arrangement which basically was in my hands, because if I did not cancel in time I would start being charged $11.99 per month. So I think it was a year and I cancelled the magazine script. It went fine, they stopped charging me and I actually had a credit for $16.99 on my bank statement. However I noticed another charge on my e-bank statement which was from F.Y.E.and had no telephone number next to it like the magazine charges did. I called the bank to see if they had a phone number and replied no. So FYE has taken $11.99 from my account two months in a row. If I cant get this matter resolved with FYE my bank explained to me that for $35.00 I can issue a stop payment order from these snakes in the grass. As expensive as there products are you would think they would not have to scam consumers as they do.

Regards and good luck to fellow consumers in getting there problems solved,
Frustrated

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TinaVer
Providence, US
Jan 08, 2015 8:24 am EST

I have been charged and I never authorized anyone to charge my account. I never signed up for a membership or got any information about it either. I was asked my info at the register like 75% of stores do now a days to help market their products. I have been trying to work with F.Y.E about this but it is impossible to get someone to answer you and when they do it is in circles. I would like to see the proof of me signing up for this service? Training your cashiers to trick people is so unprofessional and you will lose more customers than gain memberships. I am having my credit card company fully investigate and dispute these charges. I also will be reporting to the Better Business Bureau and I no longer will be shopping at F.Y.E. I also work at a Huge university and I will assure to tell every person I see about this so they do not support this company either. I also have a huge social media following and I will voice my incident with them as well.

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Justin 45
US
Jan 22, 2015 9:02 am EST

This place I terrible who the hell is going to pay 11.99 a month for so stupid VIP pass .I never signed up for this such a scam terrible compay I will never shop here again I will go to best buy or hh gregg if I need CDs or headphones ...what a pos company fye is

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Justin 45
US
Jan 22, 2015 9:06 am EST

This place sucks $11.99 charge for some stupid VIP pass this place has been scaming me for 2 years I never signed up for this . I will never shop at this pos fye again I will go to best buy or hh gregg if I need headphones or CDs or my electronics

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  1. FYE Contacts

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