During a purchase of a movie at my local Suncoast Video store, now closed due to going out of business (in fact all TWE stores in my area and now closed), the employee pitched the new VIP membership card and explained the numerous benefits that I would receive from this card. My fiance talked me into finally getting it to try it out and I was told that if I changed my mind all I had to do was call the number on the card to cancel during the trail and I would never be charged the $9.99 monthly membership fee. After a week or so I didn't think it was worth keeping so I called the number and a Customer Service Representative with a strong Indian accent tried to argue with me about canceling my membership card for about 15-20 minutes. Eventually he gave in and said my card would be canceled and my credit card would never be charged.
Flash forward two years. My mother and I share a joint credit card account which she oversees. I hadn't had direct access to my credit card statements until my company merged with Wells Fargo and I was able to set up my own log-in. I came to notice TLG*FYE VIP was charging me $9.99 each month and realized exactly what it was. When I called the number from my credit card statements and explained to them I had previously canceled this membership during the trail and was told I would never be charged. They claimed to have no record on my account that I ever called. I told them I never used the membership card either because when I was told that it was canceled I discarded all of that information. They told me that if I had canceled I would have been given a cancelation number which I don't remember ever getting from them before. I explained this was close to two years ago so I didn't have any information of this any longer. After fighting with them they agree to refund only the last monthly charge but since they have no record of me canceling they would not be refunding the $240-300 they have already charged me!
I did notify my bank of these charges and they agreed to open a claim for me to try to get the past three-four months refunded for fraudulent charges but that was all they could do. From now on my credit card is also blocking and doing charge-backs for any charges from FYE because I read horror stories from other customers who canceled but were still charged even afterward like myself. Many people have said TWE would never cancel their memberships and so they were forced to cancel their credit card accounts to finally make them stop. Others said that the company would keep charging them eventually over-drafting accounts resulting in many additional banks fees for them to pay. This company's practices are disgusting and put the blame on the consumer because they "don't have record" of cancelations.
Trans World Entertainment gets away with activities that are just barely legal. They go after young consumers with products they claim are "free" or "easy to cancel" that have "great benefits." Hundreds if not thousands of consumers have been targeted by their scams costing these people hundreds of dollars. When the consumer calls to cancel they are argued with by the "customer service rep" on the other end and the memberships are never truly canceled by the company who continues to charge monthly fees. When the consumer confronts these people about the charges it is the consumer who is told is at fault and no money is ever refunded. The company claims to have (intentionally?) "no record" of that consumer's interactions, phone calls, previous cancelations, etc. So there is no proof to back up the consumer's complaints.
Do not let this happen to you. Refuse signing up for any supposed "free" trials or memberships with FYE, Suncoast Video, and others TWE companies; don't shop at their stores; if you do have to shop these stores only use cash. Employees frequently sign up people without their knowledge for VIP cards and magazine subscriptions in order to meet sales quotas and the consumer pays for their fraud. Please be aware and help stop these scans. If you are a victim file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and Federal Trade Commission or contact you Attorney General.
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