Well, like many others on this site, I was scammed by Entertainment Rewards and possibly by Ticketmaster. Tickets to an event were purchased in April.
It was, sadly, on an often used, balance carrying card and I didn't realize until 4 months later, that I was being billed $7 a month for a service called Entertainment Rewards, which I hadn;t signed up for and didn't even know what it was about.
I got lucky and got to pay off the card in full, but then received a bill the next month for $7."What's this?" I thought. It had a toll free number for I called it, and it was Entertainment Rewards.
On the first call, I waited on hold for 45 minutes and gave up. I called my credit card company (Discover) and disputed all of the Entertainment Rewards charges. I was given an immediate $40 (roughly) credit. Nice. But, they told me I had to deal with Entertainment Rewards to stop future charges.
At work the next day, I called them on my cell and set the phone aside while I was on hold and did my job. I did my job for an hour and a half before a human picked up. This is a major part of the Entertainment Rewards scam. They leave you on hold for an inordinate period of time, hoping you'll give up.
The guy on the phone cancelled my account and gave me a confirmation number for that. The confirmation number is useful, by the way. I gave it to the Discover Card people and they said that the number would serve as proof that would allow them to refuse future charges. So, get that number and give it to your credit card company.
Anyway, the Entertainment Rewards guy blamed me and claimed I'd signed up for the service. I hadn't. But, whatever, his word agains mine, right? I asked for a refund. He said, as others have reported, that they don't do that. I asked to speak to a supervisor. He put me on hold for awhile and then came back, offering me a one month refund. I asked him, "Didn't you say you have a no refund policy?" He said that he was "over ruled."
I mentioned consumer complaints and he said, "We don't follow third party Web sites."
I said I would report them to the Beter Business Bureau. He said, "We're not a member of that organization." Duh. As if the BBB would let them in!
Anyway, since I had disputed the charges, back through April, I took my one month refund and got off the phone. I had worked way too hard to get $7 back. I think my rate was under $4 an hour for that. I had to give up.
BUT, and this is important, they have so far NOT answered the dispute that I filed with Disover. It looks, as I write this, that I win all of the money back on the dispute. For me, it's a treat because the card now has a $40 negative balance, which is a night out or some shopping for me.
My advice is: Do wait on hold. Do be firm, but polite with the representative. Demand a full refund. When you've had all you can take with them on the phone, then give it up. But MAKE SURE, that you call your credit card company, dispute ALL of their charges and give them the cancellation number you receive when you cancel so that they can block future charges.
Also, request a copy of the Ticketmaster receipt (I did and promptly received it) because that receipt will show NO record of anything pertaining to Entertainment Rewards. Should Entertainment Rewards fight back on your dispute, you can use that receipt to prove that you purchased tickets with NO mention of them. Then, it's up to them to provide documentation of you signing up, which they can't do, because you probably didn't. I'm guessing that because they can't prove you signed up, they probably just don't answer a lot of disputes.
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