First off I never thought a big company like Fandango would ever stoop to anything as low as to sell its customer's credit card info to third parties but I have the proof it does!
Anyone that has bought tickets from Fandango knows at the end it will ask if you want coupons sent to via email from it's sponsors... I usually say no to this but one day I said "what the hell?" and clicked yes... Well after I few months I noticed my credit card was getting charged from this place called "Reservation Rewards" (Here is the charge copy and pasted from my online billing report)
Withdrawal check card
wli*reservationrewards 800-732-7031 ct date 10/24/04 -$9.00
(Yes that is Reservation Reward's 1-800 number if you're having trouble trying to find a contact from them)
So I called them up to see what was going on here and they said I signed up with them (they didn't mention Fandango) and they have my authorization to charge my card every month... Meanwhile I never even heard of this company before... They told me they can cancel my subscription but would not refund me for the 5 MONTHS they've been billing me.
So then I called my Pre paid legal service and sent them a letter from my lawyer and that's when I got the whole story and found out Fandango SOLD MY CREDIT CARD INFO to Reservation Rewards for $30!!! A manager sent my lawyer a reply apologizing for the misunderstanding but supposedly I clicked a box for free coupons and didn't read the small print that was hidden 4 clicks away on a different page stating that with this junkmail they we're sending me (and yes it's all junkmail coupons nothing anyone can actually use) they were charging me $9 a month. After clicking the box Fandango actually SOLD them (and who knows who else) my credit card info. Want to call Fandango and complain about this? You can't they've taken down their phone number from getting swamped with complaints and if you email Fandango they act like they had no idea what you're talking about IF they decide to even respond. Here's a number I found to call Fandango sales department but they'll probably take it down once people start calling to complain about Reservations Rewards (310-451-7690)
To anyone thinking it's convenient to buy your tickets online from Fandango like I used to BEWARE they make their real money selling your credit card info to third parties for over $40 a pop. How do I know it's around $40 a pop? When I called Fandango I got switched around and talked to some kid who told me that Fandango was getting a lot of calls about these charges so they took their contact number off the site and he said he believes they get $40 for every sign up a.K. A everyone who checks a box for a few free coupons
Side note: I had to close my bank account and cancel my credit card because I have no clue who else Fandango sold my credit card info too... If they sold it to a underhanded company like Reservation Rewards they'll sell to any company that will pay them a commission...
My lawyer recommended I file a class action lawsuit against Fandango if I get enough people behind this he'll do it for the commission because he believes it's such a strong case.
Do yourself a favor and DO NOT buy movie tickets from Fandango online and if you find a $9 charge on you're credit card report from Reservation Rewards call a lawyer!
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