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Business Profile

Family Entertainment

Trans World Entertainment Corporation

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Family Entertainment.

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Trans World Entertainment Corporation's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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Trans World Entertainment Corporation has 228 locations, listed below.

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 73 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 25 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

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    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/07/2024

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      On 6/2/24 I ordered $238.23 worth of merchandise. It said all merchandise was in stock. Was charged on my card. I only ever got an automated response regarding my order. I asked later in a customer support email ticket what the status of my order is. No response. Last week I sent another email on the same ticket. To this day I have had no response from an actual human being nor an update on my order and it has been over a month. I just sent another ticket but if this is how FYE treats someone spending hundreds of dollars I'm not hopeful. This is a lot of money and I want my money back. NEVER order online from here if this is how they are going to treat a paying customer. Even best case scenario they've taken well over $200 of my money from me for over a month now...

      Business Response

      Date: 07/09/2024

      To Whom It May Concern: Due to the items ordered, this order flagged in our system. We had reached out to the customer via our ticketing system but had not heard back from them. Upon receipt of this complaint, we did find the order in question and it has been submitted for fulfillment.  We have been in contact with the customer through our ticketing system and will continue to do so.  Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern. Sincerely, Erin S****** Director - Store Operations******* **** *** ***
      ** ********* ******
      ******* ** *****Phone: ***** ******** *****Fax: ***** ********www.fye.com 

      Customer Answer

      Date: 07/15/2024

      I am currently disagreeing/not accepting FYE's response as I have not seen any action taken yet. While I appreciate them responding to my email, it has now been another week that has passed since they said they pushed my order forward, with no action happening beyond that. This has been a total of roughly a month and a half now that they have held my money from me with no product or refund delivered. Taking into account how long they have had me messing around, I have to take a "I'll believe it when I see it" point of view here. At this point I'd just like my money back.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/16/2024

      The order has been cancelled. The customer should see the refund within 3-5 business days.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 07/19/2024

      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

      Date:07/05/2024

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      October 27, 2023
      I was misinformed about a month subscription. I was not informed that I would be getting charged a monthly fee of $11.99.
      I have been getting charged ever since. I called today 7/5/2024 and was told I would not be getting a full refund even though I was miss informed.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/10/2024

      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 as of July 5th, 2024 with the cancellation number being **********. Member was refunded 8 months total. There will be no further charges for the membership due to the cancellation. Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern.Sincerely,Erin S******Director - Store Operations2428392 INC. dba FYE38 Corporate CircleAlbany, NY 12203

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/05/2024

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Back on 12/20/23 I was purchasing Christmas gifts at the store and the cashier said I could sign up for their VIP membership to get a discount on the items. It wasn’t explained to me that it cost a monthly fee, I thought it was a free points-type membership which I have a lot of and bc I was making a debit purchase I didn’t realize my card number had been added to the account. I didn’t bother looking through the pamphlet bc I thought it was free and didn’t plan to make another purchase there.
      Months later I realized I was being charged for the membership. I tried going online and had to make an account on the FYE but still could not find a way to cancel. I never found out that the VIP membership requires a separate account on a separate website. The original site said I could send an email to cancel and I tried that and got no response. I tried calling the number which asked for my account number but by this point I didn’t know where the card was and had no clue what my account number was and on the FYE website there was no account info.
      I tried emailing again and got an email back saying a reply had been added to my ticket but there was no information and no link and when I logged in there wasn’t anything there either.
      I finally found the account card and called and the lady tried to discourage me from canceling and tried to read to me all the benefits they offer. When I said no she tried to get me to stay by lowering my monthly payment. Now I understand why you can’t just cancel online like any other subscription service, it’s cause they want to convince you to keep paying them.
      She finally agreed to cancel and gave me a confirmation number before abruptly ending the call but I don’t know if it’ll really go through, and I want a refund of all my unauthorized payments since I was signed up.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/10/2024

      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 as of July 5th, 2024 with the cancellation number being **********. Member was refunded 6 months total. There will be no further charges for the membership due to the cancellation. Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern.Sincerely,Erin S******Director - Store Operations2428392 INC. dba FYE38 Corporate CircleAlbany, NY 12203

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/02/2024

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      May 2023 I went into FYE in the Moorestown Mall to purchase a gift. They offered their loyalty program "Backstage Pass" to receive a discount on my purchase. I asked if there was a cost, they replied that it was a free program. Today, I noticed a charge to my bank account for $11.99 for FYE Backstage Pass. I called the bank and was informed I've been charged $11.99 every month for one year.I called FYE and was given the run around with them trying to give me a discounted membership. I made it clear several times that I did not, nor did I ever want this subscription. I never shop at this store, I made only 1 purchase there ever, why would I need their loyalty plan? I finally got the representative to cancel my plan but when I asked for a refund because I was fraudulently signed up, he said it was not refundable. I asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor said the best they could do was refund 4 months worth of charges. I have witnesses several other customers online complaining of the same situation that they were told it was a free program then charged every month. I never received any program information from the business, a membership number, or any communication that I was being charged. I need a full refund for all 13 months I was charged.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/10/2024

      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 as of July 2nd 2024 with the cancellation number being ********************. Member was refunded 12 months total. There will be no further charges for the membership due to the cancellation. Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern.Sincerely,Erin S******Director - Store Operations2428392 INC. dba FYE38 Corporate CircleAlbany, NY 12203

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:07/01/2024

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      i made a purchase from FYE and signed up for some discount thing that came with what I was told were 4 free magazines, Turns out this was a scam. I am now being charged for multiple subscriptions with the credit card I used for my purchase that day. I now have had to go through the process of calling in to an automated system to cancel these subcriptions I NEVER agreed to subscribe to and dispute the mutiple charges with my creditor. I don't know if my bank is going to reverse the charges, so I want this company to REFUND ALL THE MONEY THEY FRAUDULENTLY CHARGED ME and STOP utilizing my credit card for magazine subscriptions an memberships. None of this fraudulent activity was disclosed at the store. I want my name and all other personal information removed from their database, especially my credit card info and any and all sucriptions and memberships stopped IMMEDIATELY.

      Business Response

      Date: 07/12/2024

      At the time of purchase a customer paying with a credit card is offered our magazine program.  There is a pamphlet for our magazine 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 located the order for Allrecipes and previously processed a cancellation. Please note that the publisher may send an additional 1-2 issues, which they may keep with our compliments. Customers magazine subscriptions to ****** ***** * ******** ******** ********** ********* ****** *** ******* ***** were set up on a monthly billing cycle. The orders were previously canceled for all future charges, which has canceled the fulfillment of your subscriptions. Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern. Sincerely, Erin S******Director - Store Operations ******* **** *** ***
      ** ********* ******Albany, NY 12203****** ***** ******** *****
      **** ***** ********
      ***********

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:06/25/2024

      Type:Delivery Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      On May 31st, 2024, I purchased an item from FYE.com. **** received the package with my order on June 3rd, 2024. It arrived to my area on June 6th, and it was out for delivery the next day. However, my package did not arrive to my place of residence due to insufficient address details on the package, despite the fact that I had provided my full address when I ordered the product (the receipt shows proof of this). Therefore, **** sent my package back to the sender. I have contacted FYE's customer service through email (on June 14th) and through their website's form, with no response as of the moment of writing this. The customer service number on the website was not of much use either, as it only told me to address my complaint through the email.

      **** claims to have given the package back to the sender (FYE), and I would like to know if they have it. I would also like to know if they are planning on sending the package with the item I ordered back to my place of residence, this time with my full address (which I believe to be the preferable option). If this is not the case, I believe it would only be fair to provide me with a full refund.

      Order number: #*****

      Business Response

      Date: 07/03/2024

      To Whom It May Concern: The package has been received by our Customer Service department and is in the process of being reshipped to the updated address provided by the customer.  We have been in contact with the customer through our ticketing system and will continue to do so.  Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern. Sincerely, Erin S******Director - Store Operations ******* **** *** ***** ********* ****** Albany, NY 12203Phone: ***** ******** ***** Fax: ***** *******************

      Customer Answer

      Date: 07/03/2024

      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

      Date:05/29/2024

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      -Business asks to sign you up for rewards to get 10% off that day
      -Signed up 5/27
      -Business does not tell you that you will be billed the next month to be a member.
      -Sales associates do not tell you and I was told that they are forced to pull this bait and switch in order to be put on the schedule by their managers.

      Business Response

      Date: 06/27/2024

      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 as of 6/26/2024 with the cancellation number being **********. No charges were done, so there is no refund. 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

      Date:05/19/2024

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      FYE has been charging my bank account monthly for approximately 10 years for a “backstage pass.” I have not been able to get the charges to stop. I want FYE to stop charging my bank account.

      Business Response

      Date: 06/26/2024


      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 as of June 25, 2024 with the cancellation number being
      **********. There will be no further charges for the membership due to the cancellation.
      Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern.
      Sincerely,
      Erin S******
      Director - Store Operations
      2428392 INC. dba FYE
      38 Corporate Circle
      Albany, NY 12203

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:05/13/2024

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I have been charged $11.99 a month without consent for many MANY months now. I canceled a long time ago and just now signed into my credit card to find monthly charges since Christmas of last year! They had no right to keep taking my money. It’s not even showing I have an account still

      Business Response

      Date: 05/15/2024

      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 as of 5/14/2024 with the cancellation number being **********. A full refund of 17 months for $11.99 totaling $203.83 has been issued as of 5/16/2024. 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

      Date:04/01/2024

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I visited the FYE store in the Woodland Mall in Kentwood, MI on January 26, 2024. I purchased a book, and was offered to sign up for their rewards program. I agreed to sign up for their rewards program. Upon completing the form for sign up (which was only for information like my phone number and email address), I was informed they also signed me up for their "Backstage VIP" program, which is shared with other brands. They explained this program offered rewards with other businesses with monthly incentives. When I expressed that I was not interested in this program, they replied that I "would not need to use it." When I explicitly asked if there was a charge associated with this, they replied that there was no charge.

      I have since found a reoccurring charge on my account for this service. When I called the customer service to cancel, they explained that "there was no charge for the first trial period, and they were sorry if this was no explained clearly in the store." When asked how they were able to charge my card, which was only used to purchase the book in store, they claimed that by signing up for the rewards program, I was also giving permission to charge that account.

      The entire transaction is very deceitful. I am normally a informed consumer and do not regularly fall to such tricks. In this instance, the employers outright lied to me in order to entrap me into this reoccurring charge. I would like to see this practice stopped.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/05/2024

      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 membership has been cancelled as of 4/1/2024 with the cancellation number being **********. A full refund of 8 months totaling $95.92 has been issued as of 4/2/2024. There will be no further charges for the membership due to the cancellation.  Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern.

    Trans World Entertainment Corporation is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

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