Complaints

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

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• 

  Trans World Entertainment Corporation

  38 Corporate Cir Albany, NY 12203

• 

  FYE

  5055 W. 79th Street Indianapolis, IN 46268

• 

  FYE-For Your Entertainment

  30-251 Mall Drive West Jersey City, NJ 07310

• 

  FYE-For Your Entertainment

  2000 Route 38 Cherry Hill, NJ 08002

• 

  FYE-For Your Entertainment

  91 Route 4 East Paramus, NJ 07652

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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/21/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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.

  Manager of the store told my wife and I about discount card we could sign up for. She said it’s not a credit card or anything like that. I even asked her if there were any hidden costs in which she said there were not. We gave our information and paid for our merchandise with a debit card which she said we had to use. Once we completed our transaction she then told us it would be a $11.99 charge a month.
  We feel scammed as she didn’t say anything about a charge until after the transaction. She lied to me when I asked about hidden charges when she was describing the program. She refused to cancel our membership and told me to call a number. I called the number and couldn’t get through to a rep that day. This business runs on bad faith. They should tell people right at the beginning that there will be a charge.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/23/2023

  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.   The customer has reached out and cancelled the membership and we have confirmed the cancellation as of 6/23/2023. There have been no charges due to the free trial with the membership and the cancellation will prevent any future charges from occurring. Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/23/2023

  this business refuses to acknowledge that they deceive customers. I have reached out to my state attorney general along with reaching out to news sources to warn people of this scam. Manager was very rude and said she didn’t need to tell people about the fee as it said it in the pamphlet which is given to people after they signed up. If people didn’t read it, they would be charged without knowing  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  -
  
  Regards, 
  
  ***** ****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/12/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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.

  Signed up for a membership for the *** Backstage Pass VIP called to cancel the membership but many people have said they don’t cancel it so hoping to confirm it’s cancelled and I won’t have to pay for the subscription next month.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/14/2023

  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 of the membership as of 6/12/2023. The cancellation confirmation is **********. There have been no charges due to the free trial with the membership and the cancellation will prevent any future charges from occurring. Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/14/2023

  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:04/28/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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.

  At a local FYE location, I was asked to join a VIP program and I agreed. To complete this program registration, I was asked to select 3 FREE magazines. I did not want them but was told I had to do it in order to fulfill the VIP membership. It was for 3 or 6 months and then would stop unless I opted to continue the subscriptions. About a week later, I noticed a $1 charge on my bank account. I found out that I was charged a $1 for this FREE magazine subscription. I did not authorize this in any way at all for a 3rd party to somehow have access to my bank account that wasn't even provided to FYE. I called FYE and all they could do was say I could cancel the VIP program to cancel any further charges for these so called FREE magazines. Last week I noticed a withdrawal of $73 from a place I didn't recognize and found out that the Magazine company in India has withdrawn money again from my bank to pay for magazines I assumed were cancelled. I had to call again to do this and today, again another charge withdrawn from my account for magazines. Who does FYE think they are giving my personal information to a 3rd party to authorize ANY charges on my bank account after selling this to me as a FREE subscription. I am unable to contact FYI corporate to complain so I am officially informing BBB about FYE. This has caused me stress, concern and several phone calls to hopefully get a return from someone in India that is telling me I will get this money back but who knows? A total of a $125 has been taken from my account without warning or authorization because FYE falsely claimed these were FREE magazines that were unavoidable to opt out of in order to be part of a VIP program they are selling. My only other option to keep them from taking money out of my bank account is to cancel my entire banking and start over using a new account. This inconvenience is unacceptable as I would not have elected any of this if I was aware it would lead to this.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/04/2023

  To Whom It May Concern:
  
  ***** ****** signed up for membership #******** on 2/15/2022. ***** ****** called and cancelled the membership on 04/28/2023. 
  ***** ****** signed up for **** ******* ********* ******, and ****** ***********.  Today, 5/3/2023, the subscription has been refunded.  The customer will receive a refund a full refund for the amount that they were charged in a couple of business days. 
  
  
  Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern.
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/08/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. BBB spoke to the consumers and the following was relayed:I think we finally got it.  I think it did the trick.  They came out and caulked it up real good.  I think that finally did the trick.  
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** ****** 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/25/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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.

  Placed a $525.82 order (Order# ********) from FYE online on 11/7/2022 for a Christmas event. Item was marked as shipped two days after placing my order, however the item never was picked up by the carrier. As of writing this today 4/25/2023 no package was received. Tracking number ********************** shows **** is STILL waiting for the item. Any attempts to resolve this with customer service have led to no help. They claim the tracking information wouldn't show anymore due it being shipped in November , however **** hold records for these shipment for 2 years. Customer service told me I had to file a claim with *** ** in order to get my refund, the shipment and tracking was not with *** **. I've confirmed with *** ** this is NOT their tracking number and its ****. I'm out $525.82!

  Business Response

  Date: 05/05/2023

  To Whom It May Concern: The customer reached out on 4/25 stating they never received their order through ****. We advised that the order shipped out through ***** so they would need to file a claim through *****. The customer attempted to file a claim through **** and we advised that the order shipped out through ***** so the claim would need to be through them. The customer then attempted a ***** claim on 5/2/23 but ***** would not allow the claim to be filed. We processed a refund on 5/5/23 and informed the customer.  Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/16/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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 shopped at *** on 2/11/23 and was asked to get a FREE rewards card. I found out on 3/16/23 that I was being charged $11.99 monthly for a *** rewards program. I did not sign up for this. I called the company and they claimed to cancel it. I called the store and the person claiming to be the Asst. Manager said no one else has had this happen. I had to cancel my credit card and put a fraud alert on this charge. This should not be allowed to happen. I see this exact thing has happened and been reported by many people. I would like verification that this is closed. I have no supporting documents, as I never signed up for this monthly fee. I had to give my name for *** to find me in the system. My name was only given because I was told this card was FREE!! Thank you.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/23/2023

  To Whom It May Concern: At
  the time of purchase customer paying with a credit card are 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.  The
  member **** ******, was signed up for in one of our
  stores on February 11th, 2023.  The member called and cancelled on March 16th,
  2023, the cancellation confirmation number the member was given is #**********. The member will receive a refund of $11.99 in about 7-10 business days. Thank you for allowing us to
  respond to this concern. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/22/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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 at FYE on 11/19/2022. The store associate told me about their "free" rewards program to get a discount on my in-store purchase... so I signed up. There was no indication whatsoever that there would be a monthly fee associated with this reward program, which I was told was free. Apparently I was signed up for FYE's "Backstage Pass VIP" which I never wanted to nor asked to do. I was then charged $11.99 on 12/21/2022 and $11.99 again on 1/23/2023. I noticed these changes yesterday on 2/21/2023. I then immediately called to cancel my membership, which the phone rep said was cancelled. Then, I noticed ANOTHER $11.99 charge on my card tied to 2/21/2023, the day I cancelled my membership. This charge did not show up until after I cancelled this "Backstage Pass VIP" membership. So I was charged a total of $35.97 for a membership I never even agreed to pay for, except for maybe being hidden in some pamphlet I didn't even grab. Again, the store associate told me this was a FREE rewards program. These businesses practices are deceptive and immoral...preying on people who do not check their credit card statements after signing up for a "free" rewards program. I have never encountered such a practice from any other company ever. Normally you would be told up front that you are signing up for a monthly "membership" not a free "rewards program". My VIP number is ******** for identification purposes.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/28/2023

  At
  the time of purchase customer paying with a credit card are 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.  The
  membership # ******** for ******** ******, was cancelled on February 23rd,
  2023. We have processed a refund of three months at $11.99, the customer should see this to his account in the next 7-10 business days.  The cancellation confirmation number is, **********.Thank you for allowing us to
  respond to this concern.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/02/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  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:02/21/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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 purchased a few items on Dec 16 2022 and was asked some information for their loyalty program. I asked the cashier whether this was a free program and it was confirmed that it was and that FYE would email me coupons and that was it. If it was not free, I would not have provided my information and would not have consented. to joining Today, I was charged with FYE's "Backstage VIP" membership on my debit card - which is something I did not consent to. I have shopped here one time and would have no reason to join a program that costs money. FYE signed me up for this without my consent and is now charging me money for a program I did not consent to join. I have tried calling the cancellation line and they are conveniently "closed".
  
  This appears to be a consistent problem with FYE based on other consumer complains with BBB.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/28/2023

  At the time of purchase customer paying with a credit card are 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.  
  The membership # ******** for ****** ****, was signed up for in one of our stores.  The membership is now cancelled, cancellation completed on February 23rd, 2023.  The member will be refunded in full, two months of $11.99 charges and should be reflected in the members next few billing cycles; cancellation #**********.
  Thank you for allowing us to respond to this concern.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/02/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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 1/22/23 Order# ******** was placed with my home address as the shipping destination. The order is for a bowl and the total was $28.80. Confirmation attached.
  On 1/25/23 I received confirmation that the order had shipped and tracking was provided with an ETA of 2/3/23. When the order was tracked on 2/1/23, it showed as delivered on 1/30/23 to Albany, NY. My address is in Ontario, CA. Please see attached.
  When *** Customer Service was contacted on 2/1/23, they refused to reship or process a refund until the misshipped order could be located, but it is clearly lost.
  I am requesting a refund and a replacement order for the i convenience as this business is attempting to leave me without my order or money.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/09/2023

  Thank you for allowing us to respond to this issue. The customer was asked to verify and clarify if they'd like a refund or a reshipment once the order was returned.  This questions was not answered.  When the customer decides and follows up with our agent with that information we will either refund, or set up a reship for the customer. Thank you. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/17/2023

  Better Business Bureau: 
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  My original message is this: On 1/22/23 Order# ******** was placed with my home address as the shipping destination. The order is for a bowl and the total was $28.80. Confirmation attached. On 1/25/23 I received confirmation that the order had shipped and tracking was provided with an ETA of 2/3/23. When the order was tracked on 2/1/23, it showed as delivered on 1/30/23 to Albany, NY. My address is in Ontario, CA. Please see attached. When *** Customer Service was contacted on 2/1/23, they refused to reship or process a refund until the misshipped order could be located, but it is clearly lost. I am requesting a refund and a replacement order for the i convenience as this business is attempting to leave me without my order or money. On 2/9 they finally responded to my message above and LIED that they had contacted me and I had not responded. I responded to emails for 2 weeks for them to give me a refund and they refuse! The same person “RACHEL” has been telling me over and over that it will be processed once they can locate the lost package. It is lost! I want my money that they have stolen.  
  Regards, 
  
  ***** ***********

  Business Response

  Date: 02/17/2023

  The refund was processed today 2/17/2023.  The customer should allow 3-5 business days to see it reflected on their card or statement. Thank you for allowing us to respond. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/30/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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 placed an online order after signing up for their notifications. Prompting a discount code. Order ******** I proceeded to place order, however it would not accept my discount code that was from their company for signing up. So I reached out to CS, they refused to cancel my order or honor their discount code. Stating I could return the order. No, I requested a cancellation. Again, they stated they could not.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/09/2023

  Thank you for allowing us to reply. The customers coupon did not apply to the item that they ordered.  There are exclusions on the coupon, this item was one of them.  The order had already been processed when the customer then requested that it be cancelled.  The customer can keep the item upon receipt, or request a return from us, and they can be set up with a RMA, return instructions. Thank you. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/12/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  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 FYE in December 2022. I was asked at checkout if I wanted to save money with their discount program. I asked if it was free and was told yes. So I consented. Fastforward to today. I found an $11.99 charge on my account. Yes I did get a pamphlet at checkout in regards to a VIP program, as that seems to be FYEs response to all complaints on here regarding the same thing. I thought since it said VIP that was if I wanted to upgrade. No explanation was given to me on the program . No one told me I would eventually be charged. Free is free. I did not sign a contract for my card to be utilized. I called and tried to explain the situation. 2 times when I said I had a complaint and wanted to cancel my membership, I was hung up on. I called a third time. This time I didnt say I had a complaint. I just said I wanted to cancel. The woman harrassed me when I repeatedly said no. She was nice but she would not let me say no. I hung up and called back again. I finally got someone that cancelled the membership but I still was never offered a refund. I will never be shopping here again which is a shame as I enjoyed the store.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/30/2023

  At
  the time of purchase customer paying with a credit card are 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. 
  
  The
  membership for ******* ******* was signed up for in one of our
  stores on December 10th, 2022 and the customer called to cancel on January 12th,
  2023. The member was charged one membership fee of $11.99, which was refunded at the time of cancellation.
  
  Thank you for allowing us to
  respond to this concern.