Complaints

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:08/14/2023

  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.

  Contract with Bridal Show:Signed a contract in August of 2022. Was told very briefly I needed to cancel before the deadline but was never told I was locked into multiple years.Attended the Bridal show I paid for, and it was a horrible show. Was told I'd get several bookings and the clientele who attended was not for my business. They also had other or the same businesses which I was not told about.My deadline to cancel was 8/1. I was never contacted as a reminder for this event or a reminder to cancel. (which is a scam this company does to get you locked in as I've seen a lot of other complaints) I was then emailed on 8/4 conveniently (4) days after my deadline that I had to pay $1,500 with no other options.On 8/10 my representative finally called me a week of asking to be contacted and I was then told by my representative (*********************************) that I had no ************** was no one else to speak with regarding this matter. I called back to speak with a manager and they had my number flagged to only send it back to her so I could not speak with anyone else. She was so rude and started telling I should be a better business owner and I should take responsibility for my actions. ABSOLUTELY uncalled for that a company would speak to a client like this. This company is an absolute scam and they have been doing this for years. They should not be able to get away with something like this.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/05/2023

  This customer contracted for booth space in the upcoming fall '23 when they signed their fall '22 multi-year contract. They could have cancelled their participation anytime up until 7/1/2023 as stated on their contract.  We accept cancels without any penalty up until the cancel date.  Cancels are not accepted after the cancel date.  It is the business owners responsibility to contact ACS to cancel.  ACS is not a ****** ******** and it is unreasonable for a vendor to make that statement.  Our contract for booth space is clear and simple.  It does NOT require a multi-year commitment.  It is the vendor that decides if they want the multi-year or not.  The cancel date is clearly written right on the front of the contract. Now that the cancel date has passed, the client is angry that they need to fulfill their contractual obligation.  We do understand that sometimes things come up and a client is not able to exhibit. We allow the ************* and get credit to any future event, or to pay and do the show.  Credit never expires.  Kind regards, ACS.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/10/2023

  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.

  We've been contacted multiple times by various sales reps stating that we are contractual obligated to submit payment for the Fall 2023 ** Bridal Show although we stated in April that we would not be attending any shows for this year. We were then told that was cancellation for the Spring 2023 show and not the Fall. It's clear that these deceptive tactics are used by ACS's sales reps on multiple businesses and despite continued complaints this company refuses to change. To avoid harassment, because that's what this is at this point, we're filing this official complaint publicly to have the business respond and agree to discontinue communications and our "contract" permanently. It wasn't thoroughly explained that this multi year discount was an obligation or possible litigation and collections would be the potential result for businesses. If that were the case I'm sure businesses would never agree to such a "discount". We are formally requesting from the business that our contract be canceled for every seasonal show every year going forward. This is the only way we know to do this because the company does not tell you how to cancel the contract,not on their contract or the website. The contract is vague to say the least!

  Business Response

  Date: 08/12/2023

  Divine Designs Events and More, LLC. is contracted for a booth in the November 15, 2023 bridal and wedding expo in *******, **.  They registered for the show in fall of 22 as multi year, placing them automatically in the fall '23 show.  They could have cancelled anytime until 8/1/23 with zero penalty, simply by emailing us, as per their contract.  This information is clearly stated on their contract.  They did not exercise their right to cancel. The event is produced 2X per year.  Each season requires a separate contract.  Some vendors do the show 1X per year, others do both shows per year. In this case, we reached out  to see if they wanted to participate in the spring '23 show, but they did not.  They also did not tell us that they were not participating in the fall '23 show.  If they had, we would have cancelled them! They are responsible for paying for their booth space because they did not cancel prior to the cancel date.  The are not being harassed.  We are simply calling them for payment which is past due.  It is a reasonable course of action for any business to collect on receivables due to their company. When a company registers as multi year for an upcoming show we advise on the call what their cancel date is and how to cancel. 

  The client's request is that they are released from their contract and have no further contact with ACS.  Once they satisfy their financial obligation their contract will be cancelled.  They will not be placed on automatic renewal.  And, they will have a credit to a future show.  But until the matter is resolved, we will continue to contact them.  Kind regards, ACS.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/14/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  There was no clear communication stating that we needed to send a cancellation notice for separate shows. Our response to their initial email for the Spring show stated clearly that we would not be attending any shows this year not the spring only but for the year. At that point the representative responded to include the season but the initial email did not. We indicated that we would not be attending this year and would potentially reach out for future shows and at that point JG (ACS representative) said that they'd reach out for future events. At no point did we receive any communication from ACS as JG did to inform us that a show was upcoming and we needed to reaffirm our decision to not attend. Let's agree that your verbiage is intentionally vague to entrap vendors and secure ongoing funding for your marketing and overhead. We will not be held liable for your choice to pump money into a show before securing funding. We made it clear then that we would not be attending any show this year and there's record of that communication. You choosing to interpret that differently to force us to pay for vendor fees is absurd. As we stated, we are not paying for any show now in 2023 or ANY future shows going forward.

   

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************
  
  
  
  
   
  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/25/2023

  Good afternoon, ****** Designs has been cancelled from the show and any future shows.  Kind regards, ACS.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/28/2023

  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.

  This company will not stop harassing me, stating that I still owe them for booth space in upcoming shows. I have negotiated with them months ago to get out of any upcoming shows, which I have in writing. They contacted me yesterday saying they only cancelled the "Spring" show, and I still owe for the Fall show, which is inaccurate. I have emails from them that we agreed upon that the Feb ************************************************************************************************************************* over the phone that I still owed for Fall and that she would be sending the contract, and then hung up on me! I promptly forwarded our email exchange and stated that I would take legal action for harassment if they were to contact me again.Their business practices are extremely shady, aggressive, and misleading! It's too bad that complaints and reviews have no bearing on their "accreditation" rating or they would be dropped by the BBB.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/08/2023

  This customer is not booked in any present or future shows and is not being contacted by ACS for payment because there is no payment due.  Their account has been made inactive which means they will not be contacted by ACS.  Should they decide to exhibit in the future they can reach out to us at that time. Best regards, American Consumer Shows.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/02/2023

  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 had signed a contract to do a bridal show. I attended the show and determine this was not the venue for me. I was contacted by the company a few month later about doing the show again. At this we had a conversation about this was not a show I wanted to continue with. They failed to send this documentation. At the end of March beginning of April I began receiving phone calls about the spring show. I had inform the show I was not returning in the fall. They deny the phone call and stated since I did not inform them prior to March 1st I had to pay for the show. No notification was made in February stating they expected me to be apart of the show.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/16/2023

  Touch Of Sunflowers Events purchased a booth at the ******* Bridal & Wedding Expo, Spring '22 on a multi year contract.  The date to cancel the contract if they did not wish to exhibit at  the June 2023 show was March 1, 2023.  Prior to March 1, there is no penalty or fee to cancel.  After March 1st cancellations are not accepted and full payment is required.  The client did not exercise their right cancel prior to the cancel date.  We are trying to resolve the matter by working out  discounted rate and credit to a future event. However, it is the client's responsibility to pay for their booth space since we are so close to the show.  9 months is plenty of time for vendors to follow up on their leads from the show and determine if they want to exhibit at the next event.  As of today there are are over ***** brides registered and ***** total attendees. We promote the show extensively and are expecting an excellent turnout.  Kind regards, American Consumer Shows. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/20/2023

  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.

  ACS: Contacted me about the November show on September 2, 2022. My reply was, "Unfortunately, we're not going to be able to do it this year. We have not gotten one booking from the last show that we did. **'s just financially not good for us at this point. Would that said? I really enjoyed it but however, I do not have the funds to pay for the booth so I'm going to have to decline. Thank you. Have a nice day." The reply I received back was No worries, I understand. Thank you for getting back to me! There was no communication from ACS from that day till April 5, 2023. Question: Why was my comment ignored by the SR about the event and just a reply with no worries? Then no communication from Sept. 2023 to April 2023. For seven months no one emailed or called. So, I considered the contract to be canceled. The sales rep ***** calls and emails, saying you are in a multi-year contract. Then he goes on to tell me that I had to pay nicely because of the contract. I told him on the phone that I remembered someone emailing me about the show in November and I declined. He says Ill get back to you and then sends me an email saying they cannot cancel me out of the multi-year agreement. There is no place on their website to cancel the contract, when I initial that they just said you must decline a show before Feb 1. He then offers for me to do a payment plan. There is no customer service at all with ACS because there are no emails about deadlines for canceling contracts and no way to cancel them online. When asked by a rep before I Initialed it they just say email or call and decline a show before Feb 1. Why have they offered to let ** get the show at a discount for May ** is not right to have to be forced to pay for something that I lost money on last years show, with a communication to a sales rep about not being happy.I asked him what if I did not pay, ************************ said I would be sent to collections. I have included screenshots of emails and a reply from ACS.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/08/2023

  American Consumer Shows  runs many nationwide events. In most markets our events are held twice per year.  Each show has its own contract for participation. If a vendor opts to contract for the show(s) as multi -year, they are committing to automatically renewing their participation in the following year's show.  The multi year cancel date is clearly stated on the front of each contract.  This particular vendor contracted for the Spring '22 bridal event in **********, **, as multi year, which placed them automatically in the Spring '23 show.  The show is 5/21, 2023.  The cancel date for this show was on or before 2/1/23.  Our sales assistant contacted them September 2, ******************************************************* the fall show, which they were not at that time.  They did not reach out to tell us prior to 2/1/23 that they want to be cancelled from the Spring '23 show, which is why they are placed in the show. We dont accept cancels after the cancel date.  Prior to the cancel date, there is no fee or penalty to cancel.  After the cancel date the vendor is responsible for payment. Their account has been noted that they are not interested in remaining on the multi year. After this spring '23 show, they will have no further shows contracted. We are looking forward to an excellent event.  As of today, there are ***** registered brides; ***** total attendees and the count climbs daily.  We hope that the client will resolve their balance and participate in the show.  Kind regards, American Consumer Shows.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/10/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:
  
   The company does not tell you how to cancel the contract,not on their contract or the website. The contract is vague and other vendors have been canceled after they declined the show, and the company even apologized for them not canceling.  Just like the screenshot I attached to another vendor's original complaint; they did the same way.  ACS said in the reply once they declined the show for that time they should have been canceled out of the agreement. Of course, the next email in April was ignored and not discussed, the email was lets talk about your multi-year contract.
  My reply to the sales rep
  "To whom it may concern, 
  
  Unfortunately, we're not going to be able to do it this year. We have not gotten one booking from the last show that we did. It's just financially not good for us at this point. Would that said? I really enjoyed it but I do not have the funds to pay for the booth so I'm going to have to decline. Thank you.Have a nice day.
  The ACS reply I got was "No worries, I understand.Thank you for getting back to me!" from the sales rep.
  No customer service at all, not to mention do you want to cancel the contract? or sorry for your bad experience. So, at this time I thought the contract was canceled. No communication from anyone till April which is I believe on purpose because it is after the Feb 1st, date.  ***** that contacted me was nice. When I told him I had already told someone I declined the shows in November before Feb 1st, he said he had me still in the contract. I thought I still had the email which I did. He went on to just say youre on a multi-year contract and you must pay this amount by this day. I appreciated that ACS offered the same rate as the first time and a payment plan. However, I declined the show in November and had no contact till April about the multi-year not being canceled. When you asked a sales rep how to cancel, they ignore it or say email or call. 
  The request not to be contacted has been breached: A few times since the request to ACS was sent by the BBB: The sales manager ************************* just emailed me today, at 1:45 pm after she called me and left a VM.About wanting to discuss the multi-year agreement with me. Before that, I got an email about a vendor kit I never told them I would be doing that show. I have not applied for any show but the first one. The other email was from the collection department for 845, which was ****** on the invoice. Now even today at about 1:10 pm **** calls again, leaves a voicemail,emails, and texts me. She offered another discount of %20 total ******.  They said if you dont reply to me by  **** I will send this to the collection and you be at regular price plus 35%. Why I appreciate the affected to give me discounts but, in my view, I should not be in this situation if the sales rep, would have to reply differently then no worries. I do not have ****** or any other amount for this show I am struggling just to keep my power and house payment. I just paid my house payment of 896. Which left my account negative ******. I know ACS does not care about my finances but I do not have 796 just ready to pay for something that did not work for my company at that time.
  What theyre saying when I declined the show in November 2022 it was not declining the shows in 2023.How do I know this if I was not told by ACS? This is an underhanded way of doing business. How was I as a client supposed to know this was not declining the contract,  because no calls or emails till April?When I got a reply it should have said something like, Sorry you had a bad experience is there anything I can help you with, and you are under contract were you asking to get out of the agreement? It just said no worries, nothing about this, not canceling the contract or not. So as a customer, I thought it was canceled because I did not hear from them till April 2023. They even went back and backdated the invoice to appear as if they charged it back on 2-8-2023. When I was not even contacted again till April 2023. My email is the date they sent this invoice as well which was  4-25-23. The company is running a shady scam when it comes to the multi-year part of the contract. Because there is nowhere to tell you how to cancel the contract on their website and according to them now even replying I decline to shows does not cancel it. So,what does constitute canceling the contract if decline a show before Feb 1st?
  
  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
  
  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************
  
  
  
  
   
  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/30/2023

  Each of our shows has a separate contract.  Fall show has a fall contract with its own Multi year cancel date published in large print on the front of the contract.  Spring show has a spring contract with its own Multi year cancel date published in large print on the front of the contract.  The My cancel date for the spring show was on or before February 1st, 2023. A customer can email ** to let ** know they will not be exhibiting and as long as it is prior to the cancel date they are removed from the show without any payment due.  When we reached out to see if this customer was interested in exhibiting in the fall '22 show, they were not.  The customer did not ask to be cancelled from the spring '23 show or we would have cancelled them anytime up until February 1st.  This customer has been canceled from multi year moving forward, and will not be placed in the spring **** or any other show. Sincerely, ACS.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/12/2023

  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.

  We did a Bridal Show with this company back in the Spring of 2022 which was supposed to take place in 2019 but due to the pandemic was postponed 3 times. We were not upset about this because this was our first show with them and we understood the circumstances. Because we were a first-time vendor they communicated with us a lot via email and phone the entire year prior to the show. However, Unlike our initial correspondence with the company, there was no advance notice regarding exhibiting for the 2023 show. They waited until after the cancellation date to contact us and it was for payment, not would we like to exhibit, what booth # we preferred, and what location. etc. We were then sent an unprofessional email that assumed that we did not understand their policy which we find discerning. we called several times trying to reach out to let them know we were not aware of a show taking place this year and ultimately ended up speaking to the account executive *************************** who instead of listening to our concerns decided to hang up in our face. She immediately went ahead and sent our balance over to collections. Apparently, she is very used to this practice as most companies will try to work something out with you 1st. Even If we did want to ultimately participate we wouldn't get the chance. Because *************************** was not patient enough regarding my concerns as a small business. With no prior notification, how can a small business properly prepare for the number of guests who may participate? I don't know many businesses that do not notify you about upcoming deadlines and confirm. Now we are left with a bad experience and do not see working with them in the future. This issue could have been avoided and resolved with simple communication, transparency, and patience.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/15/2023

  American Consumer Shows' upper management reached out directly to ***************** to get a better understanding of what transpired between the account rep and the client, and to extend our apologies on behalf of ACS for any misunderstanding. The customer and ****** did speak again.  The customer has paid for their booth, and are exhibiting at the upcoming show.  We are expecting an excellent turnout and look forward to having them at the event.  Kind regards, American Consumer Shows. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/20/2023

  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.

  We are a small business that was in April 2022 Bridal expo and felt that ACS was less than forthcoming about the multi-year clause. Now they are just reaching out to us two months after the deadline stating that we must pay $1445. We werent given any prior notification whatsoever. I dont know many businesses that doesnt notify you about upcoming deadlines. In April 2022, when registering, *********************, an account executive of ACS at the time walked us through the steps and sent an application. We stated over the phone that we were only going to do the April 2022 expo. When filling out the application, the software left us unable to click no for the multi-year discount. *** said to leave it blank, and he will see what he can do. Then proceeds to email us, I apologize for the system not allowing you to initial the box. For our records, can you please confirm that you did mean to initial the agreement box? If you can just answer yes or no that would be great! Best regards, ***" When he wrote agreement box, it led us to confusion thinking he meant terms and conditions, if he had written the "multi-Year discount box" this whole thing could've been avoided. *** had sent us three emails to remind us to pay before the deadline of the Bridal and when the deadline for April 2023 came, ACS did not extend that same courtesy. The last email received from ACS was an automated ad for the April 2023 Bridal Expo. Nothing was said of the multi-year clause or a payment reminder. We didnt hear from them from Nov. 2022 to March 2023. Now were moved to collections after trying to refute this misunderstanding and that we had unknowingly agreed due to lack of transparency. Were trying to resolve this, but they are no longer responding. Before Dec. 2022, we were contacted by *****************************, to see if we wanted to participate Nov. 2022 Bridal Expo, which we stated were unable to participate and we wont make it. To which she replied, No worries. This indicated a no on our part.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/20/2023

  Andie's Photography LLC booked the Spring '22 Bridal Expo in ****** X and agreed to the multi year agreement, therefore they are auto enrolled for the Spring '23 show.  All multi year vendors in the Spring '22 show can cancel with no penalty or future obligation form the Spring '23 up until  the multi-year cancel date of January 1st, 2023.  After January 1st cancels are not accepted and the vendor is held accountable for payment of their booth space.  ******* did reach out on September 15, 2022 to see if ***** wanted to participate in the fall '22 show being held in October.  We received an  email stating that the vendor had an event to photograph that day and could not attend.  Fall and Spring are 2 different events, each with their own separate contracts.  The client did not tell us they didn't want to do the spring '23 show back in September '22, otherwise we would have cancelled them from the show.  We dont call for payment on our events until after the multi year cancel date has passed simply because a vendor is not truly committed to the show until the cancel date has passed. We only call clients participating in the show for payment. It would not make sense otherwise. We have reached out to this client multiple times for their past due payment but they have not paid for their contracted booth space as of today. The terms and conditions of the contract are clear.  Vendors have 9 months to cancel their multi year agreement. They  can cancel the day after the show or anytime within that 9 month window, no questions asked.  No penalty or fees to cancel. However, once the cancel date has passed we do not accept cancels.  It is the vendor's responsibility to cancel if needed. We have been trying to resolve the matter with the vendor. Unfortunately, if the outstanding balance is not paid shortly, we will have no choice but to send the mater to an outside collections agency. We dont want this to be the case!  We have over ***** brides registered as of today; total attendance 3,000.  We are expecting and excellent show and hope that *****'s Photography will be part of the event.  Kind regards, American Consumer Shows.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/17/2023

  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.

  MISLEADING AND SCAM!!!!!!!They will HOUND YOU to partake in the show..mislead you into thinking its a great opportunity..have you sign contracts that are misleading and deceptive..the show WILL FLOP and you would have wasted money..then, they wait until the cancellation dates pass, then HOUND YOU again to pay up for future shows. If you dont, the become NASTY threaten you with collections and lawyersapparently the multi year contact lasts forever, which they DO NOT TELL YOU!!!! You have to cancel each year by a certain time or else the HOUNDS come out again!!! Small businesses BEWAREEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

  Business Response

  Date: 03/22/2023

  RCA Designs booked the ************* Bridal Expo  for Spring '22 as multi year. Multi year placed them automatically in the 2023 spring show with the opportunity to opt out without any penalty or cancellation fee until January 1, 2023.  This client did not exercise their right to cancel and are therefore contractually obligated to pay for the show.  It is the client's responsibility to keep on top of important deadlines pertaining to their business.  We give the vendor 9 months to run their leads, make sure the future date still works for them, and decide if they want to do the show again or not. We would have removed them from the show had they cancelled prior to the cancel deadline, no questions asked.  Kind regards, American Consumer Shows.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/07/2023

  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.

  I will never attend your expos It was a negative uncoordinated expo, from the initial start (arrival)! They did not know where to place is it is a ************** is at the very end. We receive zero business from this! There was no benefit from attending and if I would have been interested I would have booked another trade show. Which clearly I did not, nor did ***** or anyone i the company ever reach out to me at any point after that! So no this is such a corruptive binding that you are trying to place me in. I do not authorized nor will ever authorize this charge. And base on what was false advertising it was $1418.00 not $2990 they are claiming!!! You are falsely and illegally billing me!!!! And per **************** conversation you would be or someone within the company would be connecting(contacting us) 4 weeks prior to the expo!!!!!! WHICH NO ONE HAS EMAIL NOR CALLED AND ATTEMPTED TO REACH ME!!!!!! Where is the Logo or marketing that you all so call promise and advertise. Non of this has been fulfilled, so in that case that put you guys in a breach of contract. That special pricing was provided because I booked this awful expo 3 days prior to the event!!!! That is the reason for the discount!!! I have all my email exchanges between ***** and I. I will show all this through all social media platforms, ************ *** ***** **** and ****** this is fraud to demand payment for something that I did not wish to attend!

  Business Response

  Date: 03/21/2023

  Etheral Luxury trailers participated in the Spring 22 ********** Bridal & Wedding Expo in *************.  They signed a multi-year contract which placed them in the spring 23 show.  As per the contract the date to cancel the spring 23 show was prior to 2/1/2023.  They did not exercise their right to cancel and were billed and obligated to pay for the spring 23 show. Prior to the cancel date, there is no penalty or fee of any kind to cancel.  After the cancel date cancellations are not accepted as per the contract.  They  stated that they did not agree to the show, but that is 100% incorrect. They did agree to the show when they signed the multi-year contract.  It is not fraud for ACS to expect the vendor to honor its contractual obligation.
  
  I reviewed the customers complaint and agree that the amount charged for the 2023 show is incorrect.  Their booth is a 10'x20' trailer.  We offer a 5discount on trailers.  Our accounting department billed for the price of a regular 10'x20' space instead of the 10'x15' trailer rate.  The correct price of the booth is $2243.(1st time vendor gets new client discounts, the rate is higher on the future show because they are no longer a 1st time vendor, but does include the trailer discount). We apologize for the error and have corrected the price in our accounting system. However, a simple human error in the billing department does not release the customer from their contractual obligation. 
  
  Please note: Our Sales Manager did offer to price match the client on this account, so she would have no rate increase at all for the 2023 show even prior to receiving this complaint. We value our clients and tried to resolve the matter to avoid sending the account to collections.  However, the customer refused to accept responsibility for the contract therefore the account has since been sent to an outside collection agency. Prior to going to collections, they could have paid $1418 and done the show, or used it as credit to a future event.  They now owe $2243 and the matter is out of my hands. We delivered  **** registered brides; ***** total attendance for the last show and are expecting another great turnout.  Hard to imagine that any vendor would not be successful at this event. Sincerely, American Consumer Shows.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/01/2023

  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.

  My complaint is against the American Consumer Shows LLC. I feel that the above mentioned company is using deceptive business practices. I used this service to promote my new equipment at one of their bridal expos in March of 2022. I asked to do 1-year and the woman coerced me into to a multi-year contract. I attended the expo, and it did not fulfill my expectations. I did not immediately cancel the contract for 2023 because I waited for several months to see if any of the leads would generate business, which they did not. I have been working to grow the business in other ways apart from the bridal expo. Today (2/28), I was contacted by a rude employee, *********************************. She said my payment was due for the upcoming expo. I said I was not interested in doing the expo this year and had not received any information from them about the upcoming expo. She informed me that the invoices are created only once the cancellation date has passed. So I was supposed to have canceled by 2/1/23 and they just reached out to me on 2/28/23. This is 100% deceitful. Whenever things renew, there should be an email or some sort of notification about the upcoming renewal PRIOR to the cancellation date. I realize I signed a contract with this deceitful company but I do not think it is fair to charge me $1500 which the full price of the booth I do not want. I understand a late cancellation fee or something but clearly Im not the only one who has had this issue. 36 people in 3 years and 14 in the past year have shared this same complaint on the BBB website. There are also numerous similar complaints on their ****** profile. What will it take to stop this company from the clearly misleading and deceitful business practices?! They are doing it intentionally. I have also noticed that on the copy provided to me by the representative, that my initials were not written by me. Do I also need to report this to some type of law enforcement or the Consumer **************************** Please help

  Business Response

  Date: 03/22/2023

  ACS allows customers on a multi-year contract to cancel from a future show with no penalty as long as the customer cancels prior to the cancel date.  There is no penalty or cancellation fee charged. We reviewed this complaint and agree that the customer is correct and have taken action to correct the error.  We were notified of their intent to cancel prior to the cancel deadline. There was a processing error (human error) on our end and the client was placed on the show floor and billed for the booth.  We have updated their account, removed them from the show, and have voided their invoice.  We do apologize for any inconvenience.  Kind regards, American Consumer Shows.