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:09/29/2022

  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 was tricked into signing up for multiple events with this company. I thought I was only signing up for the November 7, 2021 event in **************. My business did not receive any reservations following my participation in this event. They are attacking me via email and phone for payment which seems to be a trend. They need to be held accountable for their deceitful business practices.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/22/2022

  Mobile Movies ************* booked the fall'21 bridal wedding expo in ************** on a multi year contract which placed them in the fall '22 show.  Their contract was not forged and clearly shows their signature and multi-year agreement.  It's not necessary or fair  to inaccurately accuse a business of forgery to try and renege on their own obligation. The contract also clearly states that the vendor had until August 1st to cancel the fall '22 show with ZERO penalty.  The client did not exercise his right to cancel, therefore is responsible for paying for his booth space.  Businesses need to be accountable and manage their affairs appropriately.  He had 9 months from the fall 2021 show until August 1, 2022 to decide if he did NOT want to participate.  It was his responsibility to let us know in a timely manner.  Within the cancel date there is no difficulty to cancel.  After the cancel date, cancellations are not accepted. As of today, this client still has an outstanding balance due to ACS for $995 which needs to be paid.  Kind regards, American Consumer Shows.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/23/2022

  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 contracted with this business as a vendor for one show in October 2021, at least as far as I was concerned, but they tricked me into initialing a box on the contract which unbeknownst to me obligated me to be in every show every year unless I proactively cancel every year by a certain date and now theyre trying to collect $1500 for me for a show that I dont want to be in.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/13/2022

  ***  ******************* * ** *****
  ************ ****** * ******* ****
  
  Attention Better Business Bureau:
  
  I am responding to a recent complaint from ******************* at BC Video stating that American Consumer Shows tricked him into paying for a show that he didnt want to be in. This is a false statement.  On 7/21/2021 ** Video signed the contract to exhibit at that Fall 2021 ************ Bridal and Wedding Exo and participated in the event. ******************* personally signed the contract and specifically initialed the multi-year agreement which auto enrolled the company into the fall 2022 show.  The multi-year cancel date for the fall 22 show was July 1, 2022. ** Video could have cancelled their participation any time from the day after the fall 21 show, until 7/1/22, but they did not contact ACS prior to the cancel date. There is no trickery here its plainly stated on our vendor contract. There was plenty of time for the client to let us know they were not interested in the 2022 show. We would have cancelled their contract without any financial obligation, loss, or penalty of any kind,  until the cancel date of July 1.  After July 1 cancels are not accepted and clients are responsible for full payment of their booth cost.ACS runs nearly 150 consumer shows nationwide.  We operate our business in a fair and reasonable manner and have thousands of satisfied customers. The ** Video account has been updated to reflect that they do not want the multi-year agreement to renew for the future. We are sorry they are unhappy with the current situation but sincerely hope they will generate many new clients from the next show. 
  
  Kind regards,
  American Consumer Shows

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/13/2022

  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:

  [Your Answer Here]

   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:
  
  
  
  [Your Answer Here]
  They are lying. There was indeed trickery. The trickery is that they never discussed multiple shows with me, they had no reason to believe I was interested in multiple shows, yet they emailed me a message along with the contract and told me to initial the box in question. I have a screenshot of this email. Clearly they hoped that I simply would initial it in response to that instruction which is exactly what I did. That is absolutely on me but the fact remains that they had no reason to believe that I was interested in multiple years when they did that. I in fact was not interested in multiple years and there was no meeting of the minds. Whether I should or shouldnt have understood what I was initialing, I didnt and there was no meeting of the minds. That invalidates the clause. I have told them this yet they are still holding me to it under threat of legal action. If they were operating in good faith they would have sent an email after I signed the contract saying remember you signed up for multiple shows dont forget to cancel by July 1 if you dont want to be in multiple shows. Further if they wanted to operate in good faith they wouldve contacted me about the alleged balance before July 1 saying some thing like you only have five days left to cancel or whatever. They waited until just after July 1 to start asking me for money and indeed pressured me into making an agreement. Further the terms of the contract as written would obligate me to be in shows annually in perpetuity unless I canceled by July 1 every year for the rest of my life. That is not an enforceable contract as the terms are open ended and this also represents an absence of a meeting of the minds as to terms. So some of the issue here is after the fact. They are enforcing a clause by threat of interest and lawyers fees and dragging me to court in ******** that they should not be enforcing because its a bad faith clause. Further, while I cant prove it, they called me within a week of the show Id been in to ask me about being in the next show at which point I told them I wasnt interested. I do have an email that I sent them after the call remarking on that happenstance but I realize it doesnt necessarily prove anything. But to my mind they were informed before July 1 that I didnt want to be in the 2022 show during that call. I have recently told them that as well yet they persist. So no my complaint is not resolved and will not be until they release me from this ridiculous legally unenforceable contract without dragging me to court in ********.

   

   

   

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

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/19/2022

  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 did not sign up for a multi year anything. The only document that I have does not have my initials on the multi year and the signature is not even my signature. The email used is also not my business email. My point is that I do not have any agreements nor contracts with ACS and need to be added to your do not call list. I am no longer in business as of January 2022.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/13/2022

  ***********************,  ********************************* purchased booth space in the fall 2021 ***** Bridal and Wedding Expo in *******.  The contract was signed, as multi-year, on April 9, 2021.  The vendor specifically initialed the multi-year box giving him an additional $50 discount off the fall 21 show and guaranteed his placement in the following years show.  The cancel date to opt out of the multi-year renewal is clearly stated on the contract as July 1st.  There is no penalty of any amount to cancel the October 2022 contract when canceling no later than July 1,2022.  After July 1, cancellations are not accepted, and the vendor is responsible for full payment of the contracted booth space.  The vendor had from October 3, 2021, until July 1, 2022, to opt out of exhibiting, no questions asked. ****************** did NOT contact ACS to cancel from the Fall 22 show prior to July 1st.  This is the reason why he has been contacted for payment. He has an obligation to honor his contract.  As the signer of the contract, he is responsible to pay whether the business is in operation or not.  Once the matter is resolved, ACS will cancel the multi-year so that the vendor will not be placed in any future shows.
  
  Kind regards,
  American Consumer Shows
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/13/2022

  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:

  ******************************* filled out a form, on behalf of *****************, at the show.  We told the *** sales rep that we did not want to sign up for a multi year nor any other shows.  The *** agent insisted that the form was so we would not be contacted for a multi year.  She handed a tablet where a signature was needed. The text box was zoomed in which obstructed us from seeing any agreement, disagreement, or contract.  The agent coerced, deceived, and continuously intimidated us into signing a blank screen. She insisted that if we did not sign she would file a lawsuit on behalf of *** and that her company would be behind her decision.  She continued to say that we would be forced by the courts and credit bureaus to pay thousands of dollars if we did not sign.  Furthermore, ********************************* was mentally incompetent due to the stressors of the pandemic and Covid-19.  I would like to add that the "shows" do not seem promising nor fitting. They lacked the amount of people that would be in attendance as advertised, the space was unfitting for business, attendees were lied to about food options (we were the only catering company there), we were also deceived when they insisted that we bring enough food for ***** attendees.  The handful of attendees told us that we were bringing desserts only.

    I am appalled by the lack of communication of *** before, during, and after the event. There is a signature that does not belong to ********************************* nor Alexandria under the "initial" portion. All signatures on said "agreement" or "contract" do not belong to any member of *****************.

   

   

   

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

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/18/2022

  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.

  In summer of 2021 we were contact by ACS to do a Wedding Expo. They offered me a discount that was called the multi year discount, and sent me a contract. The cost of the show was $695. I noticed something in the contract that made it sound as if I was committing to multiple shows, which I was not willing to do. I called my contact, *********************, and asked him directly if this was the case. He said no, and continued on with a reassuring explanation. With his directly stated assurances, I felt comfortable signing the contract. We participated in the show. In February of 2022, ACS sent me an invoice for $1,195, stating that I was contractually obligated to do the next show. I spoke with ***** on the phone, and thankfully, he apologized canceled my contact since I was mislead. Now, in August of 2022, I am being invoices for another show for $1,495, and told that although ***** deleted me from the Spring shows, I was not removed from the Fall shows. After again explaining that I directly asked this question and was misled at the time of signing the contact, therefore I should not be held to it, they refused and instead sent my bill to their collections department. This is for a service that I have not used, on a date I am not available for, based on a contract that I was lied to when I tried to understand it. Please help! I would like the contract nullified.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/13/2022

  ************************* of ******************************* Photography contracted for booth space on April 9, 2021 in our Spring 21 Bridal & Wedding Expo in ********.  She also contracted for the fall21 show on 8/27/2021. Because the fall 21 contract was signed as multi-year, ******* Photography was automatically placed in the fall 22 show.  The multi-year cancel date for the fall show was 8/1 which is clearly stated on the contract.  After 8/1 cancellations are not accepted.  Please note:  ACS account reps do let our customers know that there is no obligation to the future shows when the client opts out prior to the cancel date.  There is no penalty of any kind to cancel prior to the cancel date.  We apologize if there was a misunderstanding regarding the multi-year policy.
  
  In this case, the vendor was unable to attend the event.  The client made the payment that was due, and ACS set up a credit to a future event, so no funds were lost.  It is our understanding that the client intends to use their credit in the fall 23 show.  We are happy to place the vendor in the show of their choosing when they are ready. Credits will never expire, and the account is no longer on multi-year status.
  
  Kind regards,
  American Consumer Shows

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/21/2022

  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:

  Hello,
  
  
  My complaint was not resolved. The explanation provided by the company on the BBB website was also provided to me over the phone. However, the contract I signed is cancelable either over the phone or in writing, and I canceled all contracts over the phone prior to the deadline. I spoke with representative *********************, and my exact words were, I will never do another show with this company. 
  
  
  For some reason, he only remembers me canceling the Spring show, and not the fall show. This is impossible, because I didnt even know I had two contracts, so I could not have used language about a Spring show. 
  
  
  I will never do another show with this company" was a clear and complete cancellation of all multi year agreements. 
  
  
  By the way, I only had two contracts because initially ***** made a mistake initially, and signed me up for the wrong show, a show I never wanted to do. In correcting the error, I ended up signing two separate contracts, and unbeknownst to me, the first, incorrect contract was not nullified.
  
  
  When I said, I will never do another show with this company, to *****, he did not ask me to put it in writing, rather, he said he would take care of it.
  
  
  I am outraged. I fulfilled the terms of the contract by cancelling it, and I was told it would be taken care of. Yet (in what was not ****** first mistake with me), this did not happen.
  
  
  So far, I have been bullied into paying for another show, which I do not want. I was told my options were to be charged $2,000 by their collections department and get nothing for it, or pay $1,495 and get a booth at a future show. This is not a product I have used yet and not a product I want. I want a refund. I have been wronged, and the injustice of what was done to me is extremely upsetting.

  Also of note, I paid $695 for the first show I attended, which is fair market value in my opinion. Now, the booth I have been forced to buy is $1,495, more than twice what I originally paid and twice what I have ever paid for a wedding expo, of which I have done many. Bait and switch, deceptive sales tactics, and a failure to take responsibility for the mistake they made by not cancelling all my contracts are all complaints I have against this company.

  Please refund the money I paid  

  Thank you,
  *************************
  

   

   

   

   

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

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

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/24/2022

  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:

  I cancelled all contracts with ACS over the phone in a conversation with *********************, as I was required to do per our contract. ***** did not tell me I needed to put this in writing. He said he would take care of it. This was not done and now the deadline has passed to cancel the contract. If your shows are so wonderful, why do you have to bully people into buying them by taking advantage of your employees mistake rather than listening to your client?
  

  My story has been consistent and ***** has history of mistakes (i.e. I should have never had two contracts to begin with! That was due to being signed up for the wrong show initially, yet the the first, incorrect contract, wasnt nullified when I signed a new one to correct this.)  

  Now ASC is taking advantage of me because I operated in good faith and didnt put it in writing something that I was never told to put in writing. Do you just consider yourself lucky when your employees make mistakes? Do you not realize the likelihood that they are people who do and will make some mistakes, but that doesnt make it right to take advantage?

   

   

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

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

  Business Response

  Date: 11/27/2022

  Good afternoon,

  ACS is not taking advantage of its customers.  We are simply enforcing our contract.  There was no cancellation as needed therefore the client was obligated to pay for their booth space.  The client did in fact make the payment and has credit to a future show. Credit never expires. Client is not auto enrolled to any future events.  ACS does not change its position on this matter.  Kind regards, American Consumer Shows.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/12/2022

  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.

  This company runs ******* Bridal and Wedding Expo. Their "modus operandi" is to persecute client prospects with lots of eMails and phone calls until they make the client sign one page prefilled agreement with lots hightlights on where to sign (Exhibit 1). A year after 2022 I received an new invoice with date May 11, 2022 (Exhibit 2) establishing I ough them $995. This invoice was sent to my on July 11, 2022 (Exhibit 3). The small letters on the agreement established to I need to cancel before July 1st, so (in bad faith) they hold the invoice during (2) two months with the clear purpose of not allowing me the opportuny to cancel on time.I noticed this company has lots of bad reviews about this same issue on BBB but still have A+ clasification. This company doesn't have any work ethic, you need to stop them. Now their account executive (***************************) is threatening me by means of phone calls and letters (Exhibit 4) with litigation and affecting my credit reputation. Please help me.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/13/2022

  American Consumer Shows runs nearly 150 nationwide shows in 40 states.  We have many satisfied clients that do our shows year after year.  Unfortunately, there are some customers that do not follow through on their end, resulting in them being booked in a show they may not want to do.Our contract has a multi-year agreement which offers the benefit of a discount and the convenience for the vendor of not having to sign a new contract each season while maintaining their booth placement.  Our representatives explain the contract at the time of registering for the show.   It is the business owners responsibility to be accountable for the commitments they make on behalf of their company. The cancel date is clearly stated on the contract.  Any business can opt out of the multi-year without penalty or obligation up until the multi-year cancel date.  The vendor has 9 months to follow up on their leads, check their calendar, and for any reason contact us to cancel from the show by the cancel date.  Its that simple!  However, after the cancel date we do not accept cancellations. 
  
  It is reasonable to expect that the person signing a binding contract would be mindful of their cancel date.  Our booth space agreement clearly states Contract for Exhibit Space Rental across the top.  If the vendor is signing electronically, it is sent as an Assure Sign document. In the vendors email its states that the Contract for XYX show is available for signature.  The highlighted items referred to are the fields the vendor fills in as they are competing their contract. The multi-year field explains the multi-year, then the vendor initials that they want it, or skips it if they dont. The information is NOT completed by ACS.  The customer is clearly choosing to sign a contract for booth space on multi-year.
  
  Si Acepto did not cancel prior to the cancel date which is why they are being contacted by a representative regarding the payment that is due to ACS.  They need to honor their obligation.
  
  Kind regards
  American Consumer Shows 
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/14/2022

  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:

  Business answer is not satisfactory and doesn't resolve my complaint. My business has not produce any profit during the last two years and now this people want to charge me for a service  I'm not going to get and I don't want.  This is called unjust enrichment. 

   

   

   

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

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