Unexpected Passport To Fun and Shopping Essentials Charges

28 Responses to “Unexpected Passport To Fun and Shopping Essentials Charges”

1. Lynda on April 4th, 2007 12:30 pm

   I just discovered I was a member of Passport to Fun. When I phoned them they told me I had joined by clicking a “$10 off coupon” on a website (not their own website.) I do vaguely remember seeing a $10 off coupon a few months ago when I was going through the page after page Publisher’s Clearinghouse want you to go through when you enter their sweepstakes. I don’t remember agreeing to join PTF, and if I did click on the button there definitely was nothing saying CLICK HERE AND YOU AUTOMATICALLY JOIN PASSPORT TO FUN, or READ OUR TERMS OF AGREEMENT CAREFULLY BEFORE CLICKING THIS BUTTON, or some such. I’m pretty careful on the web, and I don’t think I even clicked the button, just went on to the next page. When I talked to PTF they told me nothing they’d done was illegal. However, they somehow obtained not only my name and address (which they could have done from the original page of Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes) but also had my phone number and credit card information! Now, I definitely did NOT give them either phone number (which by the way is unlisted) or credit card information, or permission to charge my Visa, and I am sure that in doing so they broke the law.

2. Eliane on September 29th, 2007 7:59 am

   We just received a cc statement we have several charge from passport to fun for a total of 45$, We never subscribed for any of their stuff. Things to do is call the bank and they will submit a claim also call the cc cie and they will automaticly put the money back, and regarding their right to do stuff like that with peoples cc i am taking care of it and will keep you inform. Thats it for me those cie can not get away with that anymore, It’s enough!!!!!

3. Gregory on November 26th, 2007 7:17 pm

   I also received a CC statement showing multiple charges from PTF and SE.
   I called my CC company and they told me they were a 3rd party vendor. I immediately got the fraud department on the line and went after them. Good thing I check my statement every month so there was only one month to deal with. These companies told me that they gave me a gas card and a walmart gift card which I never received nor did I ever agree to any offer. The procedure is to have your CC company call the vendor which they will lie to you and cancel it over the phone with the rep present. They will also sign you up for magazine subscriptions and bill your credit card. the good thing is I caught it fast and did not have to deal with multiple months of charges. Because they will only give you back current charges. Well if they offer you these things how come they never send you anything in the mail.

4. Joanna on December 8th, 2007 6:51 pm

   I have been getting the same things…Since December 2006 told my bank i didn’t make any purchases to those places bank argued with me for a while so i just gave up…Well it happened to me again…I only bought a few things online before and I dont ever remember the coupon thing…But its up to 600 dollars of charges…I am getting very sick of it…

5. Sean on January 4th, 2008 9:41 pm

   Well have I learned alot today!! My wife informed me of 2 $1.00 charges and 2 $29.95 labeled Passport to Fun on our cc statements. After much googling I feel like an idiot. Apparently when I was making a purchase on Partstrain I too got the $10 off offer on my next purchase so I filled it out and the rest is history. I am going the route of my cc company and see if I can stick PTF for extra charges. I read about a class action lawsuit. Is this still in the works?

6. Dina in Indy on January 11th, 2008 1:08 pm

   These people Passport to Fun sure have a great program designed to bamboozle consumers. On my first call (to 877-442-5880), the rep yelled at me and hung up. I called back (at 9:50 CT), and the offices were closed - even though their hours are until 10:00 p.m. CT).

   I called back this morning. When they wouldn’t refund all charges (back to May), I asked for a supervise. I was disconnected. On my next call, I was transferred to a superviser. That person would not give the refund, so I asked for and was transferred to that person’s supervisor. That person alleged that because I wasn’t the one who signed up (for a service we have yet to receive, btw), they couldn’t help me.

   I found another number, 888-801-2604 (it was at another complaint site, but I forget which one - there are so many!). I was transferred to a supervisor (unfortunately, I forgot to write down his name), and he and I went round and round for about 20 min. He wouldn’t give us a full refund, and he wouldn’t transfer me to his supervisor. He said that according to the terms of the agreement, he couldn’t refund all the charges. I reminded him we hadn’t received the e-mail with the terms. I reminded him of the rude treatment I received initially. Eventually, he accused me of being rude, and he even said he understood why someone hung up on me. I told him that the least he could do for insulting me would be to refund all the charges for a service we have neither requested nor received even though we’ve been charged.

   The person I talked to was at their office at 801 McGill, Suite 800, Montreal Quebec, Canada,H3AZN4. Another address I was given for complaints is 9500 W. Dodge Rd., Omaha, NE.

   My husband never signed up for this - they apparently stole his card number when he purchased tickets or something from another site.

   Finally, a call to Entertainment Rewards went very smoothly. My husband might have inadvertently signed up for that when he purchased concert tickets, but at least it only took one phone call to cancel the service and receive a FULL refund for all charges. They even sent an e-mail confirming the refund.

   The people at Passport to Fun are just lying scammers.

7. Micah on January 26th, 2008 12:17 am

   My firm is investigating unauthorized credit card transactions with and Shopping Essentials. Numerous unsuspecting consumers are alleging similar allegations. Please contact me to share your experience. 205-838-9012; madkins@msnattorneys.com. Micah Adkins

8. Christy on February 22nd, 2008 3:11 pm

   I found and signed up for the class action lawsuit. http://www.girardgibbs.com/memberworks.html My losses were 250 as I was out of the country and didn’t see it until I returned… I got the account cancelled at 800-556-8489, but they would only reimburse 3 months… Hopefully this suit will get my money back… At least I feel better about it…

9. Matt Wiggins on June 19th, 2008 7:05 pm

   Just got off the phone with Passport to fun and could not be more upset. They did refund the 14.95 that they charged on 6-11-07 but I have been paying since aug-07.
   I am going to keep trying wish me luck.

   Chase was very un-helpfull, we got suckered off the travelocity.com
   That is who I am going to talk to next.
   How is this legal, is anyone out there trying to sue?

   matt.wiggins@yahoo.com

10. Martin on June 23rd, 2008 9:27 pm

    Found this web site while I was checking charges from Shopping Essentials -

    http://www.msnattorneys.com/CM/Custom/Attention-Consumers.asp

11. Christina on August 20th, 2008 3:03 am

    I found a strange 19.95 charge to my credit card on Aug. 13th and don’t remember subscribed any sevice from Passport to Fun. Called the 888 number next to Passport name on the credit statement, the options provided to acess them were very fishy
    - enter the membership number, press 1 (How would I know it?!)
    - enter the credit card number of which your membership is billed, press 2 (Wondering how you got my credit card number. I won’t give that to you again
    - enter your home phone number, press 3 ( I won’t give you any information, bastard!)
    - press 9 to repeat the menu
    The only option missing is to press a number to speak to someone. Then the 3 options repeated twice and finally transferred me to some once, automatically. I was glad I had the patience to wait.

    They told me they would credit back to me. Now I am waiting.

12. JOHN SMITH on September 11th, 2008 6:18 pm

    THEY TOLD ME THEY WILL BE CHARGING 2.00 BUT THEY CHARGE MY CARD NEARL ABOUT 29.95 EVERY MONTH PLS DONT GIVE YOUR CARD NO

13. Eris on October 19th, 2008 6:10 pm

    I can NOT believe this nonsense! I just saw on my account that i had been charged 14.95 everymonth since february for some Passport To Fun..which i never authorized. It got me really upset, and started googling since the telephone number was useless.

    Has anyone thought about suing? because believe me I will sue their goddamn asses bad! No-one should have the right to take money from anyone without a big authorization and double confirming and email confirmations!
    I don’t care if there was a small tiny box that we probably had to check, that is illegal!
    Taking action..if anyone else wants an attorney In WNY please let me know as I know many of them!

14. Eris on October 19th, 2008 6:12 pm

    oh and yes my email is

    epeto@buffalo.edu

15. elizabeth Petrov on November 26th, 2008 3:25 pm

    I just found charges from March up till 11/20. $14.95/month!! I called 877-442-5880 and spoke with Tewauna. She was really nice and said that I would receive a full credit in a couple of business days.($134.55) I was however VERY careful not to start the conversation off by screaming and yelling. It was difficult because I was pretty mad but it seemed to work. I will know for sure in a couple days. Good luck everyone!

16. Daniel Roman on December 9th, 2008 9:49 am

    I have also recently been a victim of this “PASSPORT TO FUN” I had no idea what it was or what its for but, i called them earlier today after opening a claim with my bank about this unknown transaction . I talked to two people one of them being the receptionist of the place and then a Supervisor. The supervisor told me after I explained my situation which is very much like everyone else’s. The supervisor said they will put the money into my account with in two business days and I then cancled my account with them letting them know that I never opened it. The Supervisor gave his I.D. number to prove that we talked. I called my bank to let them know the situation and that the company said they will put the money into my account. So if you find yourself on this website and reading this message first try to call the company , and if there is no satisfaction there call your bank let them know your situation and they will put the money in your account and send you a claims form in the mail that you must fill out and return or, the bank will reverse the credit they give back to you. Try to do anything you can to get your money from the “PASSPORT TO FUN” . Do not let them get away with crap like this.

    Take Care and have a Happy Holidays

17. Mina on December 30th, 2008 9:47 am

    If you have ordered anything from Vista Print they are the culprits. They enroll you without your knowledge if you take any of their coupons or discounts. I have called them this morning and am still on hold. Don’t count on great customer service, but at least I am trying. I filed a claim with my bank and if I dont see the money refunded in two days I will continue with that.

    DO NOT BE TAKE IN!!! Do not order from these people!!!

18. Randy on January 19th, 2009 5:44 pm

    I got scammed for $14.95 as well! The funny thing is I never purchased anything from VistaPrint or Travelocity. How did Passport to Fun get my credit card number? Luckily I caught it on their first charge.

19. Melanie on January 24th, 2009 8:20 pm

    Wow - me too!!!! Shopping Essence/Ct showed up on my credit card for the last two statements - $14.95 each time. I never signed up for it - I will call these scam artists on Monday, my Visa card said if I don’t get satisfaction to call them back to get a temporary credit as they dispute the charges.
    Moral is - always read your statements carefully - I missed it last month!!

20. Nancy on January 25th, 2009 8:26 pm

    They got me as well, thru Vistaprint, I guess. I get an email when my debit card is used, and when I got this one (passport to fun) I knew I had not used said card for that. Now to get the money back and these guys gone! Monday I will be on the phone, and Vistaprint, never will I use you again!!

21. Ann on February 17th, 2009 3:22 pm

    01/29/2009 charge on my credit card. I didnt purchase anything on that day over the internet or by phone becuase of a tv ad, I was in an rv without tv or computer. They said they would credit my account in 2 to 3 days.

22. Sarah on February 18th, 2009 2:25 pm

    This is my first time to be taken advantage like this. I bought some gift certificates from restaurant.com back in December. I have online banking and check my bank account at least twice a day. I noticed yesterday afternoon that my acct balance had decreased a little bit. I looked to see what had been taken out and saw a charge for $14.95 from Shopping Essentials. I immediately called them and had to use my new phone number (which I just got the middle of January) to find that I have a membership with them. I have not given my phone number out to anyone because it is my work number so how in the world they got it blows my mind. I talked to someone and told her that I had never signed up for a membership and do not desire one either. She said she would cancel it. When I asked about the refund, she said it would take 2 business days, but that they would give me a full refund. It just happened yesterday so I don’t know if I will ever see that money again, but hopefully they will follow through. According to the lady I spoke with, she said that I had clicked to receive a $10 rebate. How in the world would asking for a rebate (which I have never received nor remember doing) sign me up for a membership to a website I had never heard of. I am so upset that it is obviously ok for companies to share my credit card information to whomever they please. Who knows who else they have given it to!
    Oh, I told the lady I spoke with that I am praying for her that she can find a job where she can serve people honestly and not have to work for a company who steals from people every minute of the day!!!!! Especially in today’s economic mess.

23. Grant G on February 19th, 2009 12:04 am

    Well, looks like PassportToFun got me through Vistaprint. Reading all your stories made me realize that it was there where the SAVE ON YOUR NEXT PURCHASE page was. I must have clicked the wrong place and BAM, charges ranging from 14.95 to even 17.95 per month for over a year! I called them directly from a number on my bank statements and they are very evasive and claim they are refunding me but still have not seen the charges reversed.

24. maria cabrera on March 19th, 2009 9:02 pm

    the membership # 218217973 , that I cancell , about 4 days ago oh maybe 3 days ago , and i talk to a lady by the name of Angelina , and she told me that , the $ 14.95 was going to credit to my credit card in two working days , And never being credit to my account. please check on this matter , and please credit it .
    Thank you
    Maria Cabrera

25. maria cabrera on March 19th, 2009 9:04 pm

    and also , DO NOT CHARGE ANYTHING TO MY CREDIT CARD

    THANK YOU
    M. Cabrera

26. tiffany on May 26th, 2009 11:20 pm

    I can not believe this happened to me. how is it that they have my credit card number. i recieved an email from passport to fun and clicked on a link to see what it was about then closed the window. I never gave them any information. I got hit today for 14.95 fee from them. their office is closed now but you better believe i will be calling first thing in the morning.

27. squibbo on May 31st, 2009 12:42 pm

    for those of you who have been ” scammed” by passport to fun, you need to realize that when you saw that little page that says get $20 cash back for your booking, you open a new page. they ask for your name and CC info. and if you click the little terms and conditions you can see exactly what you are signing up for. when you imput ur information in their site to get $20 back your also signing into a contract with them and are authorizing them to charge you monthly. so for everyone saying travelocity has done them wrong just realize you signed up for it you were just to damn lazy to read the terms of what you were agreeing to do.

    i guess next time you wont be greedy for that $20 now will you.

28. Amber on June 23rd, 2009 6:22 pm

    I kept getting overlimit fees on my credit card and my husband kept asking me what this Passport To Fun was, I had no clue. So I called the number attatched to it, and I got an audomated voice telling me I had signed up for something over the internet months earlier. I know I didn’t because I only recently recieved my creadit card and hadn’t used it online yet. Besides that I never put my address or card numbers on anything I havn’t used before. I cancelled whatever subscription was there, and the following month once again I had an overlimit fee and it was because of them! I called and got a person this time. Telling me the same thing the audomated voice did, and that I was getting my 14.95 back. But that was all she could say…thats great to get my 14.95 back but what about the over limit fees i’ve had to pay???

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