The Pyramid Collection review: both companies are shady and fraudulent! 29

We just got off of the phone with MVQ Shopping Essentials and can't believe the scam they have going on. They told us our membership began when we ordered an item from Pyramid Collections. We called Pyramid Collections and they told us we accepted a membership when we read back our credit card number after calling in an order. They are both scam artist!

They never responded to my 1st email -Through the order process I thought $20 would be taken off the bill then find out it was just this Adaptive marketing crap. Stuff like this only makes me think twice that I unfortunately must associate their company with scams. If you want 10 bucks taken from your bank card EVERY MONTH then buy their crap!

I found a charge for $15.99 on my visa statement that I didn't recognize. Called the 800 number and found out it is some auto-protection agency. I asked how I ended up enrolled in this; the service rep told me, "Potpourri or Pyramid Collection. You cashed a rebate check for $2.69 and there is an agreement that if you cash the check you are automatically enrolled in this service."

! $2.69 rebate check leads to a $15.99 per month charge?! Geesh - no wonder the American credit system is so whacked! I do hope that EVERYONE checks their credit card statements faithfully.

Fortunately, I was able to cancel this service and have the charge reversed from my visa card.

Word to the wise: No such thing as a Free Lunch! (although I have ordered product from Pyramid many times in the past, so this rebate seemed legitimate).

I totaly agree. I have the same problem with Pyramid Collection they signed me up for SHopper Plus that billed my credit card for 3 months and they where so rude at Shopper Plus when I called them. VERY SHADDY. Than after them crediting my account they just started billing me again this month. When I phoned Pyramed Collection to inform them they where not interested in hearing about it.

Shopper Beware: their BBB accreditation was REVOKED in April 2009!
I should've looked that up before I ordered something from them! ARGH!
Never have I encountered such terrible customer service!

This a great reason to always pay with a credit card...that way you have protection from fraudualent companies such as this - you can have your credit card company reverse the charges. I am really sorry this has happened to you as it just did me:

Pyramid Collection has the WORST customer service I have EVER encountered...and I mean EVER. I have been trying to get my money back for days now on an item they ran out of. The order opperators insist on just transferring you to some "customer service" number where you will sit on hold for a MINIMUM of 25 minutes. I've had to deal with this 4 times now, and still have not gotten my money back - even after I was assured last week that the funds were being credited back. I am now at the point where I am contacting my credit card company to reverse the transaction. I will NEVER purchase another damn thing from them again and will advise others not to either. Other merchants carry the same, if not similar items and we consumers should not have to put up with this kind of crap.

I am having a huge issue with Pyramid Collection...I ordered a dress for Halloween and they recieved my check on Sept. 22nd of 2009. I called to check up on the order and from one lady she said I just had to wait one more day for them to ship it because the peticoat with it was backordered but it would be there in a day and they would ship it that same day and I should recieve it shortly. I then called back two days later and talked to another lady who said I would recieve my order within the next month! I was extremely upset because I was told wrong and I needed the dress a week before Halloween because I was flying to Vegas and she said the only way I could do that was to order 2 day shipping, so I did. I called two days later just to make sure because my previous phone calls did not go well. It was another lady and she told me that my order would be here in a month or so even with my 2 day shipping because they dont even have the dress. Mind you they have already debited my account the $100.00 so I asked to speak to a customer service specialist because I just wanted to get my money back because my costume wouldnt havent gotten here before I left for vegas. I was on the phone for about 2 hours and she told me that I would recieve my reimbersement check within 2 to 4 weeks and I told her no, that I could not wait that long because I need the money before my trip. Not only was my trip to Vegas for Halloween but it is also my boyfriend and my first year anniversary so the money is extremely needed. She then told me ok, I will get your total amount of about $100.00 will be credited back to you within 24 hours. I was upset about not getting my costume but was glad to hear I would get my money back so quickly. So just today (two days later) I checked my account and did not see the credit. I called and talked to another customer service specialist and she told me that I was never told that because it was not on my notes and that I would recieve the reimbersement check within 2-4 weeks because I purchased it with a check; I explained everything and she just said I am sorry that is our policy. So not only did they debit my account when they hadnt shipped out or even had the item, I was told incorrect information constantly by 4 different customer service representitives and by 2 customer service specialist! So now I will have to loan money from god knows who just so my account doesnt go in the negative because I really thought the money would have been in my account within a day so I already spent that money on a different Halloween costume. I will also have to loan money from somewhere for my vacation because I already purchased the hotel room.

Can anyone give me some advice...can I fight this or am I just screwed all around? Any kind of help would be truly appreciated! Thank you for reading!

I have been a Pyramid Collection customer for several years and, although their high prices sometimes FEEL like a rip-off, they are a reputable and honest company. I have placed many orders and returned quite a few things over the years and have NEVER had a single problem with them. I know that they are currently offering membership to "Shopping Essentials" as a way to get $20 off your order (which more & more online stores are doing these days), but you have to click on it to accept it... it isn't just automatically added to your order. I completely agree with Stephanie... I think people just aren't paying attention to what they click on.

You can see from the comments here how thay wait 6 months then go phising again. I also was ripped off by Shopping essentials and Passporttofun and think they mine the same company I never did Pyramid anything online but did recently do Epoch which I suspect as a culprit.

I believe this company is now working with Shopping Essentials. I very carefully read every screen and opted out of any programs offered when I made my purchase. Unfortunately when my order arrived it was incomplete and I had to make to phone calls to Pyramid Collection to straighten out the issues and get refunded for items that were no longer available but had been billed to my card.

They were very professional and I was happy until I began having difficulty with these fraudulent charges from AP*ShoppingEssential each month. I think I finally got to the bottom of the situation and stopped further charges. The operator insisted I had visited her company's website twice, which I did not, but the dates she gave me perfectly correspond to my phone calls to Pyramid Collection. Apparently the operator sent a complete copy of my billing information including my credit card number to Shopping Essentials each time she adjusted my order without informing me she was doing so.

I saw this when I purchased something from Pyramid Collection and I agreed to sign up for it and then canceled it. I could have declined it when I submitted my order, but did not do so.

No offense, but those of you who were "signed up" without knowing about it simply weren't paying attention and were clicking too fast without reading things.

I have purchased several things from Pyramid Collection and even returned something with no problem at all. Maybe the Passport to Fun company isn't that great, but Pyramid Collection is not a fraudulent company.

I also had unauthorized charges from Passport to Fun and At Home Rewards. It took me a few months to notice them, but when I did I called the companies. They tried to give me the song and dance they couldn't refund my money until I asked them what state they were in so I could contact their attorney general's office. They agreed to refund the money in no time then and it was done in less than 2 days.

Hmm...this thread would've really made me worry about the company, except for that I've also been ordering from The Pyramid Collection for years now, and in at least half a dozen orders (some online, and some straight from the catalog), i've never once had a problem. (They were even nice about taking back a skirt and top i didnt like so much after trying it on, with no restocking fees or anything unsavory like that.) But then again, i *NEVER* click on any of the "save $blah" offers or promotions or anything like that, for *ANY* business. Whatever that Passport to Fun thing is sounds downright evil, tho...

I had the experience with Vista Print... I did not authorize the charges for either but somehow ended up with Passport to Fun and Shopping Essentials as a monthly charge on my debit card... Passport to Fun has rude service people... Shopping Essentials are a bit better.
I did get them to refund the charges (well they said they would I will see if they do)but I am starting a new business and moving they caused me a lot of grief in trying to figure out why my bank acct didn't balance.. as I am running on a shoestring... The eight hundred number you need to get out of the charges in on your credit card statement... There are a couple of class action suits you can sign up for against this company... People like this should be treated as the criminals they are this is fraudulent.

My 15 years son was caught out by this from clicking on a banner ad to win something (he can't remember what-it was in January 08). Because he has a teen debit card and had no cash on it for a while, when I finally loaded the card for him, all the charges came through on the same day in late May (5 months at $29.95 per month!). Neither he nor I knew what Passport to fun was so I called the company. The first person I spoke to was pleasant and cancelled my account and eventually agreed to give me a refund. This was Tonya. I checked the account today and only one month has been refunded. I called the company again and they referred me to a 'supervisor' who repeatedly told me the terms of agreement do not allow refunds when you have chosen the monthly payment plan. I reminded her, we had chosen nothing. She was rude and beligerant to my son and could not provide any evidence that he had actually signed up for the program. She says he signed up, agreed to the payment plan and became a member when he clicked on the banner ad, but she would not agree to provide him or me with the details of the transaction so we could determine how it happened.

She gave me an address to write to for the parent company: Adaptive marketing, LLC, 9500 West Dodge Road, Omaha, Nebraska 68114. One lady told me to send it to the Compliance Department, and another told me to send it to Customer Relations. I will send it to both.

That these companies can prey on kids like this is pitiful. I have also joined a class action suit against the parent company. I understand the folks at the other end of the line are just doing their job, but I honestly don't know how these people sleep at night.

Passport to fun, Charged me for something that I never ordered.
So I called the number myself and asked to be taken off thier membership list.
And also asked for them to replace the money back into my account, We'll see if they do and if they don't you'll here back from me after I sue them.

passport for fun has people who watch sites like this and lie, telling us how it is our fault we got cheated.Watch out for those who say it never happened to me.This groupe is famous all over the net for cheating people.I made a lot of phone calls, they were sued in some states and lost.look iut up.

This company is a ripoff. I was charged $14.95 per month for six months. I received nothing for this service. They claim that I used the Travelocity $20 rebate and this started my first month of service.
I complained to the credit card company who contacted the Passport to fun. I hope to get all my charges reversed on this.

I am planning to file a complaint against Travelocity for allowing this type of dishonest charging and use of these sneaky practices.

I disagree with Pjdpete. If the Pyramid Collection was on the up and up with the web offer, disclosing that there would be a recurring charge on my credit card from Passport to Fun (I've fallen prey to this as well), then I wouldn't have consented to the "membership." The tactics may not be illegal, but they are quite unethical. It is the ethical responsibility of the merchant to provide a full reporting of charges that their customers will incur. It is certainly within the rights of the shopping public to refuse to patronize a company who uses, or partners with other companies who use such underhanded tactics.

Now I want to remind everyone that I shopped here a few years ago, and the policy may have changed by then. But I'll tell you what happened to me:

I tried ordering about a month in advance for a christmas gift for a relative, and it was backordered for the longest time. Christmas came and went with no response back to the emails that I had been writing, so I had to cancel the order. The curstomer service is HORRIBLE! The guy was so mean and didn't want to hear a darn thing.

I tried not to let that deter me from ordering again. Hah.. big mistake..

So I ordered for myself this time. I got my items in one piece, even though the price has always been outrageous for this website (and believe me.. with a little detective work, you can find these items on OTHER websites for CHEAPER - most of them, atleast). This time I saw the nasty charge on my bank account, and I flipped. I called my bank immediately and told them exactly what happened, I did not authorize this charge, etc. THEY reversed it for me, as well as notified the company FOR me. Back when this happened, there was NO opt-out thing to click when you ordered, there was no pop-up survey, etc. They just took it upon themselves to SIGN YOU UP and get the company to CHARGE you.

Beware of this company. My advise is to take this matter to your bank or your credit comapny.. NOT the Pyramid Collection or the external partner company. I'm sure you wouldn't get anywhere with them, anyway.

I've shopped on Pyramid Collection, and you have to opt-in to this program. It is NOT automatic, in fact you have to fill out a small survey, and digitally sign the form, and click yes to even sign up for the program.

Ignorance is not an excuse. Not taking the time to notice what you are doing when checking out on a web site is no reason to bash a company for your mistake.

I have been a customer of Pyramid Collection for many years. I've ordered both online and over the phone with out a single problem. When ordering online there is an option that pops up right before check out that says "you could save X amount of dollars on this order by clicking here" I think this might be where a lot of people have a problem. If you click on that link and DON'T read through it, you may get signed up for Passport For Fun. There is an option plain and clear that allows you to click "No Thanks" and it proceeds directly to the check out. This is kind of the nature of the beast of shopping online. Frustrating but we must suffer for convenience. I think we as humans automatically see a chance to save money and jump on it! :) Read the fine print people... This will save a lot of heart ache and keep you from making accusations against a legitimate company.

I've frequently ordered items from The Pyramid Collection over the past five years and I've never had a problem with them signing me up for something I didn't request. While they do tend to set up forms to "opt in" to special deals by default (a practice I abhor but currently expect from most online companies) it's always possible to click the check box and an opt out.

"Opt in by default" is one of the hazards of shopping online. It's just plain stupid not to expect it and watch out for it. Don't click "submit" until you're sure you've read all the text in the form, verified what the different options actually say (watch out for companies that try to trick you by using negatively worded options) and have chosen the right settings to "opt out" of things you don't want.

I was charged 14.95 yesterday from these people and I believe they are connected to ebay and Paypal. I have a co-worker that had the same experience except it was with her bank account. She is heavily into ebay, making purchases and sales daily. I was just getting started. Something is NOT right. Im going to call that 800 number, thanks Cynthia!

Hi, I hope someone reads this soon. I recently bought from the pyramid collection and received a notice that this company has access to my account and will deduct a fee every month for something I never wanted or signed up for. I will call my bank tomorrow, does anyone else have any suggestions? Sure would appreciate any advice you can give me. Thanks, CC

I ordered from the Pyramid Collection; the Passport to Fun option was offered. But it was just that--an option. It did not appear to be something that they did automatically. I was free to decline it.

Don't bother calling the company from which you ordered the product. Call passport to fun directly at [protected]. I called them and they immediately said they would reverse the payments they had been charging to my account for 7 months, to the tune of $252.00. They said it would post back to my account in 1-2 days. We'll see what happens now. Also, contact your state attorney's office and file a fraud complaint.

I wanted to by a dress for my mother i saw in Pyrmid Collection, next thing i know 9.95 a month comes out of my chase visa card for Passport to Fun. Had Chase Bank close out the card, called Pyrmid collection, they said it was my Fault i checked a box somewhere, ok i thought. So like a fool i asked them if i could still order the dress without having anything to do with Passport to Fun. They said sure.I gave them my NEW chase visa card number. Now its no good either, they found there way into it through Pyramid Collections. So long as there are no laws to take them what can we do.

I experienced the exact same thing when I ordered from skymall.com - didn't notice the monthly 9.95 charge for 5 months.