I got roped into a similar deal, except I was getting charged $24.95/month, and they were sending me three random posters per month. Mine came from responding to an email for a $25 gift card at Applebee's "just for answering some questions".

this company ripped me off as well. for over a year and a half...

Do not deall with Northstyle Clothing. They include this special deal ala Passportofun on their check out and make it appear to be merely part of a savings for the purchase. Since I was charged $70 since that purchase... guess there is little savings! I am grateful to others that wrote in here as I have cancelled the charge now...but still incurred the charges ahead of this month...$9.95 a month for nothing! I didn't even have my member number! Learn from my mistake! S.M

I just read the links to 3rd party under Vista's rules...(pasted below).
I also signed a consumer affairs report online. I was scammed, and my bank totally allows the scam, so I'm closing that account too. Here's to new bank accounts...small...personal banks.

Links To Third Party Products and ServicesWhile you are visiting or using the VistaPrint website, you may be presented with an opportunity to purchase third party products or services. These products and services are offered and supplied by independent companies not owned or operated by VistaPrint. If you click on one of the presented offers, you will be redirected to the site of the third party, and any information you provide in response to the offer will be collected and used by the third party and not by VistaPrint. Information you provide to the third party and any dealings you have with the third party will be governed by the privacy and other policies of that third party.Your Choices:We offer you a variety of choices with respect to how we use and share your personal information.Sharing Information With Others. We will not share your personally identifiable information, such as your e-mail address or name, with unaffiliated organizations for them to use to inform you about their or other companies’ products and services unless you consent to this sharing on registration or in updating your account preferences. You may opt in by checking the appropriate box during registration or, following registration, by logging into “My Account,” selecting “Account Update,” and checking the applicable box. You may also opt-in by sending a written request to the address below. If you send a written request, please be sure to include your exact name, mailing address and telephone number(s) and a statement that you would like us to share your personal information with other organizations that may have special offers, products or services that may be of interest to you. Even if you do not opt in to this sharing, we may still share personally identifiable information about you with other companies as permitted or required by law.

I just started my taxes and found the same on my account! My husband pays the bills so I didn't notice it right away..."AP9*PASSPORTTOFUN+-V" had charged me $29.95 plus two other $1 charges from Dec. till now (March!) so far I have paid $190.70 to a company I've never heard of. I tracked it back looking at my bank account and found it started the day after I bought a $7.95 "free trial" of mineral science. I bought the trial on 12/5/07, on 12/6/07 my account was charged $1.00 by AP9*YOURSAVINGSCLUB-V and by AP9*PASSPORTTOFUN+-V. On 11/13/07 I began getting charges of $29.95 a month, plus $1.00. I had called Mineral Science when I recieved (and immediatly shipped back) the makeup and an invoice for $59.95 if I kept the makeup. Thank you for the phone numbers....and I hope this catches other people in time!

They are doing the same to ME at this very moment!! how do I stop them?

WoW
I guess sometime back in May 2007 I became a member of Passport to Fun while on the Travelocity site ordering plane tickets.
I was told by their complaints department that I had accepted a $20 rebate that made me a member and authorize $14.95 from my creditcard account. This is not a card I often use I rarely look it over. Shame on me for not checking this credit card frequently. When I looked back I found that for 12 months I had been charged $14.95...for what? I never recieved any information of this service?
Passport to fun stated that they had sent me an email...did my SPAM blocker stop it? I called them today, May 13, 2008 and they were canceling my membership today and that I would be refunded $14.95...shouldn't it be more like 179.40?..ok I'll even give them their $20 dollar rebate back and they can send me $159.40

I too found a charge this month and after reading your blog, I will now go back and look at other charges. When I called Passport to Fun they claimed I approved this through "In The Company of Dogs." I did make a purchase through them (of a terrible quality product that I returned--don't shop there) but never authorized them to sign me up for any program through Passport to Fun. I can just imagine how many people are ripped off because they aren't checking their card purchases. I also turned them into my credit card company through a letter to customer service and to the Better Business Bureau in Massachusetts where Passport to Fun is located. I encourage others to do the same.

Dear Baltimore Sun Consuming Interest.

I received a letter in the mail from the
PassPort to Fun+ company informing me that since I was still in my grace period, I could cancel my membership.Tis is a Blatant Fraud. I never signed up with this company. Today I called to complain and talked ToJulie #226756 and She said that my membersop had been cancelled. I guess I,m one of the luck ones. Please Be Careful Out There.

I too fell prey to this passport to fun scam....I discovered it last year after I fell for an e-mail I thought was from a friend. She (not really) had said she just recieved a free 50.00 gift card just for answering a few questions, and was passing the info along to her friends....I found out the very next day that she "most certainly DID NOT" send me an e-mail....apparently she was hacked and this same e-mail went out to everyone on her address list....well I thought nothing of it 'cause I had gone only so far when filling out the info then got scared and backed out...I THOUGHT......then, I had noticed several 1.00 charges on my debit bill...one every month, still for only 1.00 I wasn't to concerened, then came the ever popular 29.95, that put me in overdraft and a bank charge of 40.00...I blew my top, I called and was told that I had signed up for this "club" when inquiring about a free gift card. Ok, well it was my fault...I canceled right away...then no charges after that for several months, so I stopped checking......utill now... I started to see them again...it is now June 19-'08...and I have these charges way back from Dec....aparently they restart at some point..SO BEWARE...if you have had these charges in the past and thought you took care of bussiness....don't be NAIVE, keep a watchfull eye!!!!!

Let me start by saying that THESE PEOPLE ARE DEFINETLY SCAMMERS!!! Well, just like everybody else they charged my bank account (well credit union) also and it couldn't have come at a worse time. Money has been REALLY tight and i had recently made some charges on my debit card that i thought i had the money in the bank to cover. Well, last monday (July 21) i got 3 courtesy payment notices in the mail from my bank (which are $34 bucks a piece) so, i called only to find out i had a negative balance of $147. That same day i went and deposited $77 and on last friday i deposited $127 which was more than enough to cover the remaining balance and i haven't touched my bank account since last monday when this all started and on saturday i called the automated system and it said i was still negative $57. The bank was closed so i couldn't talk to anyone and on monday i receive another courtesy payment for $14.95 plus the $34 fee and all it says is "Passport to fun". I immediatley called the bank and asked what this charge was and who it came from and was informed that all they had was a number, no name so i called the number and couldn't get a customer service rep so i called today and got around the automated system and as soon as the lady came on the line i could tell something was funny about it, i was pretty irrate with her but she kept on cutting me off and it was like i could tell she knew what i was calling about before i even told her. And when she told me that it was a free trial i signed up for through making another purchase, which she couldn't even tell me what company it was or anything like i was an idiot or something. That's when i got pretty mad and asked how you do business through a company that you don't even know their name and she said all she could tell me was it was purchased on June 15th and then it hit me- I had purchased a drill bit set for my dad for a late fathers day gift at GRABBIT.COM and i know thats where it had to have come from. But what these idiots at passport to fun don't realize is i had just gotten a drill bit set for my boyfriend at the same website not even a month before that. So, DON'T PURCHASE ANYTHING FROM GRABBIT.COM!!! I received my purchases but i don't recommend this website or company to anyone because of the problems i have incountered. Also, fyi when i told the 1st girl at passport to fun that i didn't authorize them to charge my bank account and i wanted the money and the overdraft fee refunded back into it she told me to please hold on and she would get her supervisor to help with the refund of those charges. And after she literally sat the phone down for a couple of minutes another girl came on and told me to send her over a bank statement, any one will do, she didn't even have to have the one where her transaction was taken out and i found that in itself VERY STRANGE, but then she said to put it to attn: compliance w/ my name daytime # and my membership # which she had to give me because i didn't even know i had a membership. And the original $14.95 would be back in my account within 2 business days and the overdraft fee would take anywhere from 14-21 days before it would be refunded back in my account. I have a strong feeling that is all bull**** but we'll see. I'll check back and let everyone know if they do but i think we all know i'm not holding my breath. But i just wanted to share my awful experience with these guys with everyone so hopefully it won't happen to you like it did me!

Well, I guess I am another one of the PASSPORTTOFUN victims. I found out today that I had been charged $14.95 twice on the same day. I had no idea what this was. I called the number 1-800-840-6303 to find out what it was. I was told that I could cancel my membership, which I knew nothing about , and that I would recieve a credit back to my account within two business days. I also called my bank and reported the scam.
I have read several pages of complaints about this scam. Wow, how do they get away with this. Caution to all: be careful how and where you use your credit or debit card.

The FBI needs to get on this right away.

The Same thing happened to me today. I agree that the scam needs to stop. Well they messed with the wrong family. My husband is in fraud investigations and is taking this one with him to work. We will see what happens. Mine happened with Vista Print. I canceled all memberships with them and changed all my account numbers ASAP. I suggest the same for everyone else.

DD: Oooh. That's awesome, Keri. Keep us posted on what your husband finds out.

most recently I purchased "oldies but goodies" CD collection from a TV add. On my bank statement there was a charge of $29.95 from "passport to fun". I learned they had a link to "time life" the name of the add on TV. After waiting on the phone it seamed like for ever I eventually speak with a life person. When I questioned the charge they insisted that I had signed up for discount on the Internet. When I mentioned my Lawyer the CS person mentioned they would send me a refund right away.

Of course I am another victim of this scam, and from what I can tell we are now a lot of victims so why the authorities arent doing something? We should try to all get together and put this people out of business, it is unbelievable that after so many complaints they keep on scaming people!!!!!!

Add us to your victim list. PASSPORTTOFUN shoud be PASSPORTTOHELL. We are scammed also $14.95 a month for 11 months now. Starting last November, we just found out. We look at our monthly bill seldom, because it always seems right. Never ever had a problem. Our credit card company won't help. Claims 3rd party. PASSPORTTOFUN claims we signed up through linensource. We never heard of them let alone ordered anything. We don't have a membership card or ID for PASSPORTTOFUN. Spoke with Roger 226778 and told him I was confused he said he would take off the charge. Then I called our credit card company and they could really care less. Called back PASSPORTTOFUN and asked for Roger, because he said I could talk with him. Not true. Asked for superviser and talked with Lisa 29423 and she gave us the address of Additive Marketing 9500 West Dodge Road Omaha NB to contact and resolve this nightmare. I searched Google Map Quest, YellowPages, Yahoo and came up with nothing. So what gives? I guess more lies and they like to give numbers after their names. I'm going to contact the Missouri General, BBB and others. Needless to say the card is being payed off and Chase Mastercard can go to H - - L The nite is late I'm tired and will start all over tomorrow. Wish me luck....

Yup im another victim, passport for fun has taken 200$ from me and put my account in the negatives. Which sucks because i cant afford late fees or even food for myself. I love how this company doesnt care who it targets aslong as they get their money. I just hope they feel good about themselves for taking money from a 19 yr old kid with no parents and supporting himself, let me tell you its not easy but they just made my life a living hell....
I dont get how nothing has been done about this, but i am happy to find out this passport for fun place is in my state.. need to take a visit

I also had a charge for $19.95 from
Passport-To-Fun this month.
I called the toll-free number and
they said they will issue credit and
cancel my "membership". I had
never signed up for anything and
when I asked the lady on the phone
how this happened she just said
again that the"membership" is now
cancelled and she issued credit
immediately. Wow, I wonder how
many people do not check those
kind of charges!!!

today I saw that I was charged 14.95 from passport to fun+ on my credit card and called immediately, after looking them up online, to cancel as I'd never heard of them before. i asked how I had gotten signed up, and received no answer only a reference number for my cancellation. About 15 minutes later, i got an email from passport to hell and at the bottom, a thanks from VistaPrint for being a valuable customer. Oh yeah. Thanks. Like I'll ever use that company again after this scam and a half!

I received my monthly bank statement and saw a "debit" of $14.95 from passporttofun which I never heard of before. I keep my receipts until my statement comes in & check everything & I had no receipt for this. I researched them & eventually found this website & found out I was not alone. I called Passporttofun (800-566-8489) & pressed 0 to get around all the menu options. I talked to Noemi 226836 & she said she would cancel the membership & credit the charges. She had asked for my member # & e-mail but I told her she didn't have them because I wasn't a member. I gave her my name only & she had all the info on her computer screen. That's all they need from you because they have the rest. Makes you wonder who else has "sold" our personal info... to enable others to rip-off hard working people while they sit back and collect unauthorized funds.

i was ripped off for 3.6 years.

they stole $617.00 from me!!!

i spoke to the supervisor and he seemed like uh-huh, uh-huh as if he had no idea what i was talking about.

it was not UNTIL now i realized... i better look up PASSPORT OF FUN and good enough... SCAM!!!

i lost $617. :( I have already filed a fraud claim against passport of fun with my bank.

will i get $617. nope, but at least, i hope i'll get some!

this is happening to me since feb. i am fighting and nothing happening yet. i was in the hosptal when they said i signed up !

this is happening to me BUT i just caught it (since feb.) 9.95 per month. this has been going on since feb and i was in the hospital and i am the only one using the computer !

Ok so I just looked at my credit card statement today. I don't normally look at it very thoroughly because I am just a very trustworthy type of person and I noticed that this company has also been charging me for 3 months maybe more. I am not sure because for some reason my credit card online statement won't bring up more than that. all I can say is that people should be warned to check there credit card statements, every details, every single month. do NOT take for granted that all charges on the statement was made by you! I am disputing this and hope to get my money back.

Follow up on my December 10, 2008 call to the thieves. I did receive a credit on my bank statement for the $14.95 just 2 days after calling them. And yes, VISTAPRINT was the culprit.

commenting again from before, I called up the passporttofun company and they did credit me back the 14.95 for the past 6 months. I am still not satisfied though. I should have asked about the interest I had to pay for all of those months. Well credit union issued me a new card, I am not buying anything online anymore.

Luckily I checked my other statements. I assumed it was just for one month until i read somewhere that people were getting charged for a trial membership.

Never again falling for any bargains, good deals on the internet.

thanks

Ditto. Same thing happeded to me from July 2008 thru Oct 2008. Withdrawls from from credit card where made of $ 19.95 per month ( total 79.80) they claim it was from travel I planned thru Travelocity. There was another credit card withdrawl involving Shoppingesseno from July 2008 thru Jan 2009, it was for $ 14.95 per month ( total $ 89.70) and again involved Travelocity. What a scam!!!

Yet, the next victim of the Passport to Fun scam. Fortunately for me I watch my accounts like a hawk and noticed the charges this morning. I was charged for $16.95 & $19.95 yesterday.

The company agreed to refund my money as a credit to my credit/debit card within 48 hours. I proceeded to call my bank and explain the situation since those two charges put my account into a negative state. The bank informed me that once they receive the credit, I have to call them back and request a courtesy credit for the 2 $35 charges they accessed my account. What a crock on both issues as I never ordered anything from Passport to Fun therefore I should not have been charged, and the bank wants to charge me too.

Having difficulty paying rent, utilities, putting food on the table, why would I be ordering passport to fun trash?

Dismayed in Michigan

Thanks guys...

I'm used to research about web sites who have many advertisements, so I went through VistaPrint.... and here I'm!

The Passport to Fun didn't charge my card yet, but I already canceled my debit card and I did ask for a new one.

Next step is call them in that number and cancel my "membership" if I do have it.

Thank you again, and NO VISTA PRINT ANYMORE!

There is a possible class action lawsuit. Go to this web site:
http://www.girardgibbs.com/memberworks.html
Good luck to everyone!

Passport to Fun continues to rip off people through third party sites. I noticed a $11.50 charge on my bank statement and another charge in December. When I called the company, they asked for my membership number, I said I couldn't give it to them but as soon as they had my name they knew my work address and my e-mail address. When I spoke to the supervisor to dispute the charges in December that they were not going to refund me, I told them I had already contacted my bank and am pressing fraud charges. He said "No problem, Ms. C. we will refund your money right away". (Moral to the story, just mention, fraud charges and you will end the argument in getting your money back that they scammed from you). I will get a new debit card from my bank, but it will be worth it.

Congrats, VC! Good work fighting those charges. --- lfk.

I opened my bank statement today to discover a $14.95 charge for passport to fun. After further research and finding your site, I called PTF. I informed them that I had just discovered that I was part of their scam. They told me that my membership was being cancelled immediately. I inquired about what I had been billed for. They said I would recieve the current months billing as a refund. When I asked about the total three months that I had been charged, I was told that I would recieve a full refund within two business days. Although this is a scam, it is not. If I had read the terms and conditions contained in the 47(arbitrary number) pages when I signed up for vista print products, I would have known about this hidden endorsement. Like so many I usually just check the terms and conditions box because there are too many pages to read. This has been a valuable lesson to me. I will either read fully what I sign or I will not use the internet to do future shopping.

I don't know, J.R. ... I think that burying enrollment in a service with a monthly fee is pretty shady. But I think most people actually got caught by clicking something additional after their intended transaction was completed. --- lfk.

I have been scammed since Sept 2005--84 payments totaling $1,714.00
This was an unmonitored account until recently and I was appauled! I did get a hold of Passport to fun and amazingly they agreed to return ALL my money. At the time of the conversation I didn't believe I would get a dime but today there were 84 credits on my account totaling the same $1714.00! It must be because of the lawsuit so I thank anyone who has helped this go forward because otherwise I'm sure they could have made it very difficult if not impossible to get my money back.

Unfortunately, I fell for the same thing. Mine was VistaPrint. After reading this article, I called, finally spoke to a real person (after I made the selection to ORDER something rather than CANCEL).

Mine was $21 for probably 4 years.

I was told that they would cancel and that I would get a refund in the next 3 days.

Has anyone else received a large refund? I'm not very hopeful, but it would be wonderful if they do.

I've been getting charged from PTF for over 7 months now at $14.95 a month for ordering a birthday present for my husband. Golf clubs at that. I realized that no matter how much I paid extra each month on my credit card I couldn't make a dent in the amount owed. I thought I was going crazy because I never use my credit card but for emergencies only and latey we've been doing okay. It seems I had agreed for a $10 rebate when I purchased the driver (which I never received) and that, my friends, is what activated my membership. I called the phone number at the end of my statement only to be told that the phone number was disconnected. I then called my bank to find out how else I can stop the charges. My bank is now in the process of disputing the charges and told me to google a little longer before giving up on calling this merchant. I found this page and thankfully the phone number was a good one. When I called I never got ahold of a person, just an automated system asking for my phone number and "your membership started with a $10 rebate agreement" and last "press 1 to cancel your membership" finally "thank you, your confirmation number is....... you will no longer received Passporttofun benifits... good bye"...
I wish I could have gotten ahold of a living person. That would have made me feel a whole lot better.

I just received a confirmation that my PTF has been cancelled - but the e-mail referenced VistaPrint, as well as PTF. So my advice is to avoid VistaPrint.

I would love a list of merchants who are affiliated with this organization so that I could avoid them completely.

I knowingly joined Passport to Fun over a year ago (through their site, not a pop-up or ad) and got my money's worth. I was able to easily cancel and did not incur any surprise charges.

Please, be very careful when shopping online. I noticed many retailers, including JoAnn's, VistaPrint and BcOutlet and Linens & Things, offer a somewhat misleading link after the purchase is complete. (It isn't hidden or buried in TOS, but it comes up after you click the boxes to complete your order. So, it is likely people may click it as a reflex.)

It looks as if you are getting some type of rebate or coupon from the store. However, a closer look reveals you joining some third-party membership program such as Reservation Rewards.

It is very easy to get click-happy or miss the fine print and unknowingly join. You will get the rebate or discount offered, but that's insignificant if you do not realize what you're getting into. You can take the rebate or offer and cancel your membership.

I don't have any complaints and enjoyed my experience with companies such as VistaPrint and Passport to Fun. (I've ordered from VistaPrint several times over the past few years w/o any problems.) It sounds like you got jilted in different ways. These complaints are are horrible and no one deserves this. I don't know how much it will help, but I will write to the companies I personally saw with tiny ads and suggest they be more transparent.

-SavinMaven

I just notice that they have been charging my card for $29.00 for awhile, who is going to do anything about it? I never had contact with them so I don't know from where they got my info!

Thank you for the article. I obtained the customer service # from it and called demanding my money back! I thought I was paying automatic toll fees to the MA Turnpike Authority (too much!). I finally called to find out it was this company, (I never signed up for). They told me my credit card account would be credited within two business days. We'll see! These people should be out of business, how skanky!! How can they continue these practices? I'd like to know.

I, too, just realized what all these deductions have been when viewing my bank statement on the web. I've just noticed them, however, going back a few months, this has been happening since last year. Some deductions are for $1., and some go up to 29.95. I finally did some research and found out these deductions have been drawn by Passport to fun. I have never heard of them before and had no idea a company that I had no registration with could do this. My bank is closing my debit card so there will be no further charges to my account, and I'm filing a fraudulent claim against them with my bank. I still have no idea how they got my information. They should definitely be stopped. Can't our govt. do something to stop this company??

I, too, just realized what all these deductions have been when viewing my bank statement on the web. I've just noticed them, however, going back a few months, this has been happening since last year. Some deductions are for $1., and some go up to 29.95. I finally did some research and found out these deductions have been drawn by Passport to fun. I have never heard of them before and had no idea a company that I had no registration with could do this. My bank is closing my debit card so there will be no further charges to my account, and I'm filing a fraudulent claim against them with my bank. I still have no idea how they got my information. They should definitely be stopped. Can't our govt. do something to stop this company??

I was buying tickets for me and my family to go to Florida and this $20.00 cash back came up , so I started filling it out , I got to the end and decided not to do it. How they get the credit card information so quick, I don't know. This happened on 4-26-2009 according to there records. I check my bank account every day. I noticed it on 5-28-2009. I had no idea what it was for until I called the number. You have to go through this recording and when I finally got to a human person she acted like she couldn't hear me and hung up on me.

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.

Hi - happened to me, but i was able to stop them by calling the number given (1-888-840-6303) i spoke to a nice rep, she immediately canceled my membership. I guess you have to catch it right away...that really bites that business you are trusting to do business with, is selling you out to another company. This will be the last time i use Vista Print.

I also was scamed for $631.00 from pass port of fun.
Please does anyone know the address for Pass Port Of Fun. I`m in Virginia.
My Attorney needs the address.
Thanks
pwood2000@comcast.net

I have been charged $14.95 for 4 months. Five months ago I purchased some stationery from Vistaprint. As I clicked through the website to purchase the produce I must have gotten 20 pop-ups asking if I wanted product after product. On one I could NOT stop the mailing of magazines-- magazines would come and then I would have to cancel. I did cancel when that bill arrived. But heaven knows what all went on when I was clicking no to all the other offers. My long term relationship with VISTAPRINT IS OVER!!!!

I just took over my 81 year old father's finances and as I was looking over his bank statement, I found he was being charged two fees per month for passport for fun and home rewards. As I looked back at these charges, which he knew nothing about, I learned he has been charged these fees since Nov. 2005. This is insane. I called to cancel these charges and was told by the rep that he may not have known he had signed up for them. What a scam. My dad has some dementia but until now has taken care of his own business. Now, I am the one to try and take care of this mess. I will be contacting our attorney since I am sure Compass Bank will not help us with these charges. Shame on these crooks taking advantage of anyone, especially the elderly.

Get a list of the charge dates, then call them at this number:
- 1.866.897.9098