Norm Thompson Outfitters review: Scam charges on credit card 26

I just hung with Maryanne in Membership Dept. who informed me that I have been charged $ 14.95 mo. since June. I never signed up for any rewards program at any time. shame on me for not reviewing more closely my monthly Visa bill. Maryanne gave me a credit for the 2 months that appear on my February bill but told me I had to speak to Consumer Affairs. I thought she was telling me that I had to file a complaint with a State agency to receive a refund for the other 8 months, but apparently I am to talk to this department at Norm Thompson.

I belong to many frequent flyer miles programs, AAA, Amex, Hertz Gold Passport etc etc. and I had no need or desire to sign up for this program. This is outrageous and a deception on Norm Thompson's part. I demand a full refund of the monies you have been dinging me for since June now.

I have also been trying to get this $14.95 off my card. I don't know where this bill came from. I do know that I never signed up for it. I am on a fixed income and I don't need any added expenses to my monthly spendings. I have tried calling the 888 number and now find that it no longer works! If there is someone there with any information on resolving this matter - please contact me!

I discovered similar charges on my March 2009 credit card statement, and these charges have been ongoing since November 2008. Likewise, I was never informed of this "program" when I placed an order online with Norm Thompson, but Mrs. Gustafson at Norm Thompson is insistent that I chose this ripoff even though she can offer no proof of that claim. I reached her through the Bank of America's charge dispute department (after being very insistent with them). As a result of that conversation, with the Bank of America rep listening in, I am being allowed to dispute all of the bogus charges with B of A by indicating that these are unauthorized charges on their claim dispute form. The B of A rep was astute enough to see that Mrs. Gustafson has had a lot of stonewalling experience in this regard.

I am up late doing a slow burn because I just discovered the $14.95 charge for Norm Thompson Rewards on my March bill from VISA--then went back and discovered I'd been charged this amount in February as well. Like the others who posted complaints, I had no idea that I'd "joined" this club. I remember getting something in the mail about the Rewards...but I thought it was a free program for those who purchased items from Norm Thompson, as I did several times in the recent past. I am *very* careful about what I sign up for--and how I spend my money!--and I only dealt with Norm Thompson to begin with because I thought I was getting some special discounts and "deals." HA! This has turned out to be some deal, alright--for Norm Thompson. I'm gonna raise holy hell about this and I am determined to get my money back! I'll post here when I have an update. Bonnie

I was charged $129.99 for a Complethm monthly service, because they say I cashed a check for $5 which put the agreement into action. However...I never cashed such a check. I've looked over my statements and see nothing. I call the [protected] number and they seemed to quickly take the charge back. I also asked them for proof of the signed check with my name on it. We'll see if they produce it...I think not...because I didn't sign anything. Not much gets by me...but somehow this did. Scam alert people.

I have also never signed up fro Normo Thompson rewards and just found out I have been billed (and paid) about $250 on my American Express Card. American Express refuses to refund the money. A complaint to Norm Thompson by email has been ignored. If anyone knows of a class action being started please put the info on the internet. there must be thousands of us who have been scammed.

Boy, shame on me as well... I NEVER signed up for the program. I purchased a Christmast Gift for $28.00 in Dec that has now cost me an additional $89.70.

Has anyone had any luck getting your money back? I called and cancelled, but I would like to pursue a refund.

Thanks.

Well I'm another one who got hit by this bogus membership. I did contact them and was told in writing it would be credited back to the credit card. I made another order and the 'slider/pop up' automatically appears. I did escape out, but that is what I thought I did the first time...so we will see if they honor their words...and if this is a BS automatically charged with an order. If so they lost another customer for good...I won't even make phone orders. Inthe mean time I will be puting the credit card company on notice. Bonnie K

Same thing happened to me but I did see the first charge on my credit card today and had the Visa rep listen in to my call with the "Norm Thomson Rewards" person. They promised to reverse the charges immediately. They also said they would let Norm Thomson know. I had not read these posts previously but felt instinctively that this was some kind of scam.

This is very disappointing as I had previously bought things from Norm Thomson without any problems. Strange that they would jeopordize their good will with customers for a scam.

Helena G

What a scam. SHAME on NORM THOMPSON! Thank you to the persons who posted info. I ordered a gift, thought this was a typical store marketing tool to encourage future purchases, signed for the rewards program. I Goggled the program and found "complaints". Without finding this info; I too would have been angry upon receiving my credit card statement.

Thanks to all who complained!

They did this $14.95 "rewards" charge. My BOA email alert setup to inform me of any charges says that Norm Thompson charged me this today, Christmas Day (Friday, 25 DEC 09). What a great Christmas gift you sleaze bags at Norm Thompson. You did it -apparently knowing your office and BOA would be closed today... And you won't open up for 3 more days on Monday.

I was also scammed by a $5.00 check, from 'sahalie', also owned by 'norm thompson, ' I cashed, thinking it was a refund, to be charged $129.99 on charge card, by Complete Home, they say will credit, after I got furious with supervisor, but will never shop with these companies and also interested in class action suit and contacting T.V consumer program about this scam.

I also was unaware when purchasing two items at Norm Thompson on November 25, 2009 that I was being signed up for the Rewards Program. Three unauthorized withdrawals were made on my account, one for less than $2.00 in December 2009 and two for $14.95 in January and February 2010. I never knowingly signed up for the program but did use a coupon code for free shipping that was advertised on the Norm Thompson web site and used it upon checkout. I don't remember ever seeing anything about the rewards program when I checked out.

I have been a Norm Thompson customer since the mid-90s but will never buy from the company again. It seems criminal to me that they allow a third party to post charges to your account without providing you with the most basic information about how much the program will cost you and what charges to expect that will be posted to your account. I was blind-sighted and had no idea that I had been signed up for the program.

Today I contacted Norm Thompson but like others was unable to get any assistance. I also was told to contact Encore myself. I reminded the customer-service representative that it was Norm Thompson that passed my credit card information to a third party, not me.

There should be laws protecting consumers against scams like this! I always in the past have known what I've signed myself up for when using my credit card on the Internet. I am going to use extreme caution in the future when using the Internet to make purchases, especially if reputable companies like Norm Thompson are going to take advantage of their customers and pass along their credit card information to a third party.

I noticed a recurring charge from Norm Thompson on my credit card statement. I never knowingly signed up for any kind of "club" or "program" with them, or with anyone else for that matter. Now, they will only credit me half of what they have collected in this SCAM. It was somehow made automatic with an online purchase. I read order materials carefully and never saw it. It must have been very well buried. This is outrageous and I am contacting my state attorney general. It's a relatively small amount of money involved for me -- and this must be what they are counting on...that no one will both to complain about $15 or $30 or $45 dollars. Well, fraud is fraud. I'm an attorney and I'm pursuing it.

They say that on the phone I agreed to join Norm Thompson Rewards. Ridiculous. I hated the Complete Home Scam. Why would I do this?

Then, they say, that because the packet of marketing material they sent after this included a membership card with number and my name on it, and a note saying that "this account is now active", that they had notified me in writing that my credit card would be charged every month .

That's ridiculous. If they wanted to confirm the charges on the account, then they should say so, and not couch it in some muffled speech.

The materials they sent looked like a zillion other junk mail opportunities including the membership card, just like vacation rental companies, real estate companies, AARP, Audubon, Museum memberhsips etc send out, to solicit business.

Their materials did a paltry job of distinguishing themselves as an honest, and candid BILLING STATEMENT, rather than a pile of unwanted, unsolicited marketing materials, better known as junk mail.

Why is it that Norm Thompsom can do this again?
They just ran a similar scam for Complete Home.

I QUIT doing business with Norm Thompsom. And more, I am now their opponent.

This is not an honorable way of doing business.

We're going to write a law or find one that prohibits repeated charges to a credit card without in person signatures, or notarized ones, if necessary.

We're going to require that ANYTHING SOLD OVER THE PHONE be documented by a PAID BILL in standard accounting format.

I, too, am being scammed by Norm Thompson. The sad fact is that because I haven't reviewed my credit card statements more closely, I've been charged $14.95 since September 2007! I noticed the charge before, but because I buy on-line quite often I thought that Norm Thompson must have been the parent of a company I legitimately purchased from. Shame, shame shame on me for trusting that a company wouldn't charge without authorization (and for being complacent), but I'm aware NOW and trying to do something about it.

Based on the number complaints I've read, much of their revenue must be derived from charging people's accounts (without proper authorization) in perpetuity. By my estimate, I have paid about $450 for a purchase that didn't fit and was returned!

I am going to file a complaint with my State Attorney General, but I'm not very optimistic that'll I'll get my money back.

Norma Thompson, Sahalie, Encore Marketing - pick one, they are all the same, and they are scammers.

My wife bought a robe from them Jan 2009, Pop Up box for rewards program appears, she declined - they still enrolled her.

Just finished talking to one of their reps - turns out you automatically get enrolled when you provide your email address.

They offered to refund my current payment and two prior months, I decided to escalate. Threatened to litigate them out of existence, it would have been costly for me, but a lot more expensive for them.

They agreed to refund full amount since they first started billing me.

Hope they are good to their word.

I just tried to call the membership department at [protected]. It is open M-F 9-9. I can't get them to answer at anytime. I called customer service at Norm Thompson. No luck. It is some separate program. I don't know how long I have been charged $14.95 without noticing. Customer service lady told me this all started with my having selected an opportunity for free shipping.
What a huge disappointment to be scammed by a company I had liked.
Nancy

I recently noticed I have been having this same Norm Thompson Rewards MD $14.95 a month charge on my credit card for well over a year now. Shame on me for not noticing sooner! I just want to say I agree with you all, I can't even find where my first initial charge was that caused this to happen. I did call the [protected] as it showed on my credit card statement and talked with "Glenn". Funny, "Glenn" did not have all of my information and needed it to process me to cancel my supposed enrollment! I am nervous since I had to give him so much information and I called my credit card company as well to at least report whats going on. Hopefully it wont show up next month. While it would be nice to get a refund for whatever this is, I will be happy if it actually stops occurring next month without me having to change my credit card number.

Angie

Check this out for more on this scam:
http://chronicle.com/blogs/brainstorm/consumerishing/29407

Amazing this goes on and on. Their company SAHALIE also is a co-conspirator in this. Ordering from them in December generated the same unauthorized $14.95 credit card charges on my December and January CC bills for "membership" in the Norm Thompson Rewards (NTO) program. Fortunately I spotted the unauthorized charges before more months and billings were added. Certainly a most unethical business practice; customers beware!

this company is should be ashamed ! This company charged my "93" year old mother the $14.95 for more than a year before I just found about it. My mother could not remember ever sign up for anything with this company. She did by clothes on line, but who knows how or when they managed to start taking advantage of my mother. There were two other charges for $14.95 every month also. The question is are they related to each other. Perhaps the banking business should get off their sorry butts and look into fraudulent charges, such as these, and help protect their costomers from being robbed.

Same as most of the other comments posted. I made one purchase and during the checkout process received an invitation to join their rewards program, which appeared to be like other loyalty programs...fair enough, I thought. I will glady do business with NT if their merchandise is any good. The next month a $14.95 MONTHLY fee shows up on my credit card statement. I had to call and get very forceful with the rep. to get the charge removed. I don't believe in paying to do business with a merchant!

These guys are sneaky...I did not see any mention of a $1.95 enrollement fee or $14.95 monthly fee. As a test, I plan go through the motion of another online purchase and watch for an invitation and see if any mention of monthly membership fees are easily seen.

BTW...the men's trousers I purchased will be returned because of poor fit and lightweight/cheap material.

Same thing happened to me today. I just got this stupid catalog telling me I get $1.00 shipping for $14.95 a month. They think that is a DEAL?
The box said I would get 15% off my NEXT ORDER. There was nothing in NORMAL FONT size that stated anything about me being enrolled in a costly, ongoing program of stupid, useless "benefits".

I am NEVER going to buy from them ever again because of this incident that is stressful and highly annoying.

I am so angry because I cannot cancel until MONDAY, because they are closed on the weekends. That is because they are out having a ball on all this money they have scammed out of people.

They should be in huge trouble and someone needs to file a CLASS ACTION lawsuit about this.

I am glad this thread is here, because I know I did not interpret that wrong. I cannot even locate that box on their site anymore.

Thanks for this complaint board, I realized I wasn't the only one scammed. I called [protected] and complained - and the foreign sounding gal offered a refund of one month - I [censor]ed really loud and threatened to complain to consumer affairs with the Oregon state Attorney General's office. I was quickly forwarded to her boss - who offered 8 month's refund of fees, I continued my rant - finally got a full refund of 11 months @ $14.95/month. Don't settle for less. I will never shop there again. They lost a customer of over 20 years.Greedy idiots.

I have been charged $ 14.95 mo. for VIP program too. I never signed up for any rewards program at any time. I have called them and asked to cancel this program. They never did this and finally they reported to the three major credit bureau. Ridiculous! This is not an honorable way of doing business.