CSS Connects

Prepaid for a vendor event and it has been cancelled several times without notice. I requested a refund. Lack of communication, and lies On 12/02/2013 450.00 was paid for 2 vendor events. One of which we attended and the other was cancelled. It was reschedule for Sept 2014 and the date approached with no details on the event. Messages were sent asking what was going on? She said emails were sent out that this show was cancelled and rescheduled for the spring. No emails were sent. I requested my money back in September and was told that it was being done. The money has never been refunded. The owner ignores my calls, messages, and deletes any negative posts on [redacted] She refunded one other person and made up some excuses as to why she is having problems. I want my 250.00 back and will take her to court for it Desired SettlementAt this point I want my 250.00. If I have to take her to court to get it, she will pay all court costs.

We Paid $200 for a space for a chocolate show booked at Seminole Towne Center Mall in[redacted] Florida through Css Connects (The Chocolate and Shopping Show) which we paid through[redacted] back in January. The event was to take place April 26, we contacted [redacted] and [redacted] on April 23rd to get the information as to where to check in and arrival time. We received a phone message saying the event was cancelled on April 25th. We also received an email on May 16 from [redacted] advising the show was cancelled and that it had been rescheduled for August 16th. On August 12th I sent an email asking about the details on when to check in and where and we received no response. My Daughter [redacted] contacted [redacted] via Text asking for info and received a Text back stating the show was cancelled and a refund would be issued. I have been contacting [redacted] to which I have been told that a check was sent but when asked for the address the check was sent to which she continues to say I'm not in the office or not at home and will check but I never hear back. I talk to her once again and she advised to send her my[redacted] info and she will refund the $200 back to that account. I have still not received the refund. I have contact [redacted] mall corporate offices and found out she never even booked that event for August 16. She also uses the email of [redacted]@bizfestival.com and puts on these events all over the United States. I would like to receive my refund of $200 back and let people know that she is not a trusting company.Product_Or_Service: The Chocolate and Shopping Show eventOrder_Number: N/AAccount_Number: N/ADesired SettlementI would like to receive my Deposit of $200 in the form of a cashier's check or a refund to $220 back to my[redacted] account to cover the deposit and the 10% fee to put the monies back to my checking account.

I signed up to do a booth rental and paid her the $200.00. 2 days before the event in [redacted] fl mall. she canceled due to a death in her family. she had to reschedule the event. I already have other commitments on the new date.I have spoken with Lisa and she told me that it had to go before the board. then it got approved. then the accountant was suppose to credit my card. months later she is ignoring my calls or emails. I finally went to the channel 9 news in [redacted]. they have sent her 2 letters so far with no response.This has been since April!Product_Or_Service: booth rental- [redacted] Mall, in FloridaDesired SettlementI would like my full refund since they had to cancel and reschedule the event. She took $200.00 and I would like it back.

I am a direct sales vendor and I found an advertisement from this company the Chocolate Shopping Show, offering an event for direct sales vendors at a local area mall. I paid $275 to rent a booth with a table at this event. The event was cancelled due to other events going on in the area at the same time causing very few vendors to sign up for this event. I requested a refund from the event or [redacted] and was told I would be refunded within 5-7 business days. That was several weeks ago and the date of the cancelled event has come and gone already. I've emailed and called [redacted] several times where she told me her accountant would re-process my refund. I still have not received a refund for an event I never attended nor will I have the opportunity to attend. I've been in contact with other people who were recruiting for this event and have been informed by them that she has a reputation for bad business practices and has a history of not paying her recruiters or refunding vendors when the refund is warranted.Desired SettlementI would like to have a full refund of the $275 and if possible receive payment for the interest charged on the credit card I used to pay for this event.Business Response On 4/4/14 we sent a copy of the attached refund transaction receipt issued to us by [redacted].As the receipt shows [redacted] on 4/2/14 for the full amount of $275.00.Please advise if any additional information is requested.Regards,[redacted]

I was a vendor of css Connects for the 2015 christmas in July show. I was told by owner [redacted] in text and Voicemail I would receive my refund. I was a vendor of a Product at the Christmas In July, is a three-day Shopping Extravaganza, was held July 10, 11, & 12, 2015 at the [redacted] in Memphis, TN. It was in the litature that we would expect to see 5000 in public attendance each day of show. On Friday July 10, 2015 we had like 50 people at most attend. the show closed 1hr 45 min early. that is not something you do on a event at this scale. on Saturday July 11, 2015 there was only estimated about 200 people attend. I approached the Owner of Css Connects [redacted] about this matter and I contacted paypal to request refund of my vendor spot money due to the fact we were given improper information and that the show was closed early on a scheduled event. she informed me she would return half my funds. we have since reached our to her by phone and email. she stated in text and email and per phone conversation she would refund it. but we still have no payment . she keeps sending me excuses. saying she owes more on the show..she also informed me that others had clams against her.. and that she would pay mine but not theirs. I fell this wass but a huge scam..I own a company doing business in 175 location throughout the USA, Canada, and Europe. we are very dissatisfied with customer service and the fact that we spent hard earned money to bring our product to this show. and turn around and be lied to and put off to get our return.. Desired Settlementi would like for the whole entire memphis area to know what they are dealing with, when it comes to this company. I would like a full refund of the whole payment of 750.00 dollars plus cost for travel and time.I told [redacted] several times per our conversations just pay me and I will be Happy... But that hasn't happened. I will take her to civil court if this matter isn't solved. companies that so business in this manner should not be allowed to do business this way. I paid her for the a vendor spot to sale our Product.. we had no sales no attendance to support her paper work that stated we would and also this was a scheduled time show. not a flea market!!

I am a past vendor with CSS. I booked an event with this vendor several months out and after ordering lots of stock for this huge event, I went looking for an online advertisement for it to post on my social networks a couple days before the event. I could not find a single thing about it anywhere! And this is a HUGE event in the middle of a huge shopping mall on a Saturday ALL day. I called the mall, they didn't know what I was talking about. I contacted other vendors who had registered for this event, this was news to them as well. After multiple attempts to contact this company, the CEO simply wrote back "The show was cancelled. Emails were sent out 2 months ago. Will be rescheduled for next year." After searching and searching through all of my email folders and talking with several other vendors, no one was notified about the cancellation. She lied to all of us and said the emails must've been lost in cyberspace. We immediately demanded our money back ($200-275) and she said "Absolutely. Please allow 7-10 days for the refund to process." Why 7-10 days? She said she was doing the refund through [redacted], she didn't need 7-10 days. On day 11, I messaged her and called her and emailed her and she began screening my calls and ignorning them. She finally called me back and said she didn't know what was going on and that she authorized the refund and that her awful accountant must've made an error. She said that she didn't have the $200 and that it should be in our account, but it wasn't. My husband took the phone and told her that he understands that it stinks having a bad accountant but that it wasn't our problem, it was hers, and that she can send the $200 directly to my buisness [redacted] account by the next morning or we would take action. She sent the money the next afternoon. BUT I was the only one to get paid back. The other vendors having been trying to contact her and get their money back but she keeps telling them that she doesn't know what's going on and she'll try to figure it out soon. In a message she sent me, she told me that she didn't have the money to pay back the other vendors and that hopefully some shows she had in the coming weeks would allow her to pay them back. Those shows were 2 months ago and nothing has happened. One of my friends and fellow vendors is saving the money to take her to court because she was out $275. The founder of this company has lied multiple times to her vendor customers and has shown that customer service is of zero importance. I continue to warn vendors of this company and I hope that this review can help other vendors to be more aware of the Chocolate and Shopping Show before they lose their money and never see it again. ","neg-1