Veterans Advantage, PBC

Thank you for bringing [redacted] concerns to our
attention.  It is our goal at Veterans Advantage to always provide
exemplary service for our members. We regret that this was not [redacted]
experience.
Our records indicate that on 04/02/15, [redacted] joined
our program by...

enrolling through our website at www.veteransadvantage.com. He
joined with a special promotion offering 2 family cards free with each
enrollment.  He registered for himself
and for [redacted]. At that time, he actively enrolled
into a continuous subscription service for his member plan. On 3/3/16 he was
charged a processing fee of $14.85 for the three renewal packets ($4.95 x 3)
mailed on 3/10/16. His account was then renewed on 04/02/16 with the auto-renewal
order active for his account.  These
charges were in no way excessive, nor fraudulent.
Veterans Advantage
informs members of the terms & conditions of the program’s subscription
auto-renewal several times and in several places:
1.          Plan selection and
enrollment 
2.            Digital VetRewards Card
with member information, issued online immediately upon completion of
enrollment
2.          Veterans Advantage
Terms of Service on our member Website
4.          Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ’s) online 
5.          Private YOUR ACCOUNT
online pages for each member. 
While our auto-renew service is provided as a member
convenience, a member may choose to opt-out of continuous service at any time
in their own YOUR ACCOUNT area online.  A member may also call us Toll
Free at [redacted] to opt out of auto-renew or cancel. Our
contact information is prominently displayed on our homepage at www.VeteransAdvantage.com, in our printed Member Benefits
Directory, on the back of our VetRewards Card Member ID, and at the top of our
Member Welcome Letter sent with the VetRewards Card in our member package by
USPS to each member.
On 04/04/16, [redacted] called our Call Center, spoke with a customer service agent and
cancelled his account.  His account was cancelled against all future
charges and his credit card information was removed from our system.  He was asked to complete his cancellation in
writing, formally waiving the $55,000 of insurance coverage provided with his
member plan.
After
reviewing his complaint, we have issued a credit of the $14.85 and $119.89
charges.  We consider this matter to be fully resolved. He
will receive no further communications or services from Veterans
Advantage.
In addition, this
letter serves as notification that [redacted]’s Veterans
Advantage insurance benefits coverage is cancelled. He will no longer be
eligible for medical claims, or claims for loss of life, against the $55,000 of
member insurance, provided at no additional cost, for our active members with
OurCAREPackage coverage.
Please
let me know, if you should need any additional information. 
Respectfully yours,
Rebecca M[redacted]

The original definition of Bait and Switch!!! My complaint and BAD review would include both [redacted] (i.e. [redacted]) AND Veteran's Advantage.
Veteran's Advantage sent a marketing tool saying if I would join TODAY they would send me a FREE Companion Airline Certificate that would be good for TWO Airline tickets to travel anywhere in the 48 contiguous United States for ONE low price. I assumed the price would be a bit higher that a deal I would find on the internet, but OH BOY, was I wrong.
Veteran's Advantage said they would send me the certificate withing 30 days of joining (which I did not. I called on the 30th day and received the certificate on the 32nd day). I certificate said I had to register by 06/15/16 (I received the certificate on 05/23/2016) and I had to travel by 06/15/17. So I got online right away to see what kind of good deal I would get.
I soon discovered the good ole' "Bait & Switch tactice that company's like this have used for years. They just changed the perfume a little. In order to see any of the deals you must state you agree to the terms and conditions. They are pretty general but they do state in the very first paragraph, as it stated on Veteran's Advantage Marketing information and the letter I received in the mail that: "1. The recipient of this Certificate and Pin number is entitled to purchase two adult round-trip, coach-class tickets at one low price." Now this sentence was much more concise than any of the marketing statements and would soon be very clear.
But first, let me be very clear. ALL of the marketing information with Veteran's Advantage, as well as two conversations that I had with their reps, lead you to believe you are getting TWO tickets for the price of one.
THE FACT: They offer you two tickets for one low (NOT LOW AT ALL) price. Duh!!! I can by two tickets ANYWHERE and pay one total for those tickets. I can buy 20 tickets and pay ONE price in the end. In fact, no matter what destination or what dates I searched my discount was always $75 off the companion ticket. One particular example was a round trip airfare from [redacted]. It was on [redacted] for a departure date of August 11th and a return date of August 25th. With "[redacted]" the price was $1,181.36 (That included my discount and ONE LOW price). My TWO tickets at ONE LOW price on the American Airline website with NO discount was $855. (I do have Screenshots of these prices to prove my complaint!)
I thought that maybe I was doing something wrong because no matter what destination or date I was searching, I only received the $75 discount on ONLY the companion fare and it was with the same results of being MUCH, MUCH higher than the airline's own website.I called "[redacted]" to explain my problem and to see if they could help me. Immediately, the representative said NOT two tickets for the price of ONE but TWO TICKETS AT ONE LOW PRICE AND IT WILL ALWAYS BE CHEAPER THAN ANY OTHER THING YOU CAN FIND ON THE INTERNET VEN IF IT'S ONLY $75 CHEAPER. It was obvious I wasn't the first to call with this complaint.
I informed her that, in fact, the price was MUCH higher than the airline's website and that everything about this offer was misleading. She told me to call Veteran's Advantage and hung-up.
When I called Veteran's Advantage they didn't have much to say but that they would allow me to cancel my membership. I am not sure yet whether that would be a full refund or not because they said they would have to mail me a form that I would then fill out and send in and after a review they would let me know what they could do.
As a Veteran I felt like a fresh recruit getting preyed upon by that photo scam, crooked car dealer or the old-time long distance phone card scam. In my opinion, Veteran's Advantage and [redacted] as just put some fresh perfume on something that stinks of Misleading and Fraudulent claims (Scams) to take Advantage of Veterans!

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Thank you for bringing Mr. [redacted]’s concerns to our
attention.  It is our goal at Veterans Advantage to provide...

exceptional
customer service for our members and we regret that this was not Mr. [redacted]’s
experience.
Our records indicate that Mr. [redacted] joined Veterans Advantage as
a 30-day trial member on November 21, 2105.  [redacted] Lines, our nation’s
leader in intercity bus transportation, is proud to honor America’s Veterans
and their families with a special 20%
OFF walkup fare.  To receive this discount one must
present a VetRewards Card ID at the [redacted] terminal to obtain the discount.
The Veterans Advantage discount does not apply to the online
reservation or advanced sales that Mr. [redacted] made.  We take
great care to follow best practices throughout our operations and make every
effort to fully explain each benefit on our website and in all promotional
materials.
We have highlighted below key differences between standard
[redacted] Web fares and [redacted] Veterans Advantage Walk-up fares. We inform
members that they may wish to select the lower price provided through
a Web fare, but there may be penalties for exchanges and there are no
refunds.[redacted] Veterans Advantage “Walk up” FaresUnrestricted fare: exchangeable, refundable, no fee penalties
Available on all routes
Guaranteed 20% Off
Veterans Day and every day
No advance purchase necessary-just show your VetRewards Card and save
Veterans Advantage Enhanced Member Support
Veterans Advantage $50,000 of Global MEDEVAC insurance coverage[redacted] Standard “Web” Fares Fully restricted fares: non-exchangeable, non-refundable
Limited to certain routes
Discount varies
Not everyday
Advance purchase required
We are sorry that Mr. [redacted] was unable to make use of the
[redacted] discount provided through the Veterans Advantage program. Our
CEO personally placed a phone call to Mr. [redacted] today to discuss
this matter, but he hung up on him. We have refunded the $4.95
processing fee as requested and have cancelled Mr. [redacted]’s account with
Veterans Advantage.
We consider this matter to be fully resolved.  Please let me know if any additional information is required.

Thank you for bringing [redacted] concerns to our attention.  It is our goal at Veterans Advantage to...

provide exemplary service for our members. Our records indicate that [redacted] has been a member of Veterans Advantage since 2015 and has been actively enrolled in a continuous subscription service for his member plan since that time. 
Veterans Advantage informs members of the terms & conditions of the program’s subscription auto-renewal several times and in several places:
1.          Plan selection and enrollment 
2.          Digital VetRewards Card with member information, issued online immediately upon completion of enrollment
3.          Veterans Advantage Terms of Service on our member Website
4.          Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) online 
5.          Private YOUR ACCOUNT online pages for each member. 
While our auto-renew service is provided as a member convenience, a member may choose to opt-out of continuous service at any time in their own YOUR ACCOUNT area online.  A member may also call us Toll Free at [redacted] to opt out of auto-renew or cancel. Our contact information is prominently displayed on our Homepage at [redacted] in our printed Member Benefits Directory, on the back of our VetRewards Card Member ID, and at the top of our Member Welcome Letter sent with the VetRewards Card in our member package by USPS to each member.
According to our records, [redacted] never requested cancellation or discontinuation of the continuous subscription service, in which he was enrolled, until after his recent renewal charge of $59.95 on 7/16/16.
We have issued a credit of $59.95 back to [redacted] Visa account as he requested.  His member account has been cancelled. In addition, this letter serves as notification that [redacted] Veterans Advantage insurance benefits coverage is also cancelled. He will no longer be eligible for medical claims, or claims for loss of life, against the $55,000 of member insurance, provided at no additional cost, for our active members with OurCAREPackage coverage.
We consider this matter to be fully resolved. Please let me know if you should need any additional information. 
Tell us why here...

Re:  [redacted] – Complaint ID # [redacted]
class=MsoNormal> 
We have just received your correspondence regarding [redacted].  Thank you for bringing his concerns to our attention. 
 
The charges made to[redacted] account were not unexplained nor were they unauthorized. They in no way represent an “unethical and dishonest business practice.” 
 
Our records indicate that [redacted] joined our program on 03-26-2014 with a special 20% off offer through[redacted].  At this time his account was included in a continuous service program which he expressly agreed to upon enrollment. We inform members of our renewal policy several times and in several places:
 
1.            The Temporary Member Card issued immediately upon completion of enrollment
2.            The Program’s Terms of Service, which appear on our member Website
3.            In the Welcome Letter sent by [redacted] to each member
4.            In the printed Benefits Directory sent to each new member
 
A member may also choose to opt-out of continuous service at any time.  We have no record of a request from [redacted] to do so.  On 02-24-2015 a $4.95 charge was made to cover processing for his renewal member packet.  An updated VetRewards Card and membership materials were mailed on 03-05-2015.   Due to the $50,000 M[redacted] coverage and $5,000 [redacted] * insurance policies which are in place for each of our members, we ask that cancellation and refund requests be made over a recorded phone line to our Customer Service Call Center and then in writing via a cancellation form that includes a forfeiture of coverage.  Our Call Center representatives are available to help during our extended business hours of Monday-Friday, 9am-9pm ET, and also Saturdays 11am-4pm ET.  We believe these hours are more than adequate to accommodate the working schedules of our members.
 
We have issued a refund to[redacted] for the charge of $4.95, cancelled his account, and removed him from coverage under our group insurance policy. We consider this matter to be fully resolved.

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Sincerely, [redacted]

Thank you for bringing [redacted] concerns to our
attention.  It is our goal at Veterans Advantage to provide exemplary
service for our members. Our records indicate that [redacted] has been a member
of Veterans Advantage since 2008 and has been actively enrolled in a...

continuous
subscription service for his member plan since that time. 
Veterans Advantage informs members of the terms & conditions
of the program’s subscription auto-renewal several times and in several places:
1.          Plan selection and
enrollment 
2.
          Digital VetRewards
Card with member information, issued online immediately upon completion of
enrollment
3.          Veterans Advantage Terms of
Service on our member Website
4.          Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ’s) online 
5.          Private YOUR ACCOUNT online
pages for each member. 
While our auto-renew service is provided as a member convenience,
a member may choose to opt-out of continuous service at any time in their own
YOUR ACCOUNT area online.  A member may also call us Toll Free at
[redacted] to opt out of auto-renew or cancel. Our contact
information is prominently displayed on our Homepage at www.VeteransAdvantage.com, in our
printed Member Benefits Directory, on the back of our VetRewards Card Member
ID, and at the top of our Member Welcome Letter sent with the VetRewards Card
in our member package by [redacted] to each member.
According to our records, [redacted] never requested
cancellation or discontinuation of the continuous subscription service, in
which he was enrolled, until after his recent renewal charge of $59.95 on
3/3/16.  Our customer service call center spoke with [redacted] on 3/8/16.
He was asked to complete a cancellation form and return his VetRewards
Card before a refund could be processed.  This form was mailed to the
address on file on 3/10/16.  We have not heard from [redacted] again until
this complaint.
We have issued a credit of $59.95 back to [redacted]’s [redacted] account as he requested.  His member account has been cancelled.
In addition, this letter serves as notification that [redacted] Veterans Advantage insurance benefits coverage is also cancelled.
He will no longer be eligible for medical claims, or claims for loss of life,
against the $55,000 of member insurance, provided at no additional cost, for
our active members with OurCAREPackage coverage.
We consider this matter to be fully resolved. Please let me know
if you should need any additional information.

Thank you for bringing [redacted] concerns to our attention.  At Veterans Advantage we strive to provide outstanding customer service to our members, we regret that this has not been [redacted] experience.Veterans Advantage partners with the nation’s top travel industry leaders, retailers and...

service providers to create custom offers for our membership that fit their own business’s promotional styles. We work to create the best possible offer and make it available every day. We do not build offers that are standard 'cookie cutter' types of promotion like, for instance, a coupon-only site. [redacted] was trying to access the Veterans Advantage [redacted] discount. Since 2000, our members have purchased hundreds of thousands of tickets with our National Railroad using the Veterans Advantage exclusive military discount. This benefit requires use of a 10-digit travel code which is available to members in the online member-only portal.  From what [redacted] describes, it appears he was attempting to use his member id instead, which would not have been accepted.[redacted] contacted us to request cancellation of his account.  Our CEO, Scott H[redacted], reached out to him to personally discuss this matter, but has not heard back.  [redacted] account with Veterans Advantage has been inactivated and fully refunded at his request.We offer real discounts for our members and their families.  We do not use unethical business tactics.  In fact, since 2001, the [redacted] has accredited Veterans Advantage and rates us A+, the highest rating for our outstanding customer service and our stellar business practices.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
This scam of charging a fee for cancellation should also be addressed. There are countless veterans that are being charged.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Thank you for bringing Mr. [redacted]’s concerns to our
attention.  It is our goal at Veterans Advantage to provide exceptional
customer service for our members and we regret that this was not Mr. [redacted]’s
experience.
Our records indicate that Mr. [redacted] joined Veterans Advantage as
a...

30-day trial member on November 21, 2105.  [redacted] Lines, our nation’s
leader in intercity bus transportation, is proud to honor America’s Veterans
and their families with a special 20%
OFF walkup fare.  To receive this discount one must
present a VetRewards Card ID at the [redacted] terminal to obtain the discount.
The Veterans Advantage discount does not apply to the online
reservation or advanced sales that Mr. [redacted] made.  We take
great care to follow best practices throughout our operations and make every
effort to fully explain each benefit on our website and in all promotional
materials.
We have highlighted below key differences between standard
[redacted] Web fares and [redacted] Veterans Advantage Walk-up fares. We inform
members that they may wish to select the lower price provided through
a Web fare, but there may be penalties for exchanges and there are no
refunds.
[redacted] Veterans Advantage “Walk up” Fares
Unrestricted fare: exchangeable, refundable, no fee penalties
Available on all routes
Guaranteed 20% Off
Veterans Day and every day
No advance purchase necessary-just show your VetRewards Card and save
Veterans Advantage Enhanced Member Support
Veterans Advantage $50,000 of Global MEDEVAC insurance coverage
[redacted] Standard “Web” Fares
Fully restricted fares: non-exchangeable, non-refundable
Limited to certain routes
Discount varies
Not everyday
Advance purchase required
We are sorry that Mr. [redacted] was unable to make use of the
[redacted] discount provided through the Veterans Advantage program. Our
CEO personally placed a phone call to Mr. [redacted] today to discuss
this matter, but he hung up on him. We have refunded the $4.95
processing fee as requested and have cancelled Mr. [redacted]’s account with
Veterans Advantage.
We consider this matter to be fully resolved.  Please let me know if any additional information is required.