- Report: #1065625
Complaint Review: Never Ending Casting - Internet
-
Author Not Confirmed
Why?
Never Ending Casting
Internet, USA
Phone:
323-251-4917
Web:
www.neverendingcasting.com
Categories:
Business Rating:
(0)
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good?
Never Ending Casting SCAM Emma Armos Mitchy Heels Retainer fee paid for a casting opportunity Hollywood. Tried to charge the card again after fee taken. Scam discovered after ss# supplied. California
I was, recently, a member of website Casting360 and put in my information for an MTV reality show. I received an email which stated that I was chosen to be an extra for a pilot show filming in Hollywood on July 13th titled MTV Events. The pay would be $400-$500 depending on the director. Also, if I was cast as a model I could get paid $2000 per episode. There would be 22 episodes. The filming would take place at a location called Blackbird in Hollywood.
All I would need to do is pay a retainer fee of $75 that would cover any costs in case I didn't show up. They claim that people don't follow through when they make the commitment so this was necessary. What did I know? I'm new to this industry. They also claimed that transportation and lodging would be accommodated and I could choose to either fly July 11th or July 12th and would safely return by the 15th.
The $75 fee had to be paid by July 5th, but I was concerned about holiday closings, so I paid it on July 3rd. I then received another email stating that I could bring a guest too if they also wanted to pay $75. I did not, but I thought about it. On July 5th I responded to the second email that I was sent which requested personal information like my government name, social security #, flight preference, etc.
After I responded to the email with all of my information I posted a comment on Casting360's site to let everyone know how excited I was for the opportunity, and that the site really does work. I immediately started receiving comments about how it's a scam, and that I shouldn't pay any retainer fee ever. I then went to the disclaimer at the bottom of their site on how to avoid scams, and this site, Never Ending Casting, was listed as a known scam. Yet, they are still allowed to post.
I immediately called my bank and they told me that I would not be allowed to dispute a fraud charge until it posts and it was still pending. Saturday morning, July 6th, I checked again and it posted so I immediately called. The charge posted at close of business on Friday, July 5th, and yet there was another pending authorization charge on July 6th. Obviously they were trying to charge again, but I caught it in time. I immediately cancelled the card, opened a fraud investigation, and got a new card.
After this I immediately panicked about providing my ss#. I contacted all the credit agencies and the FTC to put a fraud alert under my ss#. Never Ending Casting had no idea that I was onto them.
Monday, July 8th, I received an email that the location had been moved from Hollywood to New York City - conveniently near me now that they had my address. I called to get a refund, explain what I had discovered, dispute everything going on, and I received a complete run around. I was told that the second verification charge was "probably" because I was bringing a guest for another $75 fee, and yet I had never confirmed that. I called the studio they claim to have moved the filming to and realized this was just a big runaround. I also alerted the studio that a bad name was coming down on them as well for affiliation to a scam.
Never Ending Casting told me that refunding the $75 was of no consequence to them since they didn't need the money, and yet would only refund it if I showed up to the new location on Saturday, July 13th in NYC. Bull. I told them my concerns about my ss# and Never Ending Casting claims that they had no use for that information, but it was for "them" - the casting directors who wanted to make sure a terrorist wasn't trying to enter the plane. The imaginary plane to Hollywood that was going to be switched regardless.
SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM.
Do not trust Never Ending Casting, Mitchy Heels, Emma Armos, or Casting360 for that matter.
I was lucky enough to catch all of these things in time so that all I have to worry about is $75. I don't think everyone else is so lucky.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Queen Bee
Indianapolis,Indiana,
July 13
#2Consumer Comment
Fri, July 12, 2013
Just to let you know, you can contact your bank to get a fraud investigation going into this company, that's what I did. Also another name you can add to the list is Jean Oyo, because I used PayPal to pay and that's who the money went to was her. The other thing I paid for a membership, and I had planned to pay by the month, and it was $30, and it will expire in a few days, and I am also requesting that back too, but when they sent me the notice to advise me my month was about to expire, guess what? The monthly rate increased by $5, imagine that!!!
After reading the email and them saying that there were 2000+ actors, I couldn't calculate the plus, but just think 2000 people and to get $75 from each, that was an easy 150K they collected quick. One of the things that Missy said was if it was a scam they wouldn't call you back, well I don't think they are returning calls now, because their mailbox is full, and Emma Armos is not even responding to emails, because she hasn't responded to mine, and I am still waiting for the location of the shoot, but one thing I have every email I got from them, and I made a copy of the contract I signed.
Casting 360 had their day with doing wrong because I checked them out with the BBB, but they made good on all of the complaints that were made against them, so I think they may be alright. When I questioned them about NEC they said they pulled the MTV event from their website, and placed on their blog not to deal with them because they were a scam.
Hopefully there will be more people blogging about them, and the word will get out, but what will happen they will change the name of their company, but we will never forget the name Emma Armos.
Esco
Long Island,New York,
July 13th!!
#3Author of original report
Fri, July 12, 2013
Haa. I was told that the directors moved the location to a studio in NY under the name Jermaine at 1pm. Lies, lies, lies. Where did they tell you it would be? Probably conveniently somewhere near your hometown. Close your credit card asap. And the reason that I provided my ssn was because I'm not a citizen... but a resident. It was only until later that they said it was for international. But I was told nothing about 20k people, too many internationals. ...nothing. I was told the directors moved it and iy had nothing to do with them. Shameful.
Queen Bee
Indianapolis,Indiana,
Never Ending Casting
#4Consumer Comment
Fri, July 12, 2013
I too received the same email, but mine was in June, and I was told the same thing, and was sent the same thing as well. However, travel information needed to be in back in June, but anyway, I saw the part where the SSN was required, but it was ONLY for people overseas, because I wanted to know why they needed that information, but I was told since I was a US citizen that information wasn't needed. I was a little set off about the changes made at the very last minute, my email stated there were 2000+ actors and the condo in Hollywood could not accommodate all of us, which is why they had 3 locations, and what I was told was Atlanta, Detroit, and Mishawaka, IN. I was told that after the first shoot, there would be people elimiated, and the remaining shoots would take place in Hollywood, and they would pay for travel. I was also told there were people traveling from Germany, China, and other overseas countries. They said they would pay for travel if you lived more than 6 hours away from the city they were shooting in.
I had heard it was a rip off in the beginning, and was told a man who became angry because he did not get selected for a part started this malicious rumor about the company. The shoot is scheduled to take place July 13, we shall see what really happens, and if the place they send us too really exist.
