Backstage Reviews Summary
Backstage is generally well-regarded for its platform, which effectively connects actors and creatives to a variety of projects, enhancing career opportunities. Many users appreciate the intuitive interface and prompt customer support, highlighting positive interactions with specific representatives. However, significant concerns persist regarding customer service accessibility, with frustrations over the lack of live phone support and inconsistent response times. Additionally, some users criticize the platform for outdated features and irrelevant job listings. Overall, while Backstage offers valuable resources, improvements in customer service and platform functionality are necessary to enhance user satisfaction.
This summary is generated by AI, based on text from customer reviews
I remember back when they had a free trial and the customer service people were kind. Now if you email them regarding an issue they act clueless, they somehow miss your response, they ask you to repeat stuff, all In all you go back and forth for hours over an issue that could've been resolved in under 5 minutes. It's email communication not a chat, I don't understand how you missed an email, that I can see on my end. If you run into an issue with them, they act clueless as if they don't make mistakes, I refuse to do business ever again. And they allow so many people to make scam posts, and they keep it there because why not they get paid anyways.
Terrible customer service. I told them to delete my account they asked me in about 5 separate emails if I wanted to delete it. Like come on now?
Was helpful and easy to understand. Also, I found that the answer related to my problem and I was happy too.
Hi John, we're thrilled to hear that you had a great experience with our Customer Support team! Please feel free to reach out to us at customers@backstage.com if you need help with anything else!
I cancelled my yearly subscription of £35 last september, received no confirmation of this, then woke up and was charged £101. This is theft and i will be taking it further up the company and as a police matter if not sorted. I have tried to contact all customer services but nothing, i have even put a dispute in at the bank. This site i did not use at all, hence me cancelling my subscription, then charged £101 for another year when i only paid £35 originally. This is disgusting
Hi Maria, can you send us a private message with your email address so we can check and see if your email was received? Please note that if you do not receive a confirmation email after you turn off the auto renewal on your subscription, that means your subscription was not successfully cancelled. In the future, please contact us immediately if you do not receive a confirmation email so we can investigate further. As long as you have contacted us within 14 days of the charge, please rest assured that you will receive a full refund.
You can't end the subscription on your end, if you pay a month, they'll keep charging you without notifying you. They also state they don't issue refunds which is illegal and won't end the subscription immediately.
Hi Valery, we offer a self-cancel option to turn off the auto renewal through your Account Settings. The only time this option is unavailable is if you subscribed via a third party (iTunes, PayPal, etc.) since those purchases are outside of our purview, or if your subscription has renewed and your payment has lapsed. We offer a grace period for those who may not have enough money to pay at the moment (as we know can sometimes happen in an industry like ours), which is why a subscription would still remain active even though the payment has failed.
Please note that every company has a different Terms of Service; it is not 'illegal' to not offer refunds for our short term subscriptions. We send all customers a courtesy email shortly after they subscribe reminding them of the type of subscription they purchased, along with instructions on how to cancel if they do not choose to continue with the subscription. Please also keep in mind that you agreed to the Terms of Service which explains you are purchasing a subscription and by agreeing to them, you are authorizing the auto renewal of your subscription. This is clearly laid out in the email that is sent to you after you subscribe.
If you are confused about any other aspect of our refund policy, please don't hesitate to reach out to our team at customers@backstage.com. We'd be happy to review your case and explain it thoroughly if there is any other confusion!
I received a discount for the first year. Wasn't worth it to me. Tons of emails, not right for what I put down that I was looking for.
Because you get so many emails, you stop looking at them and then they may or may not send one reminding you of your renewal which is double what you paid the first time and they will not refund you even if you never were able to use them the first year.
Hi KT,
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. Please note that Backstage offers many different ways to manage your emails. In the future, please feel free to contact us if you are having trouble turning off certain email notifications and/or want any advice on how to curb the number of emails you are receiving from us.
We have the option to turn off the auto renewal on your subscription via Account Settings, so if you are certain you don't want to continue your subscription, you can do that anytime before your renewal date. That way, you still have full access for the time you subscribed, but it won't renew.
We also offer a generous refund policy for our users with long term subscriptions that may forget to cancel before the renewal date. As long as you contact us within 14 days of the charge, we will fully cancel and refund your subscription without any penalty. Unfortunately, it sounds like you have contacted us outside of this grace period.
In the future, please contact us immediately if you are having trouble with any aspect of your subscription! We're always happy to help.
Hi! Stephanie C. Was excellent.
I wanted to get back to her on chat to thank her, but I must have pressed the wrong button.
In any event, the video is still processing...
I guess that takes a long time? Hence, the four stars.
If only the site could work more efficiently? However, I know it's a huge undertaking.
Still, I wish it were not so time-consuming, although, fortunately, my video is not "due" until tomorrow's deadline - good thing I did not procrastinate.
Anyhow, thanks again - - I've been cast frequently via Backstage, and I'm grateful for that.
Sincerely,
*DAB
Brooklyn, NY
Hi David, thank you for your kind review. We'll be in touch with you regarding your upload via email shortly! We hope you continue to find success booking jobs through Backstage :)
I love this website for actors. Not only do you get casting emails from them but actors get immediate responses to questions & help request. Not to mention the tons of articles that are very useful in the industry.
Thank you for your kind review, Alexis!
I tried to cancel my subscription and contacted support but they just don't get back to you at all. Completely useless and they just seem like a scam. You also can't cancel your card details so they just keep it.
Hi Cameron! I'm sorry to hear that you haven't heard from our Customer Support team yet. Please note that the reason you cannot remove your card information is because we are a subscription service. You cannot remove a card while you have an active ongoing subscription. We do not recommend trying to cancel a service by removing your card, as most credit card companies automatically update your card information for any reoccurring charges. Please keep in mind that we have an option to self cancel via your Account Settings: https://help.backstage.com/hc/en-us/articles/217060146-Cancellation-Refunds. If for whatever reason you cannot or do not wish to do so, we will respond to your request once we get to your email. Please feel free to reach out to us at customers@backstage.com if you have any other questions!
Dr is was great a processing a refund. Fast and efficient. They even sent me a reminder to email them again so they can pay me back. Great example of customer service.
Hi Viktoria, we're glad to hear that you had a good experience with our Customer Support team! Please feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.
As a producer rather than an actor, this website used to be amazing until recently.
Customer service WILL NOT respond to you. If they send you an email asking something, they'll pretend that they never saw your response. It seems like a big mess, where multiple people are sending you emails, but they never go back and read the whole conversation.
If you're someone looking to cast people for a job, Backstage is not the site to use.
Hi Jimmy, I'm sorry to hear that you've had an unpleasant experience using Backstage. We're disappointed to hear that you did not hear back from our Customer Support team, as we pride ourselves on answering emails within 48 hours - even with a busy workload. Can you email us again at customers@backstage.com with the subject line 'Sitejabber' so we can investigate further and resolve this issue for you?
The Best Experience! My Son Worked in so many films thanks to Backstage it's so easy to navigate and apply for jobs.
Hi Iris, we're so happy to hear that your son booked so many jobs through Backstage. Please feel free to reach out to us at customers@backstage.com so we can help your son be considered for the next #IGotCast feature in our magazine :)
I put in a request and Backstage got back to me with in 3-5 days. I was able to get my query sorted within one email.
Thank you!
Hi Madison, thank you for your kind review! :)
You can count on the staff at Backstage to answer your questions as best they can. They are very helpful, and will go out of their way to find solutions to your problems.
Thank you for your kind review! :)
Used to be the IT newspaper back then... then technology hit online! BS Has really gone downhill... it's change of easy access to replies and self tapes etc, changed over night recently and befuddled me and as a more mature actor not raised on technology find it difficult to navigate and send in video reels and reply etc. now. Also they disregard your filter info... still getting casting notices that no way remotely apply to me... And in other states I don't have access to unless they provide the travel costs. Do like the National listing that include transportation. The magazine is boring and of no help to me. Big Yawn! Probably won't renew my subscription when it ends. Actors Access is the way to go and much less expensive... Backstage... you should list a customer service photo # instead of chat... Human to human is much more effective... like theater and you should know that! Get your act together to help more mature actors feel comfortable and operate with you data bank.
Thumbs Totally Down.
Hi Sandford,
We're happy to hear that you are one of our original customers from back when Backstage was only a trade newspaper in the 1960's. Like you, we've also had to adapt and expand our services to match our current times, which includes opening a new online platform which is the new standard for casting. We understand it's difficult to navigate a brand new platform and learn how to use all of the new features. In order to help those that are a little more technologically challenged, we created a thorough step by step guide in our Help Center that you are welcome to peruse here: https://backstage.zendesk.com/hc/en-us. Please note that we do in fact have a phone number where you can reach us, 917-725-6367. Since we are a small team and we handle a large volume of emails, live chats, and voicemail at the same time, we do not have a live call center. You can however, always request a phone call and provide a good time frame for when a representative can reach you, and we'd be happy to help! Please feel free to reach out to us directly via email at customers@backstage.com if you have any other questions. Thanks for providing your valuable feedback and remaining a loyal customer of Backstage for all of these years!
If I'm already paying to join the website to get jobs, why the $#*! do you get a 10% cut of anything I make? You're not my $#*!ing agent. Talk about double-dipping, sheesh.
To be fair, there were lots of job opportunities. But again I'm paying to use the website, why do you take a cut out of my earnings.
Hi Jacob, please note the service fee is 2.5%, not 10%. This service fee is only for direct payments via Backstage, and it is used to cover payment improvements and the transaction costs. Casting directors have the option to cover this fee for talent, as well. This feature is optional, so you can always request to be paid through a different method by discussing it directly with the casting director. If you have any other questions or concerns, please email us at customers@backstage.com!
I was receiving daily email for roles for me, but they weren't. I sent an email to support and the rep asked me to send an email. So, I first decided to go to the selection area and found two filters that I had not built. I deleted them and set up mine and now I believe that I will receive the information I need to see.
Hi Ron, we're happy to hear that you were able to resolve the issue on your end. Please always feel free to reach out if you have any other questions or need further assistance!
I used backstage for one month. After the first few weeks of paid membership, I decided not to continue with backstage. When I went to my account to cancel my subscription/membership, I was shocked to find that there was no easy way to cancel, and I need to contact them directly. This typically wouldn't be too cumbersome, if you weren't at their mercy on whether they respond to your email or even acknowledge it's existence. I never recieved a response, and they never canceled my membership after I initially requested. They continued to charge my card for the next couple months. When I notice on my bank statement, I locked my card so I wouldn't get charged anymore, and again requested through theor contact form for them to cancel my membership and this time refund the money they took that they shouldn't have been taking for the past couple months. We will see if they respond to this email, or if they honor the refund for the money they took. But in the mean time, I highly suggest against paying for membership, since they clearly make it near impossible to shut of renewal, and they continue to take your money even after requesting they cancel your auto renewal. They should offer an easy option on the profiles to cancel subscription, but clearly they want to make it difficult, and still take your money. This is theft, and fraudulent use of my debit card information. They also don't allow you to delete your card details on their website either. So absolutely no way to prevent them from stealing money.
Hi Jaclyn, I'm sorry to hear that you were having trouble cancelling your subscription. Based on your screenshot, you were not able to self cancel as your payment had failed and the subscription was in a 'dunning' status. Our billing system allows you to maintain your subscription even if the payment has failed, giving you a grace period for which you can pay shortly after the renewal date if you have insufficient funds and are waiting for a paycheck, etc. Those subscriptions can only be cancelled by a Backstage admin, as we need to override our automatic billing system. As my colleague David mentioned in his email to you last week, we did not receive any emails from you prior to the one sent on Thursday, August 18,2022. If you can provide proof that you've sent us an email prior to this date, we'd be happy to investigate further. If not, unfortunately our policy still stands: monthly subscriptions are nonrefundable per the Terms of Service you agreed to.
Here's my Honest review no fluff no exaggerations. While the concept of the site is wonderful. It is poorly executed with a terrible design/interphase. I will say the backstage is great if you want to get Spam for everything but professional gigs. I won't even get into the Spam emails that are sent out x100 times a day. I have been on the site off and on for 8 years I have YET to land a single professional gig. What backstage west needs is a Rehaul and new management. Once they improve the site I am sure casting professional will use it more
Hi Davis, thank you for your feedback. I'm sorry to hear that you've yet to land a job through Backstage. We hope that with some 1-1 assistance, we can help improve your chances of booking your first job! It sounds like you've created multiple saved searches if you are receiving 100+ emails a day. Please reach out to our Customer Support team at customers@backstage.com so we can assist you with filtering the emails and streamlining your searches.
We signed up with Backstage a while back and decided to post our first project on Backstage. What bothered us about the last step was asking for identification information (name, SSN, ID, etc) because this is the only website that required us to provide information before they could process to post our project. One of our teams provided information and then we received an email from Renata stating they had trouble running a background check which made us feel suspicious. We had to give EVERY details in the email to assure that 2BQPS in general is safe and legitimate. We were asked to re-upload VIA onfido. We went back on Backstage and logged back in and guess what? Our account got suspended right after they collected identification information. We contacted Renata in the same email we communicated with no response and then went on Backstage and used contact us and again with no response. This is definitely a red flag! We have no issue with other casting websites.
Hi there, thank you for sharing your feedback. Backstage requires all creators to go through a background check and full verification for the safety of our users. We always require that creators only upload/share personal information via a secure 3rd party platform which automatically deletes the files once your identity is verified. It looks like in your case, there was an issue with a different name on the ID that was submitted, as well as outstanding questions regarding the nudity requirement for your casting call. We're sorry to hear that it was an unpleasant experience for you, but it is important that we do not rush these processes, especially since the majority of our users are new to the industry and can be privy to scams. I'm seeing that your account has since been verified. We appreciate your feedback and hope you find success casting talent for your project on Backstage.
I emailed Backstage for help on completing my profile and I was pleased to have received a reply so quickly. The customer service was fantastic.
Thank you for your kind review! Please feel free to always reach out if you have any questions at customers@backstage.com :)
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Hi Jasmin, we understand your frustration with the situation and apologize for any confusion. When a customer requests to close their account while they have an active subscription and is not eligible for a refund, representatives are required to ask for a clear confirmation that the customer understands they have leftover time on their subscription and that they understand they will not be able to receive a refund. Since you did not respond clearly, the representative was required to ask again. Due to your initial request for a refund, it was especially imperative that we had documentation of your consent to close your account without a refund. If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us at customers@backstage.com and we'd be happy to help!