BJ’s members boycott and head to Sam’s Club after chain charges them $55 without permission – but it’s their policy

A MEMBER of BJ's Club said they would never shop there again after they were charged $55 without authorizing the charge.

He said he would take his business to Sam's Club after BJ's automatically renewed his membership without permission.

Rod Manges explained the situation in a post on BJ's Wholesale Club Facebook page.

He said he had only shopped at the store two or three times over a year and was never notified about renewing his membership.

"They had nothing to offer me, so I was just going to let it run out," he wrote.

Then he saw his PayPal account was charged $55 for another year of membership even though he "didn't authorize" it.

"They know they suck because they already have a customer complaints line set up to handle complaints to get refunded, which won’t happen for seven to 10 days," he wrote.

"Do yourself a favor and go to Sam's Club."

Rod said he was going to call BJ's and ask for a refund, but he wasn't the only one who had this issue.

"I was also renewed without permission. I just had to go to BJ's and surrender my card, and they canceled it on the spot and refunded me. No problem," commented one person.

Another shopper said members can turn off auto-renewal in the app and avoid these automatic charges.

"You just weren't paying attention," they joked.

SHOPPER SURPRISE

Rod might be taking his business to Sam's Club, but many members are ditching that store, too, after a recent policy change.

Starting next month, Sam's will charge a flat-rate $8 shipping fee on orders less than $50.

Currently, Sam’s Club Plus members get free shipping on all online orders.

The change goes into effect on August 19, but shoppers are already saying they'll cancel their memberships because of it.

"Sam's Club, you state that you ‘highly value’ our memberships but if that were true, you would not be eliminating free shipping - why ALL of us upgraded to Plus,” wrote one member on X.

“Living more than an hours from a club, I’m struggling to see the value of being a member."

Membership and store cards on offer from major retailers

Here is a breakdown of the store cards on offer to customers from various retailers and their benefits

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Costco:

• Gold Star Membership: $60 per year, shop all Costco stores and online with two additional cards for your household.
• Executive Membership: $120 per year, annual 2% reward, additional discounts and benefits on Costco services, shop online and in-store, and get two additional cards for household use.
• Sign up for a Costco Membership here

Sam's Club:

• Club Membership: $50 per year, bonus offers, same-day delivery, instant savings, Sam's Club Mastercard, members-only fuel savings, tire and battery center, complimentary membership, and add-on memberships.
• Plus Membership: $110 per year, all benefits of Club membership plus Sam's Cash, free shipping, free curbside pickup, early shopping, and pharmacy and optical savings.
• Sign up for Sam's Club Membership here

Target:

Walmart:

"I will be switching to a Costco membership. You have messed up this time, Sam's Club!" another shopper commented.

Sam's Club told The U.S. Sun that it is also removing fees on certain items as part of this delivery change.

"With this change, we are providing members with access to different ways of shopping, making it easier for them to get the products they want, when and how they want them – all designed to help them get more value from their membership,” a spokesperson said.

Customers heading to Costco should note that the company is increasing its membership fees for the first time in seven years.

Shoppers argued that Costco is far behind Sam's Club when it comes to one membership perk.