I spoke with Stephanie and was able to have my questions and concerns resolved with ease. While I enjoyed my Backstage subscription, I would suggest finding a way to verify certain casting calls/notices. I have encountered a few illegitimate Backstage invites.
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.
I had a positive experience with Backstage. It was a lot for me to sift through to find the jobs I wanted but I met some awesome people through it. It was definitely a good start to launch me into the world.
Gotten some decent paying gigs on this site, Very prompt when it comes to contacting the client, used it for about a year, wasn't a bad experience at all, got projects from the South east market up to New york
I got more auditions than I have had in recent past. The only growth statement I would make is there was one audition I had at Hollywood casting on Santa monice street that contacted me later and attempted to illicit funds from me in order to procure auditions
Backstage has an easy to use layout to build your portfolio. An easy to navigate website. Unfortunately it's a pay to use website, if it was free, I would use it further than just the free trial. Pay to use is the only thing preventing all 5 stars.
While great customer service encompasses a chat/telephone call, I'm not that satisfied to not have received the end-of-the-year offer. I was told, "Sorry, but, it's for first-time subscribers only." WTF. I am a first-time subscriber. So, in essence, the customer was not really taken care of at the highest level of customer service!
Danny was very helpful and everything was solved in a quick manner. Will use your service again very soon. Best customer service i have experienced. More compnys need to learn from backstage and danny
Hello Matthew, we're glad to hear you were so happy with your service. We'll always be here when you need us, feel free to reach out at any time.
I think that Backstage is awesome!
If this was really your career choice, it offers a lot of details what an actor needs to do to get the job. I just think that I need to put a lot of work on my own than just putting a headshot.
Backstage has tricky ways of making sure they take your money monthly. I never set my account to auto renewal and all of sudden when I canceled my account it got set to auto renewal. Made no sense. I hadn't used the site in over a year and they told me try don't give refunds on monthly charges.
Hello KP,
Thanks for reaching out. All of the subscriptions on Backstage are set to renew automatically to grant you continual access, as stated in the terms you agreed to when you purchased. You can manage this within your account settings at any time. Monthly subscriptions are nonrefundable per our Terms of Service. If you have any further questions please feel free to reach out to our support team.
Best, Anna
I was EXTREMELY frustrated and upset about problems I was having with the website, trying to submit for acting roles. Also frustrated by not having a help contact number to talk to a real person.
The person on the chat line was kind enough to personally call me at my request, as it appeared to be a complicated issue. She helped me, though I still have reservations about the same problems reoccurring with the system, through no fault of my own. The problems seems to be with a 'pop-up' which appears to paid subscribers after they hit the 'Apply" icon for the role. This then very often blocks entry to the rest of the profile for the submission process. The pop-up is designed to block non-subscribers, but it often blocks all the paid subscribers also.
At any rate, Stephanie was very polite and patient with me, and knowledgeable. She stayed with me until the system began working for me again. I appreciate her. She should be commended. Thank you. George Harvey Dabling, Actor
I signed up for a year subscription and I applied for about everything possible. Anyone who contacted me back, either for an audition or an extra roll, always canceled last minute which isn't backstages fault but when I contacted customer service to let them know that I was getting absolutely no use out of the website and wanted a partial refund (because I know they do monthly plans for people) they absolutely refused to give me a dime back and said that they sent an email prior to my renewal which is hilarious because I never had a renewal in the first place as this is my first time signing up for backstage so not only does their customer service not know wtf they're talking about but it looks like I'll have this worthless subscription for a whole year (first, only, and last year). I will never be coming back to this website again and I am unfortunately out $100. Thanks Backstage!
Hello Nicole, thanks for your feedback. We're sorry you had a negative experience with us. Upon sign up, our terms of service state that we're an automatically renewing subscription service, similar to Netflix, gym memberships, and self-storage companies as a few examples. Per our terms of service, you can contact us to cancel at any time and you're eligible for a complete refund if you contact us within 10 days of the payment. Once again, we're sorry to here about your negative experience, but we wish you the best in your acting career.
My wife decided to try site for one month and she called number supposed to be customer service but no one answers and they tell you they will email you in 2 days--thet never did but took money out of my account for four months even though we didnt use it and requested cancelation--they robbed me for 80 dollars and i will sue them if need be them tryst me --im so pissed--you are a fool if you ever use this company
Have renewed my subscription 02/2022 after having cancelled it at the beginning of the pandemic. As a SAG-AFTRA member I am given a discount and the staff of Backstage assisted me via their Chat option in order to apply it. They were knowledgeable, professional, efficient and pleasant to deal with. I feel these attributes are a VERY important aspect of any company I do business with. The product they offer happens to be invaluable to me as well: casting calls, production information, education, and general news of The Biz. Thank you, Clara, David L. And Backstage for continuing to provide actors a great product and great people to deal with.
Doesn't "ficore" rate inclusion as well? The oh-so-prominent "transgender" option really makes the case on its own - we all get it - you are open-minded, tolerant and inclusive. But us "ficores" are not on the list. That's tough. When they filter for "non-union" my profile doesn't come up. Nice. If I list as non-union I'll be passed up on the union searches. Nice again and the transgender community is very grateful. Got it.
Seem to be TOTALLY biased in favour of their ' talent '... over those who are offering their talent work... are not willing to mediate at ALL when disagreements /accusations happen
Hi Richard! Unfortunately, I am not able to provide much advice without more details on your specific situation. Please email us at customers@backstage.com if you have concerns about your Backstage account.
I love backstage! I've been casted in so many roles, and every time I've contacted customer support, they've been so amazing and helpful. It's not that pricey, and trust me when I say it lets you audition for SO many things. It took me a long time to convince my mom to let me get it, but it is so worth it. If you're parents are reluctant, show them this review. This site is amazing, I am not being paid to write this, I'm just writing this on my own time because of how amazing it is. Get it, get it, get it!
I was having an issue with my profile and changing my location settings. It seemed to have been a problem with my account and the team from backstage ansered my email within 2 days and instantly fixed and changed my location.
A good resource for actors to find services and casting calls, especially for non-AEA. As always, exercise caution and find out legitimacy of services offered. Wish it wasn't so pricey to subscribe to.
I just realized I was still being billed for a Backstage.com subscription I thought I canceled 2 months ago.
You can turn off Auto-renew, but your subscription apparently remains active.
The final cancellation page seems to be designed to be misleading. After you choose "Turn Off Auto-Renew" in your Payments, you go to a screen with 2 buttons: One is bright blue and says "Wait, I want to keep my subscription!" and the other is grey-- it looks greyed out, as though it has already been clicked by default. This the "Turn off auto-renew" option.
EVEN AFTER YOU TURN OFF AUTO-RENEW, Your account is still active. You apparently have to call or write a support ticket which they say in the Terms, but isn't apparent when you stop your auto-renew.
This is likely why so many people think they have canceled and are surprised to find charges showing up on their credit cards.
Hi DB,
Thanks for your feedback! Please note that 'turning off the auto renewal' is the same as cancelling your subscription as it is simply preventing the subscription from renewing and charging you again. You still have full remaining access for the term you paid for, which is why your subscription is still "active". After the subscription expires, it will switch to "Expired". If you successfully self cancelled, you do not need to contact Customer Support. If you (or any other customer) is having trouble cancelling, you can always contact us directly for assistance! Best, Stephanie
Overview
Backstage has a rating of 2.6 stars from 291 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers dissatisfied with Backstage most frequently mention credit card, free trial and last year. Backstage ranks 3rd among Talent Agency sites.
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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!