Albee Baby — Local services in New York

Extremely Disappointing Experience - Save Yourself the Headache

I strongly advise against shopping at Albee Baby after our frustrating experience. The store made a pricing mistake which they acknowledged, but then refused to honor their quoted price for items we had already paid for. We were forced to handle the returns ourselves because the experience was so negative that we wanted nothing more to do with them.

The customer service was particularly disappointing for a baby store, where you'd expect a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The staff showed no enthusiasm or positivity - not a single smile or sign of genuine interest in helping customers.

What makes this even worse is that as first-time grandparents, we were about to purchase everything from scratch - cribs, strollers, car seats, and countless other essentials. Any experienced retailer should know that new grandparents (and their kids) are potentially lifetime customers who need to continuously buy items as their grandchildren grow. By refusing to make things right, they've lost not just one sale, but years of future purchases.

In an era where online shopping is increasingly convenient, you'd expect a brick-and-mortar store to go above and beyond to earn customer loyalty, especially when all they had to do was correct their own mistake. Instead, they seemed completely unconcerned about losing business to competitors.

After this ordeal, we went to a competitor and found everything we needed in just 10 minutes - at even better prices! Albee Baby's poor business decisions not only cost them our sale but also all future business from our network of friends. They had to absorb shipping and restocking costs, plus lost the opportunity to build a lasting relationship with customers who will regularly shop for baby items.

As someone who frequently shares recommendations, we feel compelled to warn others. There are better options available with more reliable service and pricing. Don't waste your time here - save yourself the stress and shop elsewhere.

Pros: None worth mentioning

Cons: Refuse to honor their quoted prices Poor customer service Higher prices than competitors No understanding of lifetime...

Albee Baby is a great place to find all your needs when welcoming a baby. It’s packed with every little detail you could think of. Located right on Amsterdam and 95th, such a convenient location for anyone on the UWS. A diamond in the rough, as it’s one of a kind in the surrounding area.

They carry just about everything to be a location I would recommend. However, from a service standpoint, improvement is needed. The manager at this location is Peter Roberge is a red flag in that store. He lacks professionalism and customer service. His demeanor when servicing the public is rather condescending, talking down to customers as if we were wasting his time. I personally felt his tone but also witnessed it several times as I continued to shop with them. Peter’s negative and rude attitude was definitely something I shouldn't have paid to experienced.

One of my items for instance was delayed for about one month. Rather than receiving a call from him updating me on the status. I had to reach out Peter to follow up on the item. Rather than coming up with a solution oriented action plan or being apologetic for that matter, he blatantly and rudely suggested me to buy it from another store. Not only was this solution not what I wanted to hear from someone that manages the boutique, he proved once more that he clearly has no interest in building or retaining customer relationships.

On the other hand, the rest of his team constantly gave me great service. Isidro, Carmen, Tanya and Katy are amazing! They are truly the reason why I continued shopping there. Perhaps Peter should have a touch base with his employees so they can help him improve or be reminded of what exceptional customer service in a brick and mortar store should feel like for a paying customer.

If you plan on making a trip down to Albee Baby and you want a the ultimate shopping experience, followed by exceptional service. Save yourself a headache and talk to anyone other than...

Update - I ended up buying my stroller and later my bassinet attachment to the stroller online and had a very positive experience. Delivery was fast and all items arrived in good condition. I initially had an issue with my stroller not folding as easily as in the store and contacted their customer service who was very helpful. I didn’t need any replacements so can’t speak to that. Now that I am 3 months postpartum I can honestly say that the opportunity to trial various strollers in the store with all the guidance I received was very helpful. I find the stroller meets all the needs I had in mind and I would never had considered this specific stroller had I not tried it out in the store! Lastly, I love their point system, since points can be attached to future purchases. Really happy to have this store in our neighborhood!

I haven’t actually bought anything here, so I can’t speak to that experience. I did want to leave a positive review for the stellar customer service I received while stroller browsing. I wanted to explore different stroller options and this store had many popular brands like the UppaBaby, Buggaboo, Nuna, and Peg Perego (forgive brand name typos if any, it’s still all too much information to process with first baby on the way). The gentleman who assisted me was very patient, knowledgeable and helpful! He let me try various strollers, taught me how to fold/unfold each (showed me and then gave me feedback when I tried), and explained the differences between each stroller, types of stroller, and car seat attachments. He didn’t try to push my to buy anything, just answered my questions and supported me in my inquiries and trials. I didn’t catch the name of this person, which is unfortunate , but he demonstrated stellar customer service! I will be back again with my husband later this week, so I will update this review if I catch his name then! Thank you for all the help...