Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. - Corporate Office — Local services in St. Louis

Difficult customer service experience.

I ordered a gift online to be shipped to me, and I ordered the special blue gift box. The order came and the box was damaged. I contacted customer service about the issue. They said they would be happy to send me another replacement. It arrived a few days later and was damaged worse than the first one. It was folded along the sides of the box instead of the creases.

I then contacted them again with pictures and said that I wanted a refund and asked to go pick up a box at no cost for my inconvenience (the gift box is $3). The closest store to me is in a mall (which I detest going to) that is 20-25 minutes away. I told them all of this and they said that I could have one or the other but not both. And their apology was nothing but lip service.

I gave them every chance to make it right, and they refused.

To see just how bad the damage was, I've posted pictures of both boxes I was sent.

And this was their final response to me:

"We are always listening to our Guests and are happy to pass along your request to the appropriate department for consideration."

Edit for resolution: After making an additional request, which was for a refund and the basic box (since it is a sturdier item), via email, they denied that as well and only refunded me without addressing the other request. I contacted them via email again asking about the box and they said no. I called the customer service line and explained the situation and asked for some sort of a customer service resolution. They offered to refund my shipping costs, which I accepted. I've updated the star rating to 3 because one should not have to go through all of that just to get a resolution for a small item...

My story:

Our 37-year old daughter, Jennifer passed away unexpectedly on Sept 1, 2019. Though she had no children of her own, she surrounded her nieces and nephews with such great love. When she passed, my grandchildren were devastated.

While her body was waiting to donate her organs for transplant, the hospital staff was so kind as to get a Doppler recording of her final heartbeats. It was then that I decided to purchase bears from Build-a-Bear with the recording boxes so that the children could find comfort in hearing her heartbeat. I am naming each bear "Aunt Jenny Bear".

I purchased the bear carcasses online and am currently awaiting their arrival. We will be going into the local BAB workshop to have them stuffed and have the voice recorder boxes receive her heartbeat recording and be implanted into the bears.

I received an email coupon for 25% off all online orders, so decided to order the voice boxes online, then go to the local store to have the bears stuffed and the boxes recorded with her heartbeat.

I found that I could not order the voice recorder boxes online without ordering more bears. Distraught, I contacted Amie at corporate.

Amie was so kind and assisted me in this issue. She was extremely patient listening to my tearful story and understood exactly why I needed what I needed. Within 15 minutes, she had taken care of the issue. We then discussed the idea of a critter (maybe even a Shar Pei dog - she adored her two Shar Peis) made especially to give to donor families in their time of need. I don't know what the outcome will be, but hoping something will come of it. Amie, you're amazing, and I thank you for listening and responding so...

I spent 7 years working passionately for build a bear and I have never experienced worst customer service until I called their corporate call center to add my points for my bonus club account after spending over $300. I messaged them on their live chat and also called them and they failed to let me know my bonus club account was employee still even tho I haven’t worked for Build a Bear Workshop since 12/2020 and I made online purchases from 06/2022-11/2022. I finally made a new account and called them gave them my order numbers like 4 times and they still didn’t add them to my new bonus club account. They ended up giving me 3 $10 certificates over a month of trying to get them to correct this out of Guest Satisfaction and not from my actual purchases. I’m not sorry for saying this but if this is the way the call center operates then obviously the company only cares about the money otherwise they would have implemented better training for their call center staff. The stores are very nice and amazing but Corporate shifts their focus entirely on business and profit and it feels like they don’t stop to think that Guests are the reason they are in business like any other business. 1...