Problems with Build-a-Bear's website?

[Lucky_Ladybug]

BAB sent me one of those awesome $10 off coupons for being a great customer, but it expires tomorrow and I don't know if I'm going to be able to get in to use it. I considered using it online to get Muffins, but I also wanted to use the remainder of a gift card I have, and I'd still have to use some money from my bank account too. And haven't several members here had horrible trouble trying to use both a gift card and a debit card for the same order on the BAB website? I definitely remember Majesty having a lot of woes with the website.

[Sunset]

I got one of those, too.  But I couldn't get it to work on the ponies.  Probably because they are on sale right now.

[HoustonCollector72]

BAB sent me one of those awesome $10 off coupons for being a great customer, but it expires tomorrow and I don't know if I'm going to be able to get in to use it. I considered using it online to get Muffins, but I also wanted to use the remainder of a gift card I have, and I'd still have to use some money from my bank account too. And haven't several members here had horrible trouble trying to use both a gift card and a debit card for the same order on the BAB website? I definitely remember Majesty having a lot of woes with the website.

  If you call them they can place your order for you and apply all the discounts
their website sometimes often messes up  for me as well.

[Lucky_Ladybug]

Thanks, guys. I ended up trying to order Muffins and yeah, I couldn't get my coupon to apply because of the Pony-specific deal that's going on. Sigh. My coupon is better, so I opted not to get Muffins right now. I don't imagine they would allow both discounts to be applied even if I called, since it says the coupon can't be combined with others. Still hoping to get to the store today....

[Lucky_Ladybug]

Um.... So I ended up ordering Saturday night because I couldn't get into the store and I didn't want to waste the coupon. I checked just now to see what the order status is and now suddenly it's not listed in my order history?! It tells me I have no orders?! The money is still pending transfer from the bank.... Is this normal for the Build-a-Bear website to remove orders from the order history? Could it mean the order has shipped? Is there a glitch? Is my money going to be returned for some weird reason?

[Ponyfan]

My orders disappear from the BAB website usually right before they are shipped. Then they show back up. It is a little frightening though and makes you wonder what's happing with your order.


Ponyfan

[Lucky_Ladybug]

That's what I hoped might be the case. Thanks!

[Lucky_Ladybug]

Sorry to post once again, but I am such a novice with buying from Build-a-Bear's website and I am super confused again.

So my money stopped pending transfer ... and is now sitting back in my checking account, not seeming to be moving anywhere at all. Um ... what?! I'd think they cancelled my order if not for the fact that it has supposedly shipped.... Supposedly because it spent TWO DAYS floating around Grove City, Ohio and it just finally moved to Iowa tonight! How will I ever get it by the estimated date?! **headdesk.** I'm frustrated that they say it will take a week anyway. When I had to pay $6 for shipping, I kind of hoped it would deliver faster than Amazon's free shipping times!

So ... has anyone experienced the money not changing hands when ordering from them? I just don't know what to make of this at all. I need to use some money for something else, but I don't know whether that particular money is still spoken for and if something will go wrong if I use some of it while waiting for my other money to reach my bank account from PayPal. (Also, how quickly do you receive your orders?)

[Noxxbunny]

I can't speak for the money issue(other than this seems to very commonly happen with BaB) but as for their shipping speed...

They are the worst! I actively try to avoid ordering with them online simply because of their awful choice in shipping service. I try very hard to avoid any company that uses Fedex Smartpost because they always take like 2 weeks to deliver to me. If I paid $12 to just USPS...they'd have my order on my doorstep in 2 or 3 days. Really no excuse for 2+ weeks. Consistently. My advice when people order from BaB is to order well in advance if you need it for a specific event or time because it can be very slow. But for regular shipping prices, of course! 

I have heard good things about their customer service phone line though. You may want to give them a call asking about your order and what's going on with the payment.

[Lucky_Ladybug]

That is very strange that a lot of people have money issues with the orders. Ugh. I'd probably better call them.

Yeah, I doubt I ever would have ordered online if it hadn't been that I couldn't bear to waste a $10 coupon. Sigh. I am definitely going to try to ensure that I don't have to do this again, unless of course I'm buying a web exclusive....

Does FedEx deliver to the door, or do they turn it over to the post office once they arrive?

[Noxxbunny]

The post office will finish the delivery. To my understanding, that's part of why it takes so long. They have to switch Fedex's info over to USPS' and it's apparently a pain. Along with Smartpost apparently being considered low to lowest priority for both carriers.

I hope their customer service can sort it all out for you. I love my BaB ponies and I think they're great...but boy do I not love the online service.

[Lucky_Ladybug]

Ugh. Normally handing off to the post office doesn't take long. I dread to find out how long FedEx will make it take. I wonder if I should plan to go into the post office after they get it and try to pick it up there. A friend of mine does that with packages sometimes....

(Smartpost seems to be about the most ridiculous name for the service. Snailpost would be more like it. **headdesk.**)

Thanks! I hope so too. And I won't be in the least surprised if she'll arrive understuffed, in spite of my instructions. Do they come with birth certificates when ordering online? If not, I was thinking of taking her into the store after I get her and getting one made up. Also, I sure hope they come in proper mailing boxes and aren't just floating around in those BAB boxes with window holes.... Gah.

[Noxxbunny]

(Totally agree on the name...first time this happened, I was immediately thinking "Oh, I see they renamed snail mail )

Shockingly, they've been really good with the stuffing, so I wouldn't worry too much. AJ is my least stuffed, but I would consider her "just right". And I didn't give any instructions at all for the stuffing level. and DJ were also stuffed well. My DJ is maybe a teensy bit overstuffed in her hooves, but they can fix that for you in the store.

As for the birth certificates, they come with them if you instruct it online. When ordering, there's a space in the cart that's underneath each plush that lets you fill out the certificate info(I think it says "Name me" or something similar. Then that takes you to it.). but as far as I know, you can totally do it in-store too for a plush you bought online.

And no worries about the box, they put the BaB house inside of a plain cardboard box. So they're not exposed or anything.

[Kiwi]

Yes, you can take them into the store to get a proper birth certificate done up. The ones in the box are blank for you to write on.

I'd be thrilled with only $6 for shipping and a week. To Canada it's 3 weeks and $30.

[Lucky_Ladybug]

Thanks for all the info, you two!

Yikes. I am definitely glad I don't have to deal with those shipping times and prices. I can barely stand to pay anything for shipping at all; I don't know how I'd deal with paying $30!