Build-A-Bear Workshop Reviews 345

Something goes severely wrong whenever I place an order from discount codes not being applied (despite showing as such) and being overcharged to not getting reward vouchers. I've not been able to place an order online within the past 6 months without having to involve customer service in some way.

The quality of everything continues to plumet and the prices keep rising, I wish there was something to love about this company but it keeps getting worse.

Just purchased an E-voucher for a friends little boy for his birthday as he is in build a bear now. Had to call customer services up as no email voucher sent.
After talking to the adviser they informed it can take up to 24-48 hours to generate an e-voucher! Needless to say I have cancelled the order and will keep an check on my bank statements to ensure no payment is made. What is the point of an e-voucher if it takes so long to process??

I love build a bear but expensive I put an order through and it was paid and ordered online but didn't come but checked my bank statement saying it was paid but then later money wasn't taken or must refunded me and on top of that I lost vouchers through it and when I rung help line they weren't helpful but I be more careful when ordering on line I also wish you can order certain smells or sounds as you may not able to get in shop or online as I had certain bear bab one witch I found in a second hand shop witch you were still selling in your shops still but couldn't get the smell I wanted as it was only available on line but you needed to buy the bear witch I already had but like I say I just wanted the smell for it

This review is strictly for Corporate offices and online shopping experience.

28 days of a nightmare with this company.

BaB meant for giving friendship and love to people, but guest services did nothing but make this experience horrendous and made me feel horrible. I had placed this order in the middle of November for the Doctor Who bear and requested it be dressed. I received it undressed, shoved in a small box, and clothes wrinkled. Additionally, I paid for the Tardis Gift Box in addition to the bear. However, I did not receive the Tardis Gift Box in this delivery.

For weeks, guest services via email and phone had barely been updating or replying to me, and kept telling me they would send me the box but never did. All of this went on directly up to Christmas.

I have emailed for weeks and have been hung up on, on the phone with Build-A-Bear Workshop guest services, and ignored for days when this is a highly time sensitive issue. I never once yelled or got snippy over the phone. I was told they would send me the gift box and then they never updated me with a tracking number. By the time I finally received an email with the tracking number, I found out they sent it to the completely wrong state. By then, it was only a few days before Christmas. The lack of care to make this happen when it is well within BaB’s ability to overnight or second day air an item especially this late into this back and forth issue is appalling. The fact that the box could have been here on time after all this is beyond upsetting because they messed up again. There is absolutely NO excuse for this to have taken this long and not once did they accept any responsibility for their continuous errors.

I was then told via email guest services that since I was refunded the $5 gift box via their guest services on the phone, that I will not be receiving it at all. This is after I was told on the phone that I WOULD be sent the box in addition to the refund which was compensation for this issue. Also, please note that the tax was not included in this refund so now the company is stealing from me. I even left a message with the corporate customer experience manager, to no reply.

I am baffled, stressed and have cried over this experience. I cannot begin to explain how much BaB made me feel like this is just a joke. I am an autistic adult, who bought this bear for my dad who has given me the best life possible. I wanted to give some magic on Christmas Day. But now, because of the company’s continuous failures and unacceptable service, this was not possible.

At the end of the day, it’s just the box…I am not someone who takes matters to social media or reviews. However, I do when I have had an atrocious and unbelievably rude and inconsiderate experience and hopefully make others aware about this.

If I could leave no stars I would!
This has been by far the worst customer experience I've ever had. Not only did I never receive my items, but the courier service Aramex was appalling—rude, unprofessional, and unreliable, with contradictory information at every turn.
I will never order from this company again, and I will make sure to warn others about this frustrating and stressful experience.
Build a bear sent my item to a the wrong address after providing them with the correct address, neither they nor Aramex took responsibility, I never received the item and the company has not refunded my money.. in fact there is no communication with them, they will not respond.
Please do not buy from this fraudulent company… you will be sorry!

Absolute rubbish. Bought online and chose from the outfits recommended for my ‘friend’. Despite asking for it to be dressed, the outfits were just thrown in the box and are sooooo small, they don’t even fit. Their response was poor and they don’t take any responsibility. Too embarrassed to give it to my grandson for Christmas despite how much it has cost. Wish I could upload a photo of what they’ve sent me……

Thank you sooo much to Bri, Deborah and Mysha for your help, support and care that you showed my daughter yesterday. Your actions showed what a true customer care and experience should be. Wishing you all a merry Xmas and a big thank you!!

Deborah and Bri were excellent in their service as they were polite, kind and calm in how they spoke with and assisted my 5 year old in her first experience at Build A Bear. Very special experience which I'm sure will see us return buying more bears!

Everyone was so nice. Especially Melanie at the Stratford Westfield branch!
She made my daughter’s birthday memorable with some singing and the fact she was so kind. Even stepped in during her break to resolve an issue. What a star! Thank you x

Wanted to buy a build a bear for my great nephew. Because they are expensive I had to buy one without the clothes. I was badgered online to join the VIP club to be notified of deals and special vip things which I did. On showing my friemd the next day what I had bought I find the bear with the clothes has been reduced from £44 to £33 which I would hsve bought had I been informed of the reduction. Therefore don't bother with he VIP and don't bother phoning customer services as they are not interested and follow a sheet of formatted replies. This will be the last build a bear I buy. Expensive and just interested in taking your money

Bought 2 bears with 2 outfits each as gifts for my kids while on holiday for their birthday. The service from the staff was a little lacking considering it used to be an incredible experience 10 years ago.

Price of everything has gone up and quality has gone down. The girl building the bears didn’t say hello to my kids or interact with them then forgot to add a heart or even do a heart ceremony for my 4 year old for her very first bear. The $8 scents don’t even smell so are a waste of money yet I have a bear from 2016 that still has a faint smell.

There should be staff assisting you with your choices and experience the whole way rather than standing behind the counter so I don’t have to constantly explain to my kids how it works.

$289 for 2 bears because the carry bags we were offered were $12 each as well.

Concept is great if you actually had staff willing to execute it properly and had enough stock to accommodate everyone.

I’ve loved build a bear for years and have several in the collection but to look at the difference between the build a bears now and when I got them is shocking!

One of the bears I own is a fennec fox and was quite excited to see it come up again at the local workshop. However, it’s vastly different. When I first started going to build a bear the foxes, dogs, wild animals and cats all look like their counterparts in the real world. That was the whole point of them when I was growing up.

The bears that are coming out now are so manufactured and really take the magic out of the whole experience.

Not to mention the prices going up a lot too! I mean I used to get two bears for twenty pounds. Now you could barely afford one for that price.

Now this isn’t anything against the staff. The last time I was in there they were still very happy to help and cheery which I’m sure kids love. One of my bears had come apart at the seam and they were very happy to sew it back up again.

All in all, I do think build a bear has somewhat gone down on quality and just seem to make bears by the dozen. Not to mention there barely seems to be any variety in the type of bears apart from at Christmas with the reindeers. The bears just seem to be well teddy bears these days with a few other choices here and there.

Do not purchase from them. I placed two orders, never received updates nor tracking number. Contacted customer service, which I waited 1 hour to get to an agent. I was told the order is still processing, whicb is already 3 weeks since I placed my order. Request refund, but they never refunded my money.

Review of Build-A-Bear Workshop Online Services

I placed an order for a bear outfit on November 20, 2024, intending to use it for Black Friday photos for my clients (which is today, November 29). On November 22, I received a tracking notification, which seemed like a positive sign at the time.

Unfortunately, since then, the shipping status has been stuck in limbo. The last update I received, dated November 26, 2024, simply stated, “Manifest Printed.” Despite repeated attempts to contact Build-A-Bear via email and Facebook, I have not received a single response.

Out of frustration, I contacted the courier company directly. They were the only ones who provided any information, confirming that they haven’t even picked up my package yet because Build-A-Bear hasn’t handed it over.

This experience has been extremely disappointing. The lack of communication, delays, and failure to follow through have left me frustrated. I would not recommend ordering from Build-A-Bear. Their service has been unreliable, unresponsive, and unacceptable.

Absolutely poor customer service! Received a faulty product so I sent this back and they have not refunded me and keep telling me to wait with no time frame. Completely unhelpful.

Absolutely disgusted with how I have received bear today well actually Highland cow sent in brown cardboard box which was not even sealed properly great big hole in box no receipt paid £50 and it's not even dressed in outfit just chucked in box a real big down fall from previous orders cow is poor quality too just outraged over all of it!!!!can't contact anyone either!!Will be going to trading standards as you should be SHUT DOWN!!

Brought the wicked bear online the bear is amazing but the way it was sent was horrendous it was in a cardboard box with 1 piece of duck tape

I ordered the snowflake shine stitch for my son with the stitch sounds and pumpkin spice scent. It arrived today half stuffed, no scent and the sound is a personalised one of someone saying hug me, I love you.
Very disappointing from a big child’s brand.

Customer service assistant I have spoken to today was very helpful and fingers crossed our replacement comes correct this time

Appalling party on the shop floor for my daughter, no toilets, asked to go into Liverpool one yet only allowed two adults with 11 children, while public are coming in an out of the shop it just isn’t practical what’s so ever. Few occasions throughout the 1 hour experience we was getting knocked into and near enough squashed and having children aged 5-7years wasn’t practical. Asked the 11 children to pick a bear then said it’s only the ones with the balloons on the tags which they can have a really small selection out of about 30 bears is just ridiculous when staff could already have the the variety of bears to choose from rather than allowing the children to see bears that weren’t in the package especially having a child with ASD/ADHD nothing but stress from start to finish. Just wouldn’t recommend atal even paying at the end was an absolute nightmare it took three members of staff including two managers to work out the right price as they were trying to charge more, they said it was due to the system😂 and even a calculator couldn’t help😫

The money that youse must make surely you could find a bigger store to offer parties and both public visits a value of £308 for 1 hour 11 kids

We visited the Trafford centre branch today. No customer service skills from the two girls on the shop floor from the get go (one of which apparently was a manager)e and my little girl had gone with my parents who wanted to purchase a special bear for my soon to be 2 year olds birthday in December. We picked the bear dressed by it then both my parents recorded a personal message for her to be placed in the bear along with the stuffing etc.
We also took the bear which my parents had bought for my little boy when he was born 5 years ago to get a replacement battery for the recoding they had done for his as it no longer worked!
We had looked online about how this was done and as far as we were aware the little box got sent away,a new battery placed in and then you received it back in full working order! (This is no longer the case,apparently)
My mum and Dad had to record and pay for a new one to be placed in his bear!! Now this was fine as they are obviously around to do this! I asked if we could take the old recorded box home with us so that if we wanted we could try to maybe replace the battery ourselves!
We got told “you cannot take that with you as it’s not in the bear and company policy is that anything that’s bought in that respect has to be placed in the bear!”
Now my argument was
A - that’s ours we’ve already payed for it!
B - what if my parents were no longer around to record such personal message!! Imagine the heart ache been told that you cannot replace the battery!
After many questions and discussions with both girls in the shop (both whom might I add could do with going on some form of customer service education!!)
We then had to have the bear re opened to put the old “none working box” back in just so that we could take it home with us!!!
Absolutely disappointed build a bear!! I will be looking further into contacting someone about this as I just feel really sad for anyone that has had a recording done and now lost that person sadly!!