Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Hot Topic, Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Hot Topic, Inc.

  18305 San Jose Ave City of Industry, CA 91748-1237

• 

  Hot Topic, Inc.

  100 Sunrise Mall Massapequa, NY 11758

• 

  Hot Topic

  4330 Blackhorse Pike Mays Landing, NJ 08330

• 

  Hot Topic, Inc.

  11700 Princeton Pike Unit B217 Cincinnati, OH 45246-2538

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  Torrid

  2028 Florence Mall Florence, KY 41042

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/18/2022

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Order# ************ Yet again, never ending problems with this company..did ship to store since after their countless failures fulfilling my orders, my order places 10-6-22 has not moved or progressed to be shipped to the store. This is ridiculous to take so much time and your chat reps as usual lie provide different answers. I was "told" it was shipped to store 10-11 but it's been a week and not one email showing it was shipped or ready.. my order status still shows in process. What's the problem now and why do you never offer to ship to peoples homes for free when you fail constantly with this ship to store nonsense
  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/22/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/27) */
  The customer reached out on 10/18 to check the status of her order. At that point, the order had just shipped to the store on 10/11. We have confirmed with the store that the order ************ is now ready for pickup
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/11/02) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  For order************* which I was supposed to pick up with my other pickup order yesterday was the WRONG item and the. Ashier had to cancel it. These are one of the countless mistakes and issues I have to endure with this company . Shipping should be free as if I hadn't had the other order, I would've drove 50 miles roku trip with ridiculous gas prices for the wrong item . I ordered the girl with the umbrella and got and old fat guy one when they opened the package

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/17/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This is regarding an order from ******** (owned by Hot Topic). I received an online order that contained two items damaged due to no packaging material. Also, the ******** "cash" promotional slip that was EARNED from spending the qualifying amount on the order had the code cut off due to the fact they printed it on a narrow label instead of a sheet of paper. Chatted w a rep & they would only refund one of the damaged items (but let me keep it, wow) and said they wouldn't do anything about the coupon code. When telling them it was fraudulent due to the fact their promotion was to encourage spending certain amounts to earn the discount, he said "have a nice day" and ended the chat. Horrible customer service and not even willing to fix something THEY are clearly responsible for.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/29/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/27) */
  The customer reached out through chat and ********. We are happy to see the issue was resolved with our social team.
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (3000, 8, 2022/11/02) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  The case has NOT been fully resolved despite what is claimed here. They gave a partial refund for the other damaged item but have yet to provide a replacement code for the code they messed up (value of $30).
  
  
  Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2022/11/09) */
  Customer contacted a week ago via ******** and was given a replacement code by our social team. If the customer did not receive the code, he can call or email Customer Service for a new code

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/14/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I ordered a package that was "lost" in the mail. I contacted the company and they assured me it would be redelivered because they FAILED TO PUT MY APARTMENT NUMBER ON SHIPPING LABEL. They told me that it would be shipped again with the proper address. My package says it was delivered by ups and I never received my package. Again. This is infuriating that it happened twice. I was home all day when they said it was redelivered. There was absolutely no notice given either. I reached out to the business and never heard back from them, but I received an email from hot topic saying I spoke to a representative and to rate the call, which never took place! I never received a call or email back from the company.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/16/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/27) */
  Hi ********,
  
  We have processed the refund back to your original form of payment. The expected amount to be refunded is $59.85 and your refund number is *********.
  
  Your refund will be complete within 5-7 business days depending on your financial institution. Please remember, your refund is issued for the amount paid after any discount you received on the merchandise.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/10/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  09/22/202270.79They told me to reorder the items and they were going to give me a discount.They did not try to solve the problem at all I gave them 5-7 days to give my my package just to get told that I have to wait another week to get a refund Order: *************
  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/01/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/17) */
  We apologize for any confusion. We do see the interactions with the customer and one of our agents. The customer was provided with the correct information. The ************* failed in our system, and payment was never charged. The customer did use a third-party payment, ApplePay, any pending holds would be removed by them.
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/10/17) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  I spoken to dozens of customer representatives to have this issue solved they all told me the order failed and that I was going to get a refund I never got it refunded to me causing me to call the business again asking for a refund then getting told that I have to call my bank because the "refund went through" but it want on my card and I wasn't going to call back and forth to see where my money is at
  
  
  Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/10/27) */
  We apologize for any confusion. The customer reached out to Customer Service and was advised that ************* failed in our system. Payment was never charged, therefore no refund would be processed. The customer did use a third-party payment, ApplePay, any pending holds would be removed by them. The customer can reach out to ApplePay customer service at ************ or via their online support https://support.apple.com/apple-pay
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2022/10/28) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  The payment did go through when I payed the 70 dollars 24-hours later I went back to see what I ordered and it wasn't on the page anymore prompting me to see where my package went talking to more than two people about my package and the refund you also asked me if I would like store credits or a refund so the payment was accepted then failed but when I asked for a refund I couldn't get it now I have to call Apple for something that's a month old I already contacted them and they said they can't do anything because its on Box lunch to send out a refund I can call my bank to dispute the problem if your not going to take affect

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/09/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I placed an order on 10/9/22. I needed to cancel it. I contacted customer service immediately--within about ten minutes of ordering and asked to cancel. I was told that the order was "processing" and I needed to contact back in 2-3 hours for them to "check if the order could be canceled." I did so. When I contacted back, I was told "too late, the system does not allow us to cancel, bring the order to a store upon receipt for refund." This was within mere hours of ordering. I am disabled and getting to the store is a hardship. When pressed, the CSR rep said something about orders being processed in 24-48 hours--again, this was less than 6 hours after I pressed the button and on a Sunday. This is CLEARLY an internal policy designed to make it difficult for customers to cancel orders and return them. They refused to escalate my complaint to a supervisor, I asked at least 5x. Scam to make returns hard in order to keep customer's money. I am out cash I need now, because they made it impossible to cancel. They should be warning, "ORDERS CANNOT BE CANCELED" on the site and at checkout, so customers are warned to think twice, or they should modify this policy.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/16/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/10/26) */
  We apologize for any confusion. Your order has been refunded, keep the items for the inconvenience.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/04/2022

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I placed an order for a purse for my wife on June 11th, total price of $96.21. The item was in backorder, but was to be instock and shipped by August 27th. I have sent multiple emails to the email address listed in the order confirmation email. I still have not received the purse I ordered nor have I been given a refund.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/16/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 13, 2022/10/26) */
  We do apologize for any confusion. The item in the order is a pre-sale. Presale is the ability to order an item that is not yet available for sale/not in stock. This usually happens with specialty or limited edition items that will be available in the coming months. At the time of adding the item to your cart, you will see an expected shipping date which will give you an idea of when the item will be available.
  
  Unfortunately, there are times when an expected shipping date gets pushed back causing a delay in when you receive your item. If you purchased an item that is affected by a setback, you will be informed of any changes by email. Many times these delays are out of Hot Topic's control and can happen for a variety of reasons including vendor production, inventory arrival, or overall item availability.
  
  The customer has the option to cancel, if they wish to longer wait.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/15/2022

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Probably the worst company I've ever dealt with. Presale items are never fulfilled , always cancelled and then I see they're available again to preorder and wasn't informed, horrible inventory issues, had in stock items get cancelled, and now I have an order placed a week ago, ship to store that hasn't even moved. Chat Customer service is the slowest and worst I've ever seen, they take forever to respond never do anything of use. Also refuses to provide me a manager when asked. Wanting the item shipped to my home instead for all the past problems (before it sells out and my order gets cancelled like many others) very disappointing how much time I've wasted trying to order from this once well reputable company.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/05/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/09/21) */
  Presale is the ability to order an item that is not yet available for sale/not in stock. This usually happens with specialty or limited edition items that will be available in the coming months. At the time of adding the item to your cart, you will see an expected shipping date which will give you an idea of when the item will be available.
  
  Unfortunately, there are times when an expected shipping date gets pushed back causing a delay in when you receive your item. If you purchased an item that is affected by a setback, you will be informed of any changes by email. Many times these delays are out of Hot Topic's control and can happen for a variety of reasons including vendor production, inventory arrival, or overall item availability.
  
  We apologize you have been having a bad experience and we have sent your feedback over to our HQ web team. Our customer service team has no control over system issues, however, we pass on any issues and try to appease the customer the best they can. We are happy to say your order ************ has shipped to the store and once arrived, you will see a ready for pick up email.
  
  We thank you for your patience, kindness and understanding.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/08/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On June 9, 2022, I purchased a t-shirt that was a preorder only item. My card was charged and processed for $34.95. The tshirt shipped on September 3,2022, and on this date my card was charged AGAIN, for $34.76 this time. As of today September 8, 2022 the item is missing, and **** states they have no package nor do they have any information for any packages incoming to my address.
  September 3, I sent an email to Hot Topic to question why I had been charged twice in two different amounts for the same item. I recieved no response as of September 8. On September 4, I sent a second email with the same information and received no response as of Sept 8. On Sept 5, I sent a third email, Sept 8, still no response. On Sept 6, I logged into Hot Topic**** and chose their chat option. After waiting for a rep for over 45 minutes, I was rudely greeted by a lady. I told her what I needed, and after some time she came back and her reaponse was that a transaction occured Sept 3. Which, I had already told her had occurred but I needed to know why a charge was ALSO made on June 9th. The chat disconnected. I attempted one more time to access the chat, and this time I was denied all access. I sent a 4th email after this on the same day (sept 6), and received no response as of Sept 8.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/26/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/09/14) */
  We apologize for any confusion. Presale is the ability to order an item that is not yet available for sale/not in stock. This usually happens with specialty or limited edition items that will be available in the coming months. At the time of adding the item to your cart, you will see an expected shipping date which will give you an idea of when the item will be available.
  
  Unfortunately, there are times when an expected shipping date gets pushed back causing a delay in when you receive your item. If you purchased an item that is affected by a setback, you will be informed of any changes by email. Many times these delays are out of Hot Topic's control and can happen for a variety of reasons including vendor production, inventory arrival, or overall item availability.
  
  You can place an order using a debit card, credit card, or gift card. We will seek bank authorization (a hold on your card) for the price of the presale item(s) purchased the day the order is submitted. You will receive an email confirmation once you place your order, but your credit card will not be charged until your order has shipped.
  
  Reviewing your order ************, Your final charge was on 9/2 $34.76. Any pending holds in our system will fall off, however, depending on your banking institution the pending will need to be removed manually. At this time, reaching out to your bank with assistance in removing any pending holds is best practise. We will update your calling card.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/06/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Hot Topic,
  
  I've been shopping at your stores for a bit over 20 years now and generally always had a good experience. *********** I have started shopping at the stores more regularly as the product lines increase, and has some really nice experiences with associates, but unfortunately the last experience was a bit of a mess.
  
  We spent about $250 across 3 days, picking up t-shirts, pins, accessories and jewelry. The associate was nice, but as soon as we got home.. it looks like every single thing we bought was on sale for 30% less online. That's about $75 we overpaid by shopping in store. With it being so high, and immediately after, I wanted to see what could be done. I called the ****************** hot topic and spoke with "****" who couldn't be any less respectful. Phone rings, she answers "Hot topic, let me place you on a hold" which ended up being about 3-5 minutes, she came back and I asked "we just bought a bunch of stuff at the store today, it looks like the online price is 30% less on everything. Is there any way to get a refund or credit for the difference?" And the answer.. "No. We don't do that" with an attitude. No problem.. "can I return the stuff for a refund and just repurchase online then?".. and the answer? "Um.. no. You can't do that"
  
  So here I am now. It's such an awful experience on top of a disappointment. Overpaying and then getting rejected when trying to make it right?
  
  If anything can be done, like a credit for the difference, we would be more than happy. This was a set of birthday gifts for my wife and unfortunately the experience was a bit.. negative. Which is a shame because the products and experience are otherwise a lot of fun.
  
  I made all purchases ********************* in store: ********************************** over 2-3 different trips.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/07/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/09/14) */
  Hello*****. We apologize for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find any online purchasing history with your information. Our in store operations are separate from our online store. However, we did call the store/s you mentioned in your claim. Any in-store purchase can be adjusted within 30 days of purchasing or returned, unused for a full refund. You are welcome to return to the store, with receipts, for assistance. Store credit can only be issued by our store. We have created a calling card for you if you wish to call our customer service team for more clarification.
  
  
  Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/09/14) */
  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  I feel that the business response is unacceptable. The store insists that they cannot "adjust" a purchase as stated in the response from Hot Topic. They originally stated that they will not honor online prices and that I could NOT return my in-store purchase and order online. Since that was over a week ago, we have used the merchandise and it can no longer be returned.
  
  Overall, this leaves a very negative impression of the company that they do not stand behind their products or prices. I do not accept the response provided by the business.
  
  
  Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/09/26) */
  Your case resolution was store credit. We attempted a resolution the best we could without having access to store operations. Your case reaches our HQ and a phone call was made on your behalf, we spoke with the store manager, who advised on allowing an adjustment on the sale price. However, with no visibility on the receipt, we aren't able to see if this is now passed our Return/exchange time frame.
  Your calling card is still set up for you and we have left notes on how to assist you when you call our customer service team. We have left options on free shipping, and 30% off an online order with us. Call us at your earliest convenience.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/03/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  After accepting an order I paid for, this business modified/changed the items within the order without asking me first or my permission. Once I was told (not asked) about the changes, I wanted to cancel the entire order as the only item left in my order was a small add-on that I would have to pay full shipping for. The order has not been marked as shipped but the customer service refuses to cancel and refund the entire order.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/26/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/09/09) */
  Unfortunately in attempting to fulfill your order ************, we have found that we currently don't have inventory available for SKU ******** & Mushroom With Knife T-Shirt By Fairy drop and regret to inform you it has been canceled from your purchase. You have not been charged for the canceled item(s) at this time- you will only see an updated charge for the items we were able to successfully ship to you.
  However, since you request the full order be canceled, we have refunded you both in our system and in ******. Please feel free to keep Fairy Crystal Hair Clips that have been shipped.
  For future reference, our agents do not modify or change a customer's order, once the customer presses submit, our Warehouse team processes in a timely manner. However, our website, like most, is not live and will sometimes allow a customers to still add an item to their order, to find it canceled later. We apologize for any inconvenience. Below is your ****** transaction number. Any issues with payment you may provide them that number to further assist.
  
  Transaction ID: *****************