Complaints

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

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Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has 123 locations, listed below.

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  Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.

  415 S 18th St Ste 102 Saint Louis, MO 63103-2269

  
• 

  Build-A-Bear Workshop

  24 Willie Mays Plaza San Francisco, CA 94107

• 

  Build-A-Bear Workshop

  1248 Broadway Plaza Walnut Creek, CA 94596

• 

  Build-A-Bear, Inc.

  228 Park City Center Lancaster, PA 17601

• 

  Build-A-Bear, Inc.

  2300 East Lincoln Highway Langhorne, PA 19047

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:03/20/2023

  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.

  I have had enough with this company’s bonus club system! Their customer service is beyond DISRESPECTFUL and will NOT help you. They will give you sarcastic answer and make you think you don’t know what you’re talking about! I have spent so much money on this company and I don’t deserve the treatment I get from their USELESS customer service representatives. My points from their bonus club are continuously being taken out and being manipulated manually and instead of me getting the $10 voucher everytime I spend $100, I am not being able to receive it and would have to reach out and fight for them to give me the points back. They have issued me a voucher that doesn’t even work one time. I have reached out to their online chat but agents are RUDE, SARCASTIC and disrespectful! I’ve had enough. I’ve never had this experience in store. But online is just a different level of UGLY customer service. If they won’t honor their bonus club rules then just take down that program instead of trying to cheat customers. Not only that, I have ordered online before and NEVER received my package. I was even told “since you don’t want to ask your neighbors if they have it, then I’ll just refund you”. What kind of answer is that??? You know how weird it is to be knocking on doors and asking if they received my package? Especially on neighbors I’m not really close with. I try to avoid ordering online from this company because of this reason! But some of their items are only being sold online and my daughter requests for me to buy it for her. I just need an answer on why are my points being taken out manually and also I would like for them to investigate these rude online representatives on how they treat customers!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/22/2023

  We have had many conversations with ***** regarding her account. We were also able to clarify for ***** that there is a small delay in issuing Certificates after the points are deducted from the account to create the Certificates. After a thorough review, we were able to see that her account has correctly counted her points and issued the correct number of Certificates. We also issued a $10 Rewards Certificate to ***** as a goodwill gesture. Thank you!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/22/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  There was no $10 voucher given! Yet again, another lie. 
  
  
  Sincerely,
  ***** ******** ****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/03/2023

  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.

  On December 20, 2022, my daughter and I visited the Build a Bear store (#***) at the ********* **** ***** **** **** ******* in Indianapolis, Indiana. As the holidays were approaching, my plan was to purchase two “memory” bears for my adult siblings. Our mother (a professional singer) had passed away suddenly, and my desire was to purchase two bears and then insert a recording of our mother singing. From previous experience with your store, I knew that the ”Personalized Record Your Voice Message” insert only allowed for 20 seconds of recorded material. My plan was to purchase the bears and then add my own two-hour recording insert that I purchased on ******. I knew this would be frowned upon by your employees, but it was my only option since your insert was not what I needed. When we entered the store, we were greeted warmly and began looking at the bears. We picked out the ones we wanted and began to explain the situation above to the employee. She was very sympathetic and said that this was not allowed, but they could leave the stitching open so we could add the recordable insert outside of the store. That was perfectly fine with me and so we moved to the filling station with our bears. This employee, too, was very understanding and said she could leave a small opening. At this point, I was feeling really good about your store. With the upcoming holidays, I had been feeling very melancholy about my mother’s death, and the idea of having a bear with her songs playing was beginning to lift my spirits. In addition, we had received wonderful guest service from store employees ******, ******, and ******. It was so obvious that they cared, and that meant the world to me. As we stood in line to pay for our bears, we observed **** working at the register. She was not smiling and was being a bit rude to the people paying for their beloved animal(s) with their excited children in tow. There was another employee also working the register and I prayed we would get her and not ****. But, as luck would have it, we became ****’s next victims. **** immediately noticed that the stitching on the bears was not closed. I told her the story of how my mother had passed away suddenly and that these bears were going to be Christmas presents for my siblings. I explained to her that the recording device your store sold only recorded 20 seconds and that I had purchased two-hour recordable inserts to add outside of the store. She immediately went into fight mode and showed ZERO SYMPATHY. She rudely explained that the bears could not leave the store without being closed. I completely understood but she began to get snarky with me. She grabbed the bears off the counter and took them to the filling station. She then proceeded to angrily remove every piece of stuffing from each bear. She threw the bears forcefully down as she finished each one. This process took over 15 minutes (really… to remove stuffing?) and became quite a show in front of the other guests. When she finally walked back to the register, my daughter and I were talking about the rest of our shopping trip and what we had left to buy. She abruptly blurted out “What are you whispering about?”. I told her we were not whispering but planning the rest of our day at the mall. She asked again what we were whispering about and I told her that it was really none of her business. At that point she became increasingly verbally aggressive and went on to say how rude we were to her and that we should never have expected anyone to help us in the way described in the previous paragraphs. At this point, I became furious and told her that she was severely lacking in guest service skills and that the entire time we were in line, she did not smile one time. I also explained to her that I was a letter writer and that I would be sure to report this incident. She rudely gloated that she had been working there for several years with never a complaint. I told her that I found that hard to believe, based on our experience. We paid for the bears and left that Build a Bear store… forever. As long as she is an employee, I will never step foot in that store again. Examining the situation today, I understand she was doing her job and following store policy. I get that. But what I will never condone is how she treated us. As a former cast member at Walt Disney World in Florida, I understand guest service better than most people and her service was abhorrent and shameful. I never gave those two bears to my siblings for Christmas. As a matter of fact, they are still in the bag just as they left the store. I was so exasperated by this experience that the magic of giving a memory bear to my siblings vanished. Maybe I will gift them next year, but I doubt it. The experience with **** truly dampened my spirit. Honestly, this was the worst example of guest service I have ever experienced.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/30/2023

  We left a voice mail message for ***** and are waiting to hear back from her. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/02/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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 January 21 & 22 I was charged for 5 different orders that Buildabear said never were processed and failed and cancelled. I have contacted Buildbear many times for refund and are assured I would be refunded. As March 2 I not received my refund.The amounts are $15.09, $61.19, $45.37, $27.43 and another amount $27.43.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/23/2023

  We were able to resolve ****'s concerns about the order charges and provide documentation for her. We also sent her a gift card as an accommodation and goodwill gesture. Thank you!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/24/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/23/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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.

  Hello!My order number is W5012837. Was placed 02/19/2023 Thats what I ordered:* Egg **** - Includes 12 Plastic Eggs, 4 Mini Plush & 8 Mini ******************** Items * Online Exclusive Tie-Dye Bunny Easter Basket * Online Exclusive Bunny Slap Bracelet * Online Exclusive Bunny Scrunchie * Pawlette bunny * Bunny Skirt Set Thats what I got - Pawlette bunny with scent inside and already dressed in pj with a little bow.And what is really weird the birth certificate for Pawlette bunny is correct, on my daughters name!I contacted customer service. They want me to print and fill out a return form and send them back the wrong outfit and bow. They told me that will send me a new package, but without Pawlette bunny.And I asked them twice if they were going to replace it, because we ordered bunny without scent, and that one we got has a scent. But I didn't get a response, they just ignore me.So I have two questions:1. Can I get my order exactly how I ordered it? I paid almost $80 and I want to get what I paid for! I ordered bunny without any scent! And I dont need Pawlette with scent! But, Im afraid that they will not replaced it, so I will get my new order without it. 2. Why should I waste my personal time fixing someone else's mistake? After all, the company is not going to pay me for the fact that I will do their job! They want me to print and fill out a return form, go to the post office, stand in line and send them a package. Just because they sent me completely the wrong order!Thats how I see the solution to this problem: the company sends me my order (absolutely everything I ordered, including the Pawlette bunny WITHOUT scent). I receive the order, immediately check it and give the courier the wrong order, that they ship previously.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/23/2023

  At her request, *****'s total order was replaced for her. Thank you!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/24/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/08/2023

  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 have had this problem in two seperate occasions with order ******** and ********. I tried ordering a large bunny stuffed animal for my girlfriend and they took the money out of my gift card. Sent me an order confirmation for an order never even placed. So i then had to go on to their phone service and call 5 different times. The first time they sent me a gift card to replace it which I then used to try and order again so her gift came before Valentine’s Day. Then it did the same exact thing and when I attempted to go back again to get my gift card reinstated they proceeded to tell me I would get it to only wait 3 days and have it never arrive. Now I have no Valentine’s Day gift even after dropping $125 and I still don’t have any of my money that I spent. I spend a good $1500 a year just at build a bear and they have made me never want to come back now.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/23/2023

  ******'s gift cards were replaced, and a new order was sent and delivered. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/06/2023

  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 spent two weeks trying to access reward vouchers. On Feb 3rd I attempted to use them, and their online ordering kept telling me to proceed with checkout. I never made the purchase but had to sign on to PayPal during the process. I did not complete the order, and left the page before confirming my order, because the discount was not showing up. I was told to place the order by phone, but the agent couldn’t do that. ( and I had to wait for a very long time on the phone) I was then told to place the order and they would refund the amount of the vouchers in a few days when the item shipped. I was not comfortable with this and did not place an order. However, a pending charge was placed on my checking account on Friday. After several chats and emails (there is no way to contact a supervisor after hours) I was told to wait 5 business days to get the money back. I never placed the order, but I was told there was nothing I could do to get my money back. Neither PayPal or build a bear has record of my order, yet they put a pending charge on my checking account and took out over $50. Including weekends it may take up to 10 days to get this money back! Meanwhile, I was put at risk of being charged an insufficient funds fee from my bank. I have spent several hours on the phone, in chats, and finally eventually over email, all over $20 in vouchers that I was unable to use. Build a bear took money out of my bank account without my permission and without placing an order because their check out system placed a “pending hold” as soon as I logged into my PayPal account. There is no warning this may happen, and I never made the purchase. I am very frustrated and angry because my family collected build a bears and now I can’t even look at my collection without becoming upset over the hours I have spent over the past weeks trying to place an order, only for money to be fraudulently taken out of my account with no recourse or help besides “just wait” from customer support.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/23/2023

  We're very sorry about *****'s order difficulties. We have communicated with her frequently to resolve any issues. Any authorization holds were not charged on the failed orders, so no refunds were needed. The difficulty with the vouchers was resolved and they were able to be applied to *****'s order. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/28/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  Build a bear workshop has been aggressively sending emails about 25% discounts for their "Pokémon" stuffed animals. Yet not offering any discounts on actual Pokémon affiliated items. Just a bear with a shirt that has a very small Pikachu on it. I wouldn't even be irritated if my email wasn't getting spammed every day by it. I've been waiting for a deal to come about so I can buy my girlfriend a gift.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/02/2023

  We contacted ***** about the discount and sent him a gift card to offset the discount for his purchase. Thank you!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/02/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  I was in contact with someone from build a bear, who said they would email me a gift card, I never received an email from them
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *****

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/03/2023

  The gift card for ***** had an incorrect email address and was resent to him. Thank you!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/07/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I believe its been sent to the wrong email again, the correct email is ***********************
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *****

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/24/2023

  I have not received it yet

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/04/2023

  We noticed there was an error in the email address for the gift card and resent the gift card to *****. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/16/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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 purchased some items from Build A Bear's website. My order # is W4819910. It was shipped through ***** Smartpost tracking # ********************. ***** marked it delivered and it wasn't. I contacted BAB and they sent a pic from *****, the picture showed my package at someone else's home. I explained that to **** and they said to file a claim. I tried, but it said the company has to file the claim. When I told BABW they started going on and on about how the address on file (my address) I'd incorrect and that's why it wasn't delivered there. So now they just keep giving me the run around and are ignoring me. I'm not sure how this is so difficult because I've never had a problem like this. There is nothing wrong woth my address, ***** just delivered it to some random person's house. BABW needs to file a claim.Also, I'm adding screenshots of the emails. Instead of one person helping me others keep chiming in being repetitive. So they're clearly not paying attention to what I'm saying. The picture is of the package delivered to the wrong house. I've made numerous orders from **** and it's all gone to this address or my PO Box. The last several have been at my house that's listed on file.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/17/2023

  A replacement order was placed with expedited shipping for *******'s mis-delivered order. Thank you!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/18/2023

  A rep from **** messaged me and said they would replace my order. She was very professional and took care of things without issue.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/29/2022

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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 enrolled in Build a ***************** As part of the enrollment, they said I was to have Free Shipping on my next offer. However, the company did not state that this was only valid for one day. After trying to make a purchase and finding out there was no free shipping, I contacted the company about the issue. They were very nasty and refused to assist me. I have attached the misleading advertisement.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/17/2023

  We provided a full refund for *******'s shipping. Thank you!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/19/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/20/2022

  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 christmas for my wife and daughter. I was immediately charged, yet have not recovered an email,nor a confirmation or anything of the sorts. It was also not delivered when it said it was going to be as I hoped. Charged for absolutely nothing because I do not even have a confirmation or order number to go off of. Stealing money during the holidays ????

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/17/2023

  The order placed by ***** failed in the system. ***** was not charged for the failed order. Thank you!