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, Inc.

  6170 Grand Ave Ste 519 Gurnee, IL 60031-4547

• 

  Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.

  8700 NE Vancouver Mall Dr Ste 132 Vancouver, WA 98662

• 

  Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.

  7700 W. Arrowhead Towne Center Glendale, AZ 85308

• 

  Build a Bear Workshop

  14700 E Indiana Ave Spc 1126 Spokane Vly, WA 99216

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:11/04/2023

  Type:Billing 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.

  My order was placed on 11/3 at approximately 6am. I ordered one item in error.
  In an attempt to rectify this I simply wished to cancel the order before it would ship to my house, in order to avoid extra charges and the hassle of returning a product that was never intended to be purchased. Upon calling to guest services and speaking with two different representatives they both declined a cancellation of my order due to a shipping label already being created. One associate said that I could contact fedex and have them cancel the order on their side. After this I contacted fedex and spoked with an associate named ******* who continued to argue that only the SHIPPER can cancel the order by not using the shipping label that was created. After an hour of back and forth conversation I contact build a bear ONCE AGAIN and they deny that they can cancel my order, saying that since the order has already been placed that there was nothing they could do for me.
  This morning on 11/04 I attempt to contact fedex again, and am connected once more with ******* who now says that despite fedex being in possession of the package that only the shipper can request cancellation and then gives me a number to give to the build a bear customer service agency.
  I give them a call back, and am told that they will contact fedex and attempt to get my order cancelled and that they will attempt to get me a refund for the shipping since I have tried to cancel the order consistently. The associate said that he would update me via email.
  4:07 PM I receive an email stating the same thing as I was told prior. “Unfortunately we were unable to make any changes or modification to your order including cancellation, once an order is placed at www.buildabear.com it cannot be altered.” They also continue on by saying that shipping is non-refundable.
  The nearest build-a-bear is over an hour away from me, which I have explained. With the shipping costs after mailing a return I would be out the refund money.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/13/2023

  ******** order was not able to be cancelled and was delivered on 11/5/23. A full refund was issued to ****** as a goodwill gesture. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/17/2023

  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.

  My full name is **** ***.a physical disability, so they expected me to commute 1 hour to the store and get it fixed myself and spent another 1 hour to get home, I work every single from 9-5.
  
  I was incredibly angry, not only was the bear a gift for my niece who came all the way from China, by the time I received the bear, she was already going to leave the next day AND the bear was damaged and missing clothes. She ended up leaving empty handed and I felt horrible.
  Buildabear offered no sympathy and definitely no worthwhile resolution for a mistake THEY made which I paid 100 dollars for..for a damaged, naked bear. I'm not rich, 100 dollars for a toy is INSANE and I would gladly pay for it if it was perfect but it's not only partial, it came damaged too.
  
  First photo is the damage, second photo is the lack of PJs even though I ordered the bear and the PJs.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/19/2024

  A full refund was issued for ****'s order as an apology and goodwill gesture. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/15/2023

  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.

  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,
  
  ************************uch, you'd think they'd actually send this order out. Nope! They sent an order I placed *after this one out before they even processed this one*. That is absolutely not ok at all. Don't be fooled by the screenshot I provided, Build a Bear's website does *not* display the correct status of the order. Every where else I look says it's still processing. I want either a refund so I can replace the order through PayPal OR (and this is the MOST wanted outcome) they could just SEND THE F*****G BEAR OUT ALREADY! It really, really, really, really, REALLY shouldn't take this to resolve a simple shipping and processing issue. I may never order from their website after this.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/08/2023

  A full refund was processed for Liberty. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/10/2023

  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 placed an order or an item my child wanted badly. The whole reason for the order was for this one particular item. Of course I ordered lots of other stuff. Well, when the box came, it was the wrong order. So I contacted BAB and they said they would replacey original order ASAP but the bear I ordered was no longer available. That was the whole reason for the order. I asked them to find one, call stores, whatever. They just kept saying it was unavailable. I requested that they just cancel the entire order. Now they won't give me my money back until I send this other order back to them! They are essentially holding my refund hostage. I am a disabled veteran so it's a bit more difficult for me to get to the post office. They seem extremely concerned with getting this ugly green thing back but not at all concerned with finding my order or making me happy with this situation. So they have told me they will issue my refund once I ship this other one. Well, where did my order go? This is ALL their fault, I simply placed an order and got major disappointment and upset.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/26/2023

  A full refund was processed for ******'s order and a replacement order was delivered to her as well. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/08/2023

  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.

  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,
  
  ***********************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/08/2023

  We contacted ***** and provided an egift card to offset their store experience. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/30/2023

  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.

  Hello i am contacting build a bear because i have recently ordered 2 orders and they were supposed to arrive around a week apart but i did not recieve the ***** ***** order #W5627740 and the Kuromi order #W5644603 Has nothing included with the bundle i had order , only recieved the sleeper and not the kuromi build a bear or the little friend it was supposed to come with , I am basically left with nothing and the picture for the first order tracking just shows a tracking label there is literally no picture of the location it was dropped off at!! like how am i supposed to know where it was left at if theres no CLEAR PROOF , also my 2nd order did not include anything except the clothes and i am left without $150 from both orders , I hope i can get a refund as these are sold out and i am left with nothing that my niece was supposed to recieve as a gift I am hoping for a resolution as i did not recieve anything and my 2nd order is missing basically everything , Please help as i am left without nothing and spent my hard earned money on these orders //Order number 1 - W5627740 Order number 2 - W5644603 Please help me resolve as i am left with nothing once again

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/08/2023

  A full refund was processed for both of *******'s orders. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/26/2023

  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 bought from Build-A-Bear Workshop through the official website on November 26, 2022. My order was delivered to me on December 6, 2022. I decided that I did not want the item anymore so I returned the brand new item to Build-A-Bear using the provided return label from their website. I returned the item on March 6,2022, which is within the 90 day return policy. I noticed that I had not received my refund yet so I contacted the company sometime in April. The company responded back to me on April 14 promising that they would contact the fulfillment team for an update on my return. A month later they have not issued my refund or even got back to me on my email so I emailed them back on May 18. Build a Bear then said that the return may take up to 4 weeks, but at this point it has been more than 2 months since I sent the item back. They then contacted me back later that day saying that my return couldn’t be processed because it was outside the 90 days of return period. I argued that I sent back the item on March 6, which was 90 days from when I received the order because no where on the build a bear website did it say that returns started on the date of order. Build a bear refused to refund me, and when I asked for my item back they refused to send my item back to me. Build a bear then said they would add 200 points to my account so I can buy back the item but I was never given the points. I tried contacting build a bear and now they are just ignoring my emails. So now build a bear has kept my brand new item that I returned within the 90 day return period and kept the money that I paid. I am out of my money and the item. Build a bear has wasted my time as I spent 5 months trying to either get my money back or the item back. This practice is highly unethical and sketchy, these bears cost cents for the company to make yet build a bear has scammed me out of my money and my item. I am asking build a bear to make this right and refund my money.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/14/2023

  We forwarded a gift card to ******* to offset her return and the expired Certificates that been issued. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/22/2023

  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.

  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  
  
  No apology was provided and there was no follow up on how they are going to improve their customer service experience in the future. While the bear was replaced, that was only 1/3 of the complaints that had been filed. The customer service aspect needs to be addressed and handled. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** ******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/08/2023

  ******* damaged bear was replaced and delivered to her. Thank you

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/13/2023

  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 ordered several items on 9/6/2023, totally $166.91. As of 9/13/2023, my order status is "pending". I have not received any email updates regarding the building or shipping of my items. I've tried contacting the company via email and phone, but no one could give me an answer as to when my order will ship out. The email told me they were reaching out to "appropriate department" and still waiting to hear back, and on the phone I was advised to wait another full week and call back if nothing changes, at which point they will apparently look into it again. I would just like my order shipped timely to my home, please. I don't want the items to sell out before I am able to get them!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/08/2023

  ******'s delivery of her order was complete and she received her order. Thank you!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/12/2023

  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.

  Complaint resolved nicely by company.  Thank you.ad been on phone over 22 minutes. I gave up and left the order cancelled.Since the I have taken criticism from the others in the household about being more aggressive in complaining. Very frustrated by whole transaction. Over the years we have purchased 60 to 70 items from this company online and in stores.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/02/2023

  We provided a gift card to replace ******************* order including the shipping. Thank you!