When he placed the order, for which he used a giftcard that he already had, he noticed that he didn't get a confirmation email. After a little bit, he checked the gift card balance to find that it had been charged for the game amount, minus tax and shipping. Sometime during our wait, I also received an email which had a pretty good in store offer, and let him know about it and we decided we'd just cancel the online order and go to a physical store and take advantage of that offer. After sometime of not receiving a confirmation email, I started putting calls in to Toys R Us. I was told that our card was on an authorization hold. I'd also like to point out that for some odd reason, they were able to locate my hubby's name, but there was no address associated with his name, nor did there seem to be an email address or phone number, which after me giving it to them, they could not locate an order still.
I wasn't satisfied with the answer of the gift card being tied up for an authorization with no order associated, so I called back, and got a different answer from a different rep. So now I have two different answers, and my dissatisfaction begin to build. A third time brought yet another explanation, so about here i'm feeling like these reps don't know what they're talking about. One of the most annoying things was having to explain the situation over and over again. Couldn't they just associate my complaint with an email address or phone number? I finally asked for a supervisor, and was told that one couldn't be reached and I would receive a call back from one. After not hearing back, I called back in and asked for a supervisor, and after holding for some time, I did get one, who also gave me bad information, which was that the funds should be returned back in 2 business days at the latest. Since it would be a holiday weekend, that meant I would have to wait until Tuesday for the money to be back on our card.
Tuesday came, and when I called in to check the balance, it was still $0. Why were they doing this to me. It really started to feel personal, though I knew it couldn't have been. I did express my frustration and disgust, but never in a rude way, because that's just not my style. I made a couple of posts on Twitter and even tagged Toys R Us on Facebook, hoping that they'd reach out to me with answers, but they never did. I mean, the reps were not rude in any way, but in no way did I appreciate the long wait, varying and undependable answers, and nothing moving forward unless I always took the first step.
The money was finally returned last week Thursday... after more than a week of waiting and again after I initiated a call in to their supervisor line yet again for something to be done. This was THE WORST customer service experience I recall having from a company EVER and I NEVER intend to go through the ToysRUs.com site to place an order. I did hear that the online department and the physical stores are two separate entities, so if I can't find what I want in stores, i'll take my business to someone I can count on.
:/ I've been through similar situations with VTech and ATT--just to name a few :( I can tell you, though, that *allegedly* TRU contracts their customer service work and that it's mostly not a physical dept, like you were told. That's what causes the different answers and call backs. I'm glad that you got your refund, finally. I don't understand why they had to authorize a gift card, though, but whatever. I've looked at their site a million times, but always end up buying from another online site, because I'm scared of situations like this. I'm glad you shared this, because you're honest, but not harsh. I think we all can appreciate this--including Toys R Us :) xo
ReplyDeleteDaydreaming Realist, it is so true what they say. This was my first time ordering from ToysRUs.com and they've left a bad taste in my mouth. I've lost all faith in them.
DeleteI completely understand. No one has time for the runaround and it really ruins special occasions, too. I'm glad this didn't happen to you at Christmas. I'm sticking to in-store shopping, too. Some companies (customer service) make things too complicated.
Deletethis JUST happened to me on the 13th, ... I'M STILL WAITING!
ReplyDeletewhy in the world, do you need an authorization hold for a GIFT CARD! it makes absolutely no sense. I will not order from them online ever again. With toys r us, I suggest cash only, if you have a gift card, use it in store, it's sad cause a lot of stuff is online only but... it's not worth the hassle. I've even read of people having twice the amount held on their debit cards. TWICE the amount.... just ridiculous.