HearthSong

Full review
I have had very positive experiences in the past with HearthSong, and I am especially pleased with the types of products they offer. However, their service this Christmas has been horrific.

I ordered a number of items on December 15 with a free 2 day shipping offer. Several days after that, I received emails from them offering upgrades to overnight shipping--one of those "it's not too late to order" things.

Apparently, even December 15 was too late. I started calling on December 21 when my packages hadn't arrived. On the first day, they told me my order had been processed, but the warehouse was backed up in posting the tracking information, but she was "sure" it had been shipped already. To be on the safe side, I asked her for a free upgrade to overnight shipping, and she said she'd put in a note in my file "just in case" it hadn't gone out.

On December 22, I was told that the website hadn't been updated with shipping info because UPS was having problems issuing tracking numbers, but UPS had called HearthSong to assure them that everything was going out and would be delivered on Saturday, December 23. The rep said "I'm sure it's hard to trust us at this point, but you'll be getting two big boxes tomorrow."

While I'm sure you can guess this, I didn't get the packages on December 23. I called again, and this time the rep told me that my package had been shipped on December 19, but they didn't have a tracking number--all the tracking numbers were held by their corporate office. Of course, he couldn't tell me if it went ground, 2 day shipping, or overnight. But he did say "I can't promise you anything, but I heard that UPS is out delivering on Sunday."

My Christmas gifts did not arrive in time for the holiday, and I have no idea when they might arrive. Interestingly, they have not yet charged my credit card, either. Given that is usually done when an order is shipped, I don't believe it has even left the warehouse.

I might order from HearthSong again, if they have a product that is exclusive to them and if I have a month before I need it. Otherwise, forget it.

You really have to wonder about a company when you get such ridiculous stories from customer service reps. I don't think they make up this stuff on their own--what manager is feeding them these lies? And how can they mess with kids at Christmas???

UPDATE: In fact, my order was shipped from HearthSong on December 26, by UPS ground. I received it a couple of days later. On January 17, I received a letter (unsolicited) from HearthSong, apologizing for the late shipment, with a $25 gift certificate. It was a preprinted form letter, so no doubt hundreds/thousands went out. While a nice gesture, I still wouldn't order anything from them during the holiday season until I see at least one season where they have excellent reviews on delivery/order processing. If you go back and look at the epinions reviews, they appear to have established a solid history of being unable to deliver in the crunch periods.