Whirli Reviews 960

TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

4.6

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Review summary

Based on reviews, created with AI

Reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers appreciate the company's concept, highlighting the excellent range of toys that are always clean and in great condition. People find it particularly helpful for keeping children engaged and offering the chance to test toys before committing to a purchase. Consumers also value the service for reducing clutter and waste by borrowing toys instead of buying them. The company's service and product are highly praised. Reviewers consistently mention quick deliveries and returns, along with a very good selection of toys that are well-packaged. The customer service team is also commended for their responsiveness and helpfulness. The flexibility of the plans, allowing upgrades or downgrades as needed, is another aspect that consumers appreciate.

Based on these reviews

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I love Whirli! It's so convenient to swap toys and try new things for the kids.

Company replied

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

It’s great for my child to try lots of different toys without having to buy them. Sometimes we keep them for a few months and sometimes we even buy. Mostly however my daughter enjoys playing for a few... See more

Company replied

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Started using Whirli when my daughter was 6 months old and absolutely love it. It’s just perfect for parents who want their kids to experience different toys and don’t want to constantly buy and give... See more

Company replied

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

I love the idea of this and it should work really well but the website is so irritating to use. It’s not optimised for mobile (or much better on desktop), when you add filters and then view an item an... See more

Company replied


Company details

  1. Toy shop

Written by the company

Whirli, The Smart, Sustainable Way to Enjoy Toys - At Whirli, we believe in making playtime exciting, affordable, and waste-free. With our flexible toy subscription service, families can choose from over 1,000 of the latest toys, books, bikes, puzzles and games, musical instruments, outdoors and travel, and baby equipment, all carefully selected from trusted brands. The best part? Everything is delivered straight to your door – and when you're ready for something new, simply swap your items, and we’ll collect them from your home. No hassle, no clutter, just endless fun for your little ones. Why buy toys that only get used for a short time when you can enjoy a constantly refreshed toy box? At Whirli, you’re in control – pick the toys your child loves, let them play for as long as they like, then swap them whenever they’re ready for a change. Whether it’s a baby bouncer for a newborn, a balance bike for a toddler, or the latest educational games, we have something for every stage of childhood. Not only does Whirli help parents save money, but it also reduces plastic waste and supports a circular economy, making playtime more sustainable. Loved by thousands of families across the UK, Whirli is the smarter, greener way to keep kids entertained. Join our growing community today at www.whirli.com and experience a better way to play!


Contact info

4.6

Excellent

TrustScore 4.5 out of 5

960 reviews

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Hasn’t replied to negative reviews

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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent customer service.

Excellent customer service. I used Whirli in the past, and have continued to use and support their business after the new ownership. Their customer service is excellent and any issue I have ever had, they have gone above and beyond to fix it. I am a loyal customer and truly believe that the people who work there do their best which I really appreciate!

3 January 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

No storage issues

I love that I can return toys, especially if my daughter doesn't end up playing with them, it's a great way to try lots of different toys and not have to worry about long term storage, especially the larger toys that we can return and rent again at a later date.
Postage can get expensive but when you think about the toys you'd end up buying, you still save a lot of money.

9 June 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great service and toys

Subscribed last minute on the 22nd as a Christmas gift from my mum and they upgraded out delivery so that it arrived the next day in time for Christmas. Really pleased with all the gifts. Some new and some used but all in near immaculate condition. I'd recommend this to friends and family and we're looking forward to using it throughout the year.

23 December 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Love the idea

Love the idea for reducing waste and keeping my baby entertained. There was an issue setting up my account but this was resolved that evening and my items were dispatched very quickly. They are all clean and in good working order, I’m really happy with the service.

16 December 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Extortionate postage costs not worth it

The cost of posting each time you place and return an order is ridiculous on top of the already increased cost of the subscription.

I haven't exchanged the toys in over 3 months due to the extortionate additional costs of £11 something each time for return of toys and postage of new toys.

The costs of postage weren't mentioned at sign up and further the option to sign up to booster which includes postage was pulled after new management.

Purchased a 160 token package for 6 months..only exchanged toys a handful of times due to cost and can't wait for it to end.

19 December 2022
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Toys from Whirl are always in great…

Toys from Whirl are always in great condition and very clean. It’s an excellent scheme to reduce waste and also is great in terms of your child’s development. You can change toys as soon as you see them outgrowing something. Only down side is that sometimes they don’t have a toy you would like to rent, however you can email and ask if it can be made available. But overall, brilliant!

19 December 2022
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

No customer service

The concept is very good and I was looking forward to using it, however the customer service is inexistente…
My plan should give me 160 tokens (tokens is the balance you have to pick your toys) and it only gave me 40… I’ve contacted them using the form in their website and no response. I’ve then tried the email address also listed on their website and nothing. Complete silence. Very unprofessional.

1 November 2022
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great to have this service back

Great to have this service back. Baby boy super happy with so many new toys. Delivery was v quick, toys in v good condition. Price for delivery is up, as long that is the fair price and keeps them in business all good.

24 August 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

The end of Whirli. Gone even worst with new owners

I was excited when Whirli returned after their administration. I lost the previous subscription which was supposed to run until the end of August, which wasn’t as bad as other customers who paid for a whole year (see other comments). The new owners offer 20% off for resubscribing, brings the new pricing down to the same as before. I thought, ok why not, after 6 months we can stop if we’re not happy.
At check out, I was at awe seeing the postage cost: ~£11 for posting and returning! And that was the cheapest option. It’s gone double! How does that even makes sense? Increasing both subscription cost and postage cost, whilst the toy selection remains the same with nothing more exciting or interesting? We have been with Whirli for 1.5 years so we’ve played with lots of their toys!

I requested a cancel and refund, they simply responded 2 days later asking why? Still unsure if this is going to be processed anytime soon and if I will get my money back.

It’s really the end for Whirli.

P.S: all their emails and communications about their come back so far was poorly written. Tons of typos. Poor tone of voice. While they are reusing almost everything previous owners have built on Customer care and the website, it isn’t hard to spot what is actually new and they write it themselves. A very different degree of professionalism.

3 August 2022
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Some hiccups around administration

My kids and I absolutely loved Whirli and it was very sad when they went into administration. I chose to buy the toys we had as they offered me a fair price and subtracted the cost of unused months of subscription (I understand that wasn't the same for everyone).

This week I resubscribed under the new owners and found that the toys I'd bought were all still showing as borrowed. My first email to customer services didn't get a response but my second one was thankfully dealt with in 20 minutes and the issue has now been fixed.

I've updated my review to reflect this, and I'll update again when I see what the service is like under the new owners.

2 August 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

NOT TO BE TRUSTED.

NOT TO BE TRUSTED.

The new owners say they "did not inherit the former companies liabilities" (namely, the annual subscriptions we have already paid for) but they also claim that our liabilities (namely, to return the toys we have under our old subscriptions) have been inherited and the toys are to be returned to the new owners or purchased from them.

You can't have your cake and eat it. Either all previous obligations should continue or none. Not just the obligations that benefit the new owners.

It's a real shame that this great business is being so badly let down by the new owners.

Why would anyone who has lost their subscription pay for it again at twice the price? When the new owners could fold the business at any moment and simply abandon these obligations.

Given their unfair treatment of existing customers, this seems by far the most likely outcome so don't trust them with your money.

2 August 2022
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Screwed over by once great company

I loved this company, but the way the administration has been handled has been extremely poor. I paid for a year membership, which was stopped by them after 6 months. They did not offer any way of claiming a refund. Now they have been saved, but my membership is not being reinstated and they have the cheek to offer me 20% off if I sign up again - despite the fact I still have 6 months left that I've already paid for.

I thought signing up for whirli would be a good way to save money on toys, but it has actually just meant I've wasted a load of money at a time when funds are already extremely tight.

1 August 2022
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I'm very sad that they've gone into…

I'm very sad that they've gone into administration as it was a service my toddler and I enjoyed. They've sent emails out telling us what the administrators believe we "owe" to keep our toys, which appears to be a miscalculation based on adminstrators hope to claw in money even when not due. Not clear on them returning money to people whove paid but not recieved toys. If only someone would bail them out and turn the company around as it a great concept and easy to use site.

19 May 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant company

This company is simply amazing at what they do. After I had issues with toys not getting delivered to me due to courier, they sorted it out with speed and efficiency, ordering me the toys again with express delivery and recalling back the ones that were stuck at some depot place. The toys are great, sending them back and ordering new ones is easy and I cannot fault Whirli's service. They are just brilliant!

15 May 2022
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Administration

I loved Whirli, so did our little one. They’ve now gone into administration and are not handling the situation well. They are limiting communications between the community and not letting people cancel plans etc. A group has been made on Facebook for the community that need support as they have frozen the company run one and deleted the social medias. The community group on Facebook is called “irlihw users”.

12 May 2022
Unprompted review

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