Build-A-Bear Workshop Reviews 

Thank you sooo much to Bri, Deborah and Mysha for your help, support and care that you showed my daughter yesterday. Your actions showed what a true customer care and experience should be. Wishing you all a merry Xmas and a big thank you!!

Deborah and Bri were excellent in their service as they were polite, kind and calm in how they spoke with and assisted my 5 year old in her first experience at Build A Bear. Very special experience which I'm sure will see us return buying more bears!

Everyone was so nice. Especially Melanie at the Stratford Westfield branch!
She made my daughter’s birthday memorable with some singing and the fact she was so kind. Even stepped in during her break to resolve an issue. What a star! Thank you x

Wanted to buy a build a bear for my great nephew. Because they are expensive I had to buy one without the clothes. I was badgered online to join the VIP club to be notified of deals and special vip things which I did. On showing my friemd the next day what I had bought I find the bear with the clothes has been reduced from £44 to £33 which I would hsve bought had I been informed of the reduction. Therefore don't bother with he VIP and don't bother phoning customer services as they are not interested and follow a sheet of formatted replies. This will be the last build a bear I buy. Expensive and just interested in taking your money

Bought 2 bears with 2 outfits each as gifts for my kids while on holiday for their birthday. The service from the staff was a little lacking considering it used to be an incredible experience 10 years ago.

Price of everything has gone up and quality has gone down. The girl building the bears didn’t say hello to my kids or interact with them then forgot to add a heart or even do a heart ceremony for my 4 year old for her very first bear. The $8 scents don’t even smell so are a waste of money yet I have a bear from 2016 that still has a faint smell.

There should be staff assisting you with your choices and experience the whole way rather than standing behind the counter so I don’t have to constantly explain to my kids how it works.

$289 for 2 bears because the carry bags we were offered were $12 each as well.

Concept is great if you actually had staff willing to execute it properly and had enough stock to accommodate everyone.

I’ve loved build a bear for years and have several in the collection but to look at the difference between the build a bears now and when I got them is shocking!

One of the bears I own is a fennec fox and was quite excited to see it come up again at the local workshop. However, it’s vastly different. When I first started going to build a bear the foxes, dogs, wild animals and cats all look like their counterparts in the real world. That was the whole point of them when I was growing up.

The bears that are coming out now are so manufactured and really take the magic out of the whole experience.

Not to mention the prices going up a lot too! I mean I used to get two bears for twenty pounds. Now you could barely afford one for that price.

Now this isn’t anything against the staff. The last time I was in there they were still very happy to help and cheery which I’m sure kids love. One of my bears had come apart at the seam and they were very happy to sew it back up again.

All in all, I do think build a bear has somewhat gone down on quality and just seem to make bears by the dozen. Not to mention there barely seems to be any variety in the type of bears apart from at Christmas with the reindeers. The bears just seem to be well teddy bears these days with a few other choices here and there.

Do not purchase from them. I placed two orders, never received updates nor tracking number. Contacted customer service, which I waited 1 hour to get to an agent. I was told the order is still processing, whicb is already 3 weeks since I placed my order. Request refund, but they never refunded my money.

Review of Build-A-Bear Workshop Online Services

I placed an order for a bear outfit on November 20, 2024, intending to use it for Black Friday photos for my clients (which is today, November 29). On November 22, I received a tracking notification, which seemed like a positive sign at the time.

Unfortunately, since then, the shipping status has been stuck in limbo. The last update I received, dated November 26, 2024, simply stated, “Manifest Printed.” Despite repeated attempts to contact Build-A-Bear via email and Facebook, I have not received a single response.

Out of frustration, I contacted the courier company directly. They were the only ones who provided any information, confirming that they haven’t even picked up my package yet because Build-A-Bear hasn’t handed it over.

This experience has been extremely disappointing. The lack of communication, delays, and failure to follow through have left me frustrated. I would not recommend ordering from Build-A-Bear. Their service has been unreliable, unresponsive, and unacceptable.

Absolutely poor customer service! Received a faulty product so I sent this back and they have not refunded me and keep telling me to wait with no time frame. Completely unhelpful.

Absolutely disgusted with how I have received bear today well actually Highland cow sent in brown cardboard box which was not even sealed properly great big hole in box no receipt paid £50 and it's not even dressed in outfit just chucked in box a real big down fall from previous orders cow is poor quality too just outraged over all of it!!!!can't contact anyone either!!Will be going to trading standards as you should be SHUT DOWN!!

Brought the wicked bear online the bear is amazing but the way it was sent was horrendous it was in a cardboard box with 1 piece of duck tape

I ordered the snowflake shine stitch for my son with the stitch sounds and pumpkin spice scent. It arrived today half stuffed, no scent and the sound is a personalised one of someone saying hug me, I love you.
Very disappointing from a big child’s brand.

Customer service assistant I have spoken to today was very helpful and fingers crossed our replacement comes correct this time

Appalling party on the shop floor for my daughter, no toilets, asked to go into Liverpool one yet only allowed two adults with 11 children, while public are coming in an out of the shop it just isn’t practical what’s so ever. Few occasions throughout the 1 hour experience we was getting knocked into and near enough squashed and having children aged 5-7years wasn’t practical. Asked the 11 children to pick a bear then said it’s only the ones with the balloons on the tags which they can have a really small selection out of about 30 bears is just ridiculous when staff could already have the the variety of bears to choose from rather than allowing the children to see bears that weren’t in the package especially having a child with ASD/ADHD nothing but stress from start to finish. Just wouldn’t recommend atal even paying at the end was an absolute nightmare it took three members of staff including two managers to work out the right price as they were trying to charge more, they said it was due to the system😂 and even a calculator couldn’t help😫

The money that youse must make surely you could find a bigger store to offer parties and both public visits a value of £308 for 1 hour 11 kids

We visited the Trafford centre branch today. No customer service skills from the two girls on the shop floor from the get go (one of which apparently was a manager)e and my little girl had gone with my parents who wanted to purchase a special bear for my soon to be 2 year olds birthday in December. We picked the bear dressed by it then both my parents recorded a personal message for her to be placed in the bear along with the stuffing etc.
We also took the bear which my parents had bought for my little boy when he was born 5 years ago to get a replacement battery for the recoding they had done for his as it no longer worked!
We had looked online about how this was done and as far as we were aware the little box got sent away,a new battery placed in and then you received it back in full working order! (This is no longer the case,apparently)
My mum and Dad had to record and pay for a new one to be placed in his bear!! Now this was fine as they are obviously around to do this! I asked if we could take the old recorded box home with us so that if we wanted we could try to maybe replace the battery ourselves!
We got told “you cannot take that with you as it’s not in the bear and company policy is that anything that’s bought in that respect has to be placed in the bear!”
Now my argument was
A - that’s ours we’ve already payed for it!
B - what if my parents were no longer around to record such personal message!! Imagine the heart ache been told that you cannot replace the battery!
After many questions and discussions with both girls in the shop (both whom might I add could do with going on some form of customer service education!!)
We then had to have the bear re opened to put the old “none working box” back in just so that we could take it home with us!!!
Absolutely disappointed build a bear!! I will be looking further into contacting someone about this as I just feel really sad for anyone that has had a recording done and now lost that person sadly!!

Worst party experience ever. The party before ours turned up 20 mins late and as a result ours was pushed back 40 mins. We were pushed to one side to do a birthday heart trick then had to wait 10 mins later to sing happy birthday to my child. We were yelled at by staff telling us to move out of the way so the other party could have another group photo. Then had to wait longer to get certificates because the other party was still doing there’s. Some members of the other party stood in the middle of ours so we couldn’t do games, or even take a group photo for my child. I thought this was supposed to be a special event but it seemed like the other party was allowed to push ours out. I complained and they did nothing about it. Definitely don’t recommend booking a party with these guys.

During checklist I missed the very small tick box that would allow my bear to come in a club condo box (95p). I have emailed twice to request they change my order but it is apparently something they cannot do. I find it laughable that they cannot put the bear in a cub condo rather that a brown box! Such a hard task! Very disappointed

Can honestly see why stores are closing, they have lost my custom. Been a loyal and happy customer with build a bear for years. For months i have been calling guest services snd asking the shop which is over 2 hours away about reseting a password/ using points/vouchers on the account. Was over £100 vouchers on there and was refused to use them. Today guest services finally answered the phone to be told that they won't honour them so basically lost over £100. Would have out a 0 star if I could

Appalling. The trafford centre branch won't answer the phone no matter what time of day you call them.
I need to ask them if they'll but the ashes of a loved one inside a bear for me instead of wasting the two hour round trip just to be told no.
How hard is it to answer a phone?
I worked there 20 years ago and they're a disgusting and elitist company.
Avoid.

Ordered the Snoopy and Woodstock special set - paid for the option of it coming "dressed" - it didn't. If you're not going to dress the blessed thing a) don't give the option b) don't charge people for it!
Couldn't be bothered to send it back or request a refund for the missing service but will be reluctant to use their service in the future.

$15 delivery to order one item. Placed the order on Sunday didn't hear anything. Emailed them Tuesday and they told me it is waiting to be picked up. Got the tracking number on Wednesday. It is now Thursday and still hasn't been sent. I Paid $15 delivery for one item and they take a week to send it out. This company seems to be stuck in the darkages with delivery. Make you prices fair, don't BS your custmers and get the products out for delivery. It is not hard! Very disappointed and won't be using them again. Extremely disorganized or lazy or both.