Update on Toys 'R Us

Remember my letter to Toys 'R Us? Well, I had sent it to them. Not sure what I was expecting really, but here's what I've gotten so far. Two letters that tell me they are forwarding it to the correct department to handle the problem. Here's the first one:

Customer (Customer Service at www.toysrus.com) - 12/27/2009 02:44 PM
Dear Ms. Barnes,

Thank you for contacting RUs.com. I understand your concern regarding
customer service and the Toys "R" Us return policy. Please accept my
apologies for any frustration this may have caused.

We appreciate your reaching out to us regarding your concerns relating
to customer service and the Toys "R" Us return policy at your local
Toys"R"Us store. I have taken the liberty of forwarding your email to
the appropriate team for their prompt handling, and you should expect a
response from a Guest Service Specialist within 3 to 5 business days.
Thank you again for contacting RUs.com. We value your business and look
forward to serving you in the future!

Sincerely,

Kelly Ellerby
Guest Service Team

And then today I received this:

Response (Juan Funes) - 12/31/2009 11:40 AM
Dear Ms. Barnes,

Thank you for contacting the "R" Us Family.

I appreciate you sharing your feedback with us. I am sorry you are dissatisfied. Please be assured, your comments and suggestions are extremely important to us and I will immediately forward your issue to the appropriate department for review.

Thank you, once again, for contacting the "R" Us Family.

Sincerely,

Juan Funes
Corporate Guest Relations

Hmmm, nothing like passing the buck. I wonder why they can't figure out what the correct department is. I figure this will be the last I hear from them. And just another reason why Toy 'R Us will not be receiving my business any longer. Who's with me?

Dear Toys 'R Us,

I am a mother of three children. I am the PTA president at my children's elementary school. I used to frequent your establishment often. That is until my most recent experience with your return policy.

You see it's Christmas time. My children received a board game as a gift from my cousin. When we went to put it together we could not find some of the pieces. This made the game unable to be played and useless to my children. So I went to my local Toys 'R Us in hopes of exchanging it for the exact same game. I did not want something else. I did not want money. I did not want something for nothing. What I wanted was a game that my children could play with.

I was greeted with a very rude without a receipt we cannot exchange your item. I explained it was a gift and I was told I needed a gift receipt. I explained that the gift giver did not give me a gift receipt and all I wanted to do was get an item that works. After all, you can return the broken item to the manufacturer and get reimbursed. What would your company be out by doing this? Nothing!

So I left in a huff with my children in tow and have vowed to never set foot in one of your stores again. Not until something is done about your terrible return policy. And now Toys 'R Us, this is on the internet for all to see and know what your practice is. And I would also like to remind you of those three children that I alone have with birthdays and holidays to buy for. And all of their friends birthdays and holidays that I will no longer buy toys for at Toys 'R Us. And lets not forget I am the PTA president at my childrens school and every year I purchase two bikes for our top sellers in our spring fundraiser. I used to get them at your store, but now I will find a new place to buy these bikes because I wouldn't want anyone else to have a problem exchanging an item that was broken and did not work for one that did.

And just so you know I went down the road to Target. Where this item was not purchased. They had the same policy posted about requiring a receipt or gift receipt for all returns and exchanges. However, when I explained the situation to the employee at the courtesy desk she apologized to me for the toy not having all of its pieces and told me I could go get another one to exchange it with. So that's exactly what I did. No problem. My children ended up receiving the game after all. In spite of a return policy which requires a receipt when I did not have a receipt. So thank you Target for accepting the exchange when Toys 'R Us would not. I guess Target has gained a new customer while Toys 'R Us has lost one. Thanks for nothing Toys 'R Us!

Sincerely,
mother of 3 small children