1/5

posted Nov-25-2010

"I ordered 10 Mini Pet Cacti (as gifts). A half of them (all the pink ones) were in unacceptable shape: looked dead, detached from the bottom of the bottle. I believe they at least looked dead before they were sent to me and definitely looked different from the picture on the website. Actually, all the Cacti looked ugly but I din't have time to buy other gifts. So, I returned the most terrible of them and a month ago received an email: "Your recent ThinkGeek return (RMA XXX) has been received and processed. The refund amount should appear on your PayPal balance shortly." It was exactly one month ago. I didn't get any refund since. From my previous purchase("Tux Droid" on 07-22-2010) I can tell that the merchandise there are often not working or discontinued, customer support is useless, and they return money only after several phone calls. I used to buy Christmas gifts from them but now I will definitely avoid dealing with ThinkGeek. Something has been broken there.
------
12/20/2010 Update
I sent an answer to the Billy's message below a week ago (12/13/2010). Thinkgeek keeps silence. No reply, no refund, of course."

This review was modified by Karpinchyk on December 20 2010 12:10:38 AM

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1/5

posted Aug-31-2010

"Here is an update:

This product did not ever get shipped to me. I responded to the guy below and he eventually called me and would 'take whatever measures necessary' to correct the problem, but the package never arrived. Apparently they were having some 'trouble' with a new distribution facility. I am waiting to see if they actually refunded me anything. I don't hold out much hope.

----

These guys are a joke. I ordered something from them for next day delivery which didn't arrive for a week. When I called they said they take 48 business hours to process an order (wtf) - so 48 hours + processing day + pickup day + delivery day + weekend (even tho they say they process Friday and Saturday orders) = 1 week.

Sad - don't buy from these guys

"

This review was modified by abkiwi on September 10 2010 08:34:35 AM

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1/5

posted Dec-28-2010

"I bought a Mini GPS tracker and had to return it because it did not work. I received my new GPS mini tracker and this unit is also broke. One of the three battery leads inside the GPS unit is broken; however I managed to get it to work without the battery cover but the unit still doesnt work just like the last one. Both units came with software to track the unit but neither one came with a password to open the software on my computer. Both catalogs I received from Thinkgeek still dont state anything about needing a SIM card in order to get this unit to work. Thinkgeek needs to stick to selling non technical stuff because their phone help line for this item is a joke because no one there knows anything about this product. Ill be surprised if I get my money back.

"

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3/5

posted Feb-21-2011

ResellerRatings.com TOP REVIEWER!

"Having placed several orders over the years--the last one being the absolute best, I still wouldn't consider myself a loyal customer of ThinkGeek even though I do return on occasion. And browse more often than buy. But as much as I appreciate their variety, it's the inconsistent quality of the items that bugs me.

Where to begin...

The way they present themselves and their hordes of fans, ThinkGeek *ostensibly* owns the US-based niche for distributing these unique wares. But they aren't the only sellers on the market... just the most visible. Great marketing, sure, but at what cost?

Their inventory is filled with the nerd-equivalent items found in the SkyMall (et al) zines--with some noticeable overlap in both items and price; meaning: you're paying for luxury and/or a modicum of convenience, not so much necessity. Needless to say, if you're creative with implementation, you'll always find abundant, non-standard uses for such devices, and if you're creative without ever laying eyes on such wares, you'll always find a cheaper way of getting what you want with even less. ThinkGeek aims to make their luxury wares "necessities" the way they're marketed, and at times, it works.

Maybe this is how they reel in the newcomers...?

Anywhoo, it's not the conceit or pseudo-humble tone of the descriptions that bolster sales of the products--although it'll get some people sucked into the niche culture, but no-nonsense specs combined with occasional suggested uses and the odd "customer action shot". (NOTE: While the action shots may sometimes serve as deal-breakers/fantasy-crushers, the inclusion of honest, customer-reviews-per-item-page would be much more informative. And apart from visual explanations of the more complicated toys, the product vids tend to snuff out residual interest; it reinforces the notion that "you'll be paying for something akin to this experience".) ThinkGeek tries very hard, with the assistance of Mascot Timmy and co-workers, to imbue the concept of "super fun" (real or imagined) into every product, even if they know it's... oh, whimsical and "cute". Translation: utterly useless.

You may discover just *how* useless or crappy something is after you buy into everything... the first couples of times. (More anon.)

"Luxury" equates with fluff items, which are mostly overpriced bits of fandom--think lesser range, Japanese-style otaku paraphernalia for less discerning Westerners (insulting)--while the best "higher quality" goods are a mix of fandom and uberpracticality. Par for the course is finding a practical thing made of inferior materials, or poorly constructed, that's exorbitant by default unless you get it for "free" with acute amounts of GeekPoints. Of course, the shipping and handling fee could negate the so-called discount, but it's never *too* bad if you can make extensive use of your purchase(s). Normal price items are NOT cheap to obtain, so when there's an immediate decision to get said item-type, it often falls into the gift category: to yourself or others.

It can be an ordeal if saving money is priority.

Unless you've done the research, impulsive buys can be a bad idea when it comes to ThinkGeek. It's difficult to discern what constitutes an "average sales price" for anything that's too distinctive, because once you do the research, you'll realize that conversion rates are a bitch.

So you reconsider ThinkGeek as a more viable seller (by comparison)...

I've avoided the larger, more expensive electronics since you can find them elsewhere for less, but can also discover more about how they fare, or other necessary specs, since customer reviews will exist (somewhere) if the items are popular enough. My earlier, whim-based splurges resulted in near-instant buyer's remorse with the various aforementioned problems; reoccurring thoughts are usually along the lines of "WTF were you thinking? You happy now? Oh, what's that? Not really? Well it's yours now. ****. And... it's not worth a return. Double ****. So go make the most of it..."

Sours the moment, and every time I glance at or interact with the item(s). Hooray. Even the accumulation of GeekPoints does little to assuage such pains. One shouldn't take risks or give second chances without more knowledge... more forethought... more scrutiny.

Hey, lessons learned.

I've never returned an item, so the only customer service I've ever dealt with was in regards to the quality and use of an electronic. An expensive one. Back then, the description and pictures were insufficient, and there was no model number or proper labeling of the item; all of which prompted further inquiry. The two folks I spoke with were uninformed and ate up minutes testing the item in ways that didn't reflect my queries. Fortunately, I looked elsewhere and got it cheaper and sooner than I would have with ThinkGeek; after skimming the ResellerRatings' reviews around that time, I think it's plausible that I could have been burdened with an inoperable device, and thus, plagued with RMA issues.

But even to this day, I'd eschew contemplation and purchase of any such electronic gear that has its virtues touted by ThinkGeek... unless you see the same statements everywhere/anywhere else proffering valid, discerning opinions.

I guess consistency in quality can be almost guaranteed in the following: t-shirt material, and any item that you've handled or seen in person. Or if you trust your imagination enough, anything that's been thoroughly reviewed; not widespread--'cause then, it wouldn't be *at* ThinkGeek, right?

Bottom line: in spite of all that's been said, I should point to the start of this post where I mentioned returning on occasion... I will continue to do so given the surprise satisfaction brought by the last order: it was sooo worth the *discounted* price."

This review was modified by Bi0NicSQUiD on February 22 2011 07:10:07 AM

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1/5

posted Dec-20-2010

"Thinkgeek

I bought a Mini Global GPS Tracking device. The catalog says nothing about needing a SIM Card in- order for this unit to work. When I called Thinkgeek I got told from one employee a SIM Card could be taken out of an old cell phone; however that is only true if you have service on that old cell phone. I called again and another employee told me that I could buy a SIM Card from Radio Shack, which isn’t true because you need to buy a cell phone plan, they don’t just sell a SIM Card. Then I called back and was told by the third employee that T-mobile sold a SIM CARD for like $7 online and $10 in the store, which again isn’t true as the T-mobile employee told me that I needed a plan which was $49 a month and the $10 SIM was for a second phone line. In order to get a SIM Card you need a cell phone plan with air time and the cheapest one I could find was $30 a month at Walmart. So I went to Walmart and got a $10 Phone in order to get the SIM Card with a 30 hour air time prepaid card to check out the GPS Tracker. I then did everything the instruction stated to do for the GPS Tracker and the unit did not work. On top of that I was given computer software from Thinkgeek to track the device, but no password came with the unit or with the instruction for the computer software. I called again to ask help with the unit and a password for the GPS Tracking software; however again no one at Thinkgeek knew anything about the GPS Tracker and they just told me to return the unit. So I have software on my computer, no password to operate it and I am currently waiting on a new GPS tracker from Thinkgeek to arrive.
Solution; If Thinkgeek is going to have a phone help desk, Thinkgeek needs to train the employees on their products so they don’t sound ridiculous on the phone stating how to get a SIM Card or have no clue on the password or the device they are selling, and to just return product.
Thinkgeek also needs to sell items that work, because I noticed on this review webpage I am not the only one that has stated their products don’t work.
"

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1/5

posted Nov-16-2006

"After placing a single item order with ThinkGeek, I had forgot to add an item. I sent them an e-mail to add the item and was told that no help was available for orders. I asked why the lack of customer service and received some nasty excuses and was called names. I refuse to do business with them again."

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5/5

posted Oct-17-2006

""Wow!" That's all I can say about ThinkGeek's level of customer service. This is what sets them apart from everyone else on the web. I had an issue with an item I ordered and Thinkgeek took care of it immediately (no waiting on hold, no transfers between "departments", just one friendly rep eager and able to help). To my knowledge, this is the only company in the universe that actually sends you pre-paid UPS shipping labels for RMAs or refunds shipping costs on returns! I cannot rate this store highly enough! :)

P.S. I have also accrued over 15,000 GeekPoints in total (although I've traded some for the free green laser, airzooka, etc)."

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2/5

posted Dec-21-2010

"I placed an order on a Wednesday for a few XMAS items and paid for overnight shipping. Two recipients were leaving the area on Friday, so I needed the items quickly. The items didn't ship for two days and now we're into the weekend, expecting the package on Monday. I called up Thinkgeek and got the, "Yes, we ship overnight, but we handle the order internally from one to three days." I guess I was luckly in that it was only two days.

UPS claims an emergency delay on Monday, so the package gets delivered on Tuesday. So, six days for an overnight package. I learned my lesson."

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2/5

posted Dec-07-2010

"I'd ordered from ThinkGeek earlier this year, and been impressed with how quickly everything arrived. For Christmas I ordered my husband a t-shirt, some coffee, and a big hardcover book as part of his presents. The box everything was shipped in was way too big, so because there was no protection in it (no air bags, no bubble wrap, nothing) it all got tossed around. The jacket came entirely off the book and was laying folded and ripped underneath it, and the t-shirt had just been tossed in and was crumpled up in a ball in its bag. If they had just put some bags of air in there, or bound the book with bubble wrap, or something to indicate they cared about the condition my order arrived in, it wouldn't have happened, and I wouldn't have had to mend the book and iron the shirt prior to wrapping.

What's more disappointing is what happened when I contacted customer service via e-mail. I told them what had happened, said I didn't want a refund because the damage wasn't significant, but I just wanted to let them know that I was unhappy with the condition of my items when they arrived, and that I thought they should have been packed better. I got a response a few hours later apologising, but insisting that everything had been packed correctly, and blaming the shipping for the condition. You know, I don't doubt the package had been tossed around, but my point was that if they had ANYTHING in there to protect their merchandise, it wouldn't have been an issue. Even my order receipt and their catalogue was torn up and folded over.

It's just disappointing to see that they don't appear to care about their customers once the money is in their hands. Maybe it's not an enormous issue comparatively, and maybe I didn't spend a massive amount of money (it was 77 bucks), but I still would have expected the company to be more concerned about their packing process than they were. (Which is not at all, apparently.) I'm sure they must be incredibly busy around the holidays, but that doesn't excuse poor packing, and for me to have my issue brushed off and blamed

I don't want a refund. All I wanted was an apology, an acknowledgement of the problem, and an assurance that it wouldn't happen with my next order because it would be more securely packed. Instead I got the apology, but I also got the blame pointed at the shipping company, and a complete refusal to own up. Nice. I'm not comfortable giving more cash to them at this point if this is the way they respond to customer concerns. Looks like those stocking stuffers and party gifts I was planning on ordering from them next week are going to come from Amazon instead."

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2/5

posted Jan-24-2009

"ThinkGeek is overstepping acceptable information collection by demanding personal information to confirm your billing address. They can call the card issuing bank to confirm your billing address, but they chose to put the burden on you to save them a phone call. Also, I had already completed orders with them in the past using the same information, so you think they would have the intelligence to deduce that is is legitimate.

This was in the email think geek sent me.

Acceptable verification information includes one of the following:
(1) A copy of the credit card used to order, with only the last 4
digits showing AND a copy of your government issued ID (Credit Card
orders only)
(2) A copy of a statement from a service provider or financial
institution, that shows the billing address submitted during checkout
(Credit Card or PayPal orders)

To summarize, they wanted me to send them copies of personal information which could easily be misused, or intercepted.

Here is how they should have done it. From Visa's site, it outlines the appropriate methods of checking hardholder identity. http://usa.visa.com/merchants/risk_management/card_not_present.html

Thinkgeek is getting lazy, if they cant use AVS for a legit reason, they can tell the customer and then ask for another method of identification, otherwise, collecting this information is overboard.

I'll update this review as the situation unfolds. Thus far they canceled my order because I didn't send them the info, also the price went up on the item I ordered, so I requested them to reinstate the order or to allow me to place a new order with the right info. I'll send them the info they asked for this time(as I didn't actually see the email requesting it the first time) even though it is unreasonable."

This review was modified by CybrGuy on January 24 2009 02:01:53 PM

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