Caitlin has a bit of advice: if you plan to order from Gymboree and have some items shipped to you and other items shipped to a friend as a gift, don’t order all of the items in the same transaction. Maybe not on the same day. She writes that the company messed up her order in every way short of losing it or sending the wrong items, and has put her in the awkward position of having to ask her friend to send what appeared to be a gift, but was actually Caitlin’s order, to Caitlin. Gymboree, for its part, blames UPS.

I am writing this to express my dissatisfaction with a recent transaction with Gymboree. While I have ordered gifts for many of my girlfriends over the last several years, my most recent order has left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I do not think I will be ordering again.

On September 1st, I placed an order of two packages to two separate addresses; one for a gift for my friend’s baby, and one for my own. The online system would not process my order, and asked that I call customer service to complete it.

I called the number and reviewed my order step-by step with the agent. A gift box and message to be sent with the package to my friend was ordered; I had asked that the Gymboree “rewards dollars” be mailed with my own package to my home address along with both receipts. The representative said that everything went through and not to check the order confirmation page because it would be very confusing.

Later that day, I opened my email and saw that the order was completely incorrect. The addresses were listed incorrectly and there was no mention of a gift box or message. I called Gymboree again, and was told that this situation would have to be escalated. I was called back 90 minutes later and the manager explained that the order had been corrected.

The shipping order status then said that both orders were shipped; one on 9/2, one on 9/3, to the correct addresses.

Today, when I checked the tracking numbers, it shows that both of the packages were delivered to my friend’s house.

I called customer service; the representative now stated that the shipment debacle is not Gymboree’s fault, since they had been appropriately addressed when they left the warehouse. She recommended that I should call UPS to try to have my friend bring back one of the packages to a UPS store. I asked to speak with a manager to get this resolved, but she said that no one could help me due to “phone issues”. Gymboree has essentially messed up every aspect of this order and has left me to try to pick up the pieces.

So now, I am left with both packages at the same address, the boxes are including the receipts (which I specifically asked not to be sent to the receiving party), and Gymboree’s best advice is for me to ask my friend to send the package back to me. This is an extremely frustrating (and embarrassing) situation!

Having the friend bring the box back might be the most expedient solution, but is still incredibly awkward. Also, something doesn’t add up. How can two different boxes ship on different days, but arrive at the same place if they were addressed correctly?

The question Caitlin needs to ask herself is: how would she rather the company handle the situation? Once she decides on the resolution she wants, it’s time to go through the steps in The Ultimate Consumerist Guide To Fighting Back and, well, fight back.

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