Toys R Us went after customers in a big way this holiday weekend, opening early on Thanksgiving to compete with Walmart and Target, and offering deep discounts on coveted items. But the company may have overextended itself, as shoppers are complaining about canceled orders and having to wait ridiculously long times just to speak to a human.

Consumerist reader Kelly says she ordered 10 items over the weekend, including some for in-store pick-up. But now she’s finding out — after she could have shopped elsewhere — that three of those orders have subsequently been canceled.

Like many other people, she attempted to contact Toys R Us by phone, but gave up after 45 minutes without an answer.

“I honestly don’t know how much they’re going to charge my credit card,” writes Kelly, “and it appears no one else knows either. Many others are having similar problems with their promotions.”

She’s right, just a quick look at the Facebook page for Toys R Us shows a slew of angry customers.

On shopper says she placed her order at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving but wasn’t told until yesterday that it was canceled. Meanwhile, when she checks in the store there are plenty of that item in stock, but not at the discounted price she had expected to pay when she placed her order. “How many other orders did you strategically cancel?” she asks. “I will be going elsewhere for my stuff from now on.”

Another customer says she tried three different times to contact customer service to locate an order that supposedly shipped a week ago — but with a tracking number that doesn’t work for either FedEx or UPS. Each time she called, she was put on hold for more than an hour.

The wait time seems to be the biggest issue for upset customers, with many shoppers writing on the Toys R Us Facebook page while they wait on hold for someone to pick up.

“I should have known that TRU hasn’t improved their system since the last time I made a purchase with them,” wrotes someone who said they had been on hold for over an hour. “They’ve lost my business for sure. I’d rather order from someone else and pay a little more, and have better customer service and a better online account system.”

Toys R Us is responding to some customers, though it’s mostly things like the following: “We are working hard to accommodate each customer’s individual needs. At this time of year, our stores and call center receive hundreds of calls each day, and there will be times when the line is busy for periods of time. We do apologize for any inconvenience.”

Kelly says she is considering sending an Executive E-mail Carpet Bomb to the Toys R Us brass, “but at this point, it seems there’s many people in the same situation I am. Unless there’s a drastic improvement or response, my plan is to suck up the monetary loss of the lost promotions, return what I can, and avoid shopping there in the future.”

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