I am writing this post because my husband is a business owner of a company that really focuses on excellent customer service. So for me, I see things a little differently when a company I come in contact with has sub-par customer service. I get really disappointed. I feel like they are making a poor decision as a company when they alienate the very group that keeps them afloat. I think it is a shame. I am not angry per say, I have severe buyers remorse at this point. I am also embarrassed that I did not do better research before making the decision I made.

This is about the Baby Bullet. I have been writing a lot about how much I love making Jackson’s food, and I do! I love it. I haven’t skipped a beat. He will be 7 months in less than a week. I began making his food when he was a little over 4 months old. I have not even had this product for 3 months yet. It is broken. The blade base has three cracks in it. The other day it would not puree well steamed sweet potatoes. If you have steamed sweet potatoes before, you know that they are not difficult to puree. They get very soft. I did not understand why this was happening. I tried my best to get it to work and then I just started using a fork and a spoon. It is a good thing that Jack is ready for thicker chunkier textures, because that is what this batch ended up being.

I washed the whole thing. That is when I discovered the cracks. Ok I thought, this really stinks. This thing is still brand new and it already is broken. I felt slightly upset but then thought I don’t have time to be upset, I have more food he is going to need. I immediately got online and contacted customer service through their website. It took them closer to 20 minutes to send me a completely automated response. Which, I was not sitting around waiting for a response. The baby woke up from his nap and we headed to the grocery store. I didn’t check my email until we got home. Like I mentioned earlier, my husband owns his own business. It is a software company. There is no way he could get away with that kind of turn around. Here is the email I received:

This is an automatic reply to your recent email to Baby Bullet to acknowledge receipt of your inquiry. All email requests are handled in the order received. Please allow up to 5-7 business days for processing and to receive a response.

If you have any further questions, or require immediate assistance, you may contact our Customer Service Department by telephone, our toll-free phone number is: 1-877-514-6922.

Our regular business hours are Monday – Friday: 6:00 AM – 5:00 PM PST; Saturday: 6:00 AM – 3:00 PM PST; Sunday: 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Homeland Housewares also observes the following holidays: New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

***DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL – THIS IS AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ONLY – REPLIES WILL NOT BE READ***

Regards,

A*** R*****

Customer Service Representative

5-7 business days for an email response? That is awful. Just awful that someone cannot get back to their customers sooner. When I told my husband this, he laughed and said “I could never get away with that kind of support!” It is true. And neither should they. Especially because their product is all about making food for infants and toddlers! A week just to have your question looked at? That does not even include the additional time it will take to contact you and figure out a solution and the possibly send a replacement part. So children should hope their parents have enough frozen food reserved for them?

I remember after I bought this lovely product I was interested in buying their storage completion pack. I did some more research before doing that. I found on their facebook page, severe unhappiness. People had ordered this set in February and this was July and they had not received it! They continued to get excuses, according to them. I believe at first it was a backorder issue then it turned into a shipping issue. No one could ever get a straight answer. I decided to not order their completion set. I found a much better solution on Amazon. Also, their facebook page is disabled for comments. Meaning, customers and fans cannot post on their wall! My husband said, “that is an interesting business strategy!” So you cannot even head there to get a question answered. You are forced to wait a week, meanwhile, figure out how to feed your child. Or buy a new device from somewhere else.

My other question is, do they have that many people complaining and needed replacement parts that it takes that long to get through the emails? Since it claims my question will be answered in the order received. If that is the case, perhaps they should rethink the design of their product. That could reduce their “replacement parts” email volume.

I am sad that I did not think to research them more before purchasing. I feel stupid for getting swept up in their marketing gimmick. I have never really had buyers remorse until now. I will never purchase another item from this company. Bottom line. Meanwhile, I had to figure out how I am going to puree the green beans, plums, and apples I bought yesterday for Jackson.

I recently ordered something from Pottery Barn Kids. A curtain rod decorative bulb, for Jack’s room. It arrived and one of them was cracked and crumbled in pieces. I contacted the number provided on my shipping receipt. They were amazing! They were so apologetic and promptly helped me. They sent a new one immediately. I was so impressed with how responsive they were! I felt really great after speaking with them. I will continue to shop there. I actually already have purchased some more items from them since being so well treated.

I do not get angry when something like this happens and I contact a company. I know how miserable that is for the employees when someone is angry with you. But I will contact them because something is wrong and I could use their help to get it fixed. I was shocked when I read that email yesterday. I think my jaw hit the floor. I think this company could use a reevaluation of their customer service policies. From what I had read and can no longer find on their facebook page, I am not the only one who has gotten the run around. I thought about calling the number, but at this point, I am uninterested in dealing with someone. I think that a product breaking after less than 3 months is pretty terrible. I took excellent care of it. It was a very important piece of my week!

I was a sucker and got caught up in a “brand name.” I am admitting that. I am moving on now. I have another baby blender that I received as a shower gift. I hung on to it. I am going to use that and just keep on making my precious son’s food. They have lost a customer in me. I am sure that they don’t really care, I am one drop in a big ocean, but I do like to buy things for my son. I do love shopping. I generally am willing to spend money for nice things. And so my money will just go elsewhere.

Update 8-31-11:

I received an email from an actual human yesterday. At first I was thrilled. It took way less than what they claimed. I wondered why they would claim that time frame, they are being way too liberal with that. Anyway, I went right back to being frustrated as I read their response. They will replace the part for free! Ok, sounds good! BUT I have to pay “shipping and handling” I refuse. I just sent them all of the info they wanted, receipt, bar code, etc. I also let them know I am not paying shipping and handling for something I have owned for less than 3 months. We will see how long it takes them to respond this time and what they say. I am serious. I am not paying that. I have not had this product long enough to justify forking out more money.

Update 9-1-11:

Yesterday I received two different emails regarding my “issue.” The first was from the man who emailed me telling me I had to pay the S&H. It sounded very automated and as if he did not even read my response about not paying for S&H. He just said that I had to provide a copy of my receipt, which I had already done. I was so busy with Jack yesterday that I read it, sighed, and just decided to handle it later. A few hours after that I received another email from someone whom I had not dealt with yet.

Thank you for your email. After reviewing your request we will replace the cross blade at no cost as a one time courtesy. All future replacements will be subject to warranty terms. Please allow 7-10 business days for delivery. If you have any additional questions or concerns, feel free to contact us via email or toll free at 877-514-6922 and we will gladly assist you.

Regards,

A****** N****

I think it is wonderful that they are replacing it. I do not like how they make it seem as if they are doing me a favor. I do not think they are. Their product broke after less than 3 months of usage. So they should replace the lemon they sent me, not as a “courtesy” but because their product was obviously not of quality. The email makes it seem like I am some slimy scammer who is just out there to get free cross blades whenever I can get my grimy hands on them. I assure you that is the farthest thing from the truth. I hate having to go through all of these hoops. I would much rather have not had anything break and just keep making Jack’s food without interruption. I do not like having to deal with customer service. It generally takes a lot of time and effort on everyone’s parts. I would much rather being doing something else with my time. Trust me. So it is not a courtesy, it is the right thing to do Baby Bullet. Your product broke for no reason. I took proper care of it, I was very particular about that because I did not want any issues. Yet it still broke. You’re doing the right thing as a company, not a favor.