FYI - BBB Registry Issue

emily040311 · April 2011

Not sure if this is an isolated issue or a standard part of how the Bed Bath & Beyond registry system works, but I found it quite annoying so I thought I would share. Yesterday (a week to the day from our wedding) my husband and I decided to return some gifts that we had received from our BBB registry... the return process went smoothly, but when we got home and visited our BBB registry online, the items that we had returned showed up on the registry as available/unpurchased. Since we are still so close to our wedding date, people are still buying us gifts... and in fact this morning it appears that someone purchased one of the items we had returned which means that we will have to return it a second time when we get it.

A practical solution would of course be to go through our BBB registry and delete any items that we returned so that people won't buy us duplicates... and I'll probably do this if I'm not successful in getting someone at BBB to fix this after work today.

But we also returned a couple of items from our Bloomingdales and Potterybarn registries, and our online registries there didn't change and still show the returned items as "completed".

One last gripe about the BBB registry while I'm at it... unlike most other major retailers, BBB doesn't offer an online "gift card manager" or other way of tracking who purchased what. I've got a spreadsheet listing who gave us what, but it is nice to know that if something goes wrong with the spreadsheet that the other retailers have a backup list of who gave us what just in case. I of course also have my box of packing slips to fall back on, but in this day and age it really seems to me that BBB should upgrade their system.

I originally decided to register with BBB because I wanted to offer my guests the opportunity to utilize those great 20% off coupons that arrive like clockwork every month in the mail... but in hindsight knowing what I know now, I would probably not have registered with BBB.

hlq2011 · April 2011

If you returned them through the registry, it doesn't surprise me at all that they'd show up as unpurchased now. I'm more surprised that returned items at Bloomingdales and PB show up as fulfilled.

marinabreeze · April 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_registering-gifts_fyi-bbb-registry-issue?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:34Discussion:4fc0e6c1-1dfd-427d-912c-219fb8694433Post:45dd2d64-7bdb-4376-9cc9-2295fe3b05d2">FYI - BBB Registry Issue</a>:
[QUOTE]Not sure if this is an isolated issue or a standard part of how the Bed Bath & Beyond registry system works, but I found it quite annoying so I thought I would share. Yesterday (a week to the day from our wedding) my husband and I decided to return some gifts that we had received from our BBB registry... the return process went smoothly, but when we got home and visited our BBB registry online, the items that we had returned showed up on the registry as available/unpurchased. Since we are still so close to our wedding date, people are still buying us gifts... and in fact this morning it appears that someone purchased one of the items we had returned which means that we will have to return it a second time when we get it. A practical solution would of course be to go through our BBB registry and delete any items that we returned so that people won't buy us duplicates... and I'll probably do this if I'm not successful in getting someone at BBB to fix this after work today. But we also returned a couple of items from our Bloomingdales and Potterybarn registries, and our online registries there didn't change and still show the returned items as "completed". One last gripe about the BBB registry while I'm at it... unlike most other major retailers, BBB doesn't offer an online "gift card manager" or other way of tracking who purchased what. I've got a spreadsheet listing who gave us what, but it is nice to know that if something goes wrong with the spreadsheet that the other retailers have a backup list of who gave us what just in case. I of course also have my box of packing slips to fall back on, but in this day and age it really seems to me that BBB should upgrade their system. I originally decided to register with BBB because I wanted to offer my guests the opportunity to utilize those great 20% off coupons that arrive like clockwork every month in the mail... but in hindsight knowing what I know now, I would probably not have registered with BBB.
Posted by emily040311[/QUOTE]
I guess I don't see what the issue is. If you and your H (have you guys already had the wedding?) returned the gifts, that means you don't have them anymore. So technically they are unfulfilled. That would suck for guests who already bought you these items and think you're getting use out of them (if perchance they returned to the registry or heard from WOM). In any case, why not just go to your registry online and take off the items you don't want anymore? Why would you need to call BBB to "fix this"?

I didn't know about the lack of gift card system (I have a BBB registry but it's new so no gifts bought yet), but to be honest it's not a big deal for me. I'd rather keep track of it myself because servers crash unexpectedly anyway. Also, I wouldn't write out thank you cards until I actually received the item, because sometimes orders get cancelled (especially if it's a backordered item) and guests might then choose to buy something else. But to each their own.

MyNameIsNot · April 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_registering-gifts_fyi-bbb-registry-issue?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:34Discussion:4fc0e6c1-1dfd-427d-912c-219fb8694433Post:ebdc25f1-82a9-42e0-bdbf-06c3103cef92">Re: FYI - BBB Registry Issue</a>:
[QUOTE]If you returned them through the registry, it doesn't surprise me at all that they'd show up as unpurchased now. I'm more surprised that returned items at Bloomingdales and PB show up as fulfilled.
Posted by hlq2011[/QUOTE]

<div>This. If you returned it, and didn't remove it from your registry, logic would dictate that it should show up unfulfilled. If you decided you no longer wanted the item, you should have removed it from your registry.</div><div>
</div><div>For example, we registered for 8 settings of our everyday dishes. We got 5, but one arrived damaged. We returned it to the store, and they didn't have any in stock in our color. So, we returned it for store credit, and they marked the number back down to 4, which was the number we had. Then, if someone else bought us 4 before we got around to re-purchasing the other, we'd still have what we asked for.</div><div>
</div><div>Assuming you aren't registering for things just to return them for cash, this makes the most sense. </div>

caseyandlizzie · April 2011

Yeah, I really wasn't surprised when I returned something from our registry and saw that it was magically available again. It would be the same thing if the person who bought the gift for us decided to return it. Just go back to your registry and delete those items.

Viczaesar · April 2011

So why are you returning so many things that are on your registry and apparently not duplicates before the wedding?

emily040311 · April 2011

Viczaesar - It was only a few things (2 of which other ppl bought off amazone at apparently better prices - so economically for me it made more sense to get store credit at BBB than Amazon). The other items were things that looked good online but in person weren't quite what I was looking for. Also I didn't return anything before my wedding, I have now been married 8 days

emily040311 · April 2011

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I agree that logically it makes sense that the items would appear as available again once returned, but since the other stores registries didn't do this I was surprised when bbb did because it didn't seem to be the norm from my experience.

Taking my registry experience as a whole, I still think that stores that don't show items as available again once returned have a better system because you don't have to worry about anyone's feelings possibly being hurt if they visit your registry and see that the item they purchased for you is either available again or removed.

I do have one positive thing to say about BBB though that I forgot to share on my original post... they have quarterly registry completion events that are private shopping events where couples who registered can get 20% off on everything rather than the standard 10% completion discount. If you are registered there, particularly if you started your registry online rather than in store, be sure to contact your local bbb store's customer service rep to get on their call list so you are notified about the next event.

aegrish · April 2011

I posted that about BBB returns a while ago. I think it's annoying and I agree it shouldn't put it back on your registry as unfulfilled and I don't think it makes sense at all.

Also, BBB tried to give me a merchandise credit for some gifts that arrived damaged or that I changed my mind on LESS the coupon that the gift was purchased with. Of course that isn't fair, I shouldve gotten the a merchandise credit for the full price of the item, not less whatever discount was originally taken off of it. After explaining this to the manager, they gave me the full price, but it was a hassle and I would not have registered at BBB either in hindsight. Crate and Barell has been a much much bettter experience for me, especially with the Thank You manager.

noodle_oo · April 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_registering-gifts_fyi-bbb-registry-issue?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:34Discussion:4fc0e6c1-1dfd-427d-912c-219fb8694433Post:5f11f6bf-97a1-4fd0-9c9e-70afca8debcb">Re: FYI - BBB Registry Issue</a>:
[QUOTE]I posted that about BBB returns a while ago. I think it's annoying and I agree it shouldn't put it back on your registry as unfulfilled and I don't think it makes sense at all. Also, BBB tried to give me a merchandise credit for some gifts that arrived damaged or that I changed my mind on LESS the coupon that the gift was purchased with. <strong> Of course that isn't fair, I shouldve gotten the a merchandise credit for the full price of the item, not less whatever discount was originally taken off of it.</strong> After explaining this to the manager, they gave me the full price, but it was a hassle and I would not have registered at BBB either in hindsight. Crate and Barell has been a much much bettter experience for me, especially with the Thank You manager.
Posted by aegrish[/QUOTE]

Wait, I don't get the bolded part. Why would you get credit for more money than the gift giver actually PAID BBB? I'm surprised the manager caved to your request. They lost money on that transaction, which doesn't make much sense to me.

I think you all are expecting a little to much from stores. If you don't like their policies, go to a different store.

Heather8505 · April 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_registering-gifts_fyi-bbb-registry-issue?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:34Discussion:4fc0e6c1-1dfd-427d-912c-219fb8694433Post:5f11f6bf-97a1-4fd0-9c9e-70afca8debcb">Re: FYI - BBB Registry Issue</a>:
[QUOTE]I posted that about BBB returns a while ago. I think it's annoying and I agree it shouldn't put it back on your registry as unfulfilled and I don't think it makes sense at all. <strong>Also, BBB tried to give me a merchandise credit for some gifts</strong> that arrived damaged or that I changed my mind on <strong>LESS the coupon that the gift was purchased with.</strong> Of course that isn't fair, I shouldve gotten the a merchandise credit for the full price of the item, not less whatever discount was originally taken off of it. After explaining this to the manager, they gave me the full price, but it was a hassle and I would not have registered at BBB either in hindsight. Crate and Barell has been a much much bettter experience for me, especially with the Thank You manager.
Posted by aegrish[/QUOTE]

Yeah, that is ridiculous for you to expect otherwise. It doesn't matter if retail on an item is $500; if the person only paid $20, why would the store give you more than $20??

Nina0528 · April 2011

If you're returning something from your registry the computer has no idea that you're the bride & groom. You could have just been a guest who changed their minds about which gift to buy. This is why you have to update yourself.

I never understood the "thank you note" trackers. If I buy a gift in-store from a registry and pay cash, how does the system know I bought that gift? Would I have to give my name so the couple could remember to thank me?

futuremrseagle · April 2011

I don't understand this post either...if you didn't want the items, you should have removed them from your registry to begin with. Not the stores fault. And if a guest who purchased you X were to look on there and see their purchase removed, you should be adult enough to tell them what really happened.

Maybe you should have just waited til after the wedding to return items?

I also 100% agree that you should NOT have gotten any more money back than the gift giver paid. You're stealing from the company. Sometimes they will give you the coupon back, if you ask, but they should never lose money in a situation like this.

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