Charlie Bears Reviews 117

Absolutely the worst customer service ever.

I ordered a Charlie Bear online during a sale, only to be informed that a refund would be issued days later (without me being notified). The sale item was discounted by 50%; however, when I called, they offered me a £10 gift voucher. I now have to tell my daughter that her gift will not arrive.

Great service from Charlie Bears Direct. I ordered Tikiteboo and Jane was so helpful and sent me some pictures. Superb customer service from her.🌟 My order was delivered within 48 hrs and packed so well.
Great company, sweet bears and great customer service. And Tikiteboo is so so sweet. 🥰

Terrible customer service. My package is taking weeks to arrive and the response is essentially 'not our problem.' Will not be buying from them again.

‘Bears with personalities’ is their slogan and when we purchased our Rumbles bear from the Launceston HQ shop in October 24 that’s exactly what we had. A very charming Rumbles with a sideways disconcerting look. Just right for keeping check on our other Charlie Bears. However, within 5 weeks his head stitching became undone and needed repairing as the stuffing was starting to come out.
We requested that the bear be repaired due to his looks but this was refused, only a replacement or refund possible as Charlie Bears do not offer a repair service. This is contrary to
their T&C Summary of your legal rights section 11.2, section B which states.
b) Up to six months: if your goods can't be repaired or replaced, then you're entitled to a full refund, in most cases.
As this statement is part of their own T&C it implies that Charlie Bears do offer a repair service.,
This ‘no repair policy’ conflicts with their marketing slogan and stance. Having specifically chosen our bear how could it just be replaced ? No two bears are the same. That’s all part of their charm / personality. Furthermore, what dedicated bear collector would chouse a bear for then to simply send it back for a replacement / refund and what would then happen to the returned bear ? How would it be disposed off ? Landfill, (That’s an awful thought).
Charlie Bears were informed that we would get the bear repaired at our cost and we would be writing again to confirm Rumbles was well after his operation, which we did. This was met with written confirming that Charlie Bears would NOT cover any incurred costs for the repair as we had refused a replacement.
According to WHICH consumer group, Charlie Bears are in breach of contract as the goods are not fit for purpose or of satisfactory quality a requirement of The Consumer Rights Act 2015 and why would you mention ‘repair’ in your own T&Cs when you don’t offer such a service ?

We therefore share our experience and award Charle Bears a one star review for breach of contract and we certainly will not be buying any more Charlie Bears! These bears are not cheap and the level of customer service received did not meet the required legal standards nor have we received any such mention of ‘good will’ in resolving this issue.

I got my first Charlie bear as a gift in 2019, fast forward to 2024 I’ve collected 20, I love them so much and the detail and materials are so lovely. It’s my 22nd birthday today and I’ve just received Terence from my parents. It’s so special when a loved one picks a bear for you, it makes the gift that more important and special.

I haven’t had any issues with CBs. I love the bears I have. The only thing I’d say is the cost of the newest bears. They are out of reach for me, especially for collecting and reselling (as I tend to buy, enjoy, replace). I love my older bears as they seem more unique in the faces plus they seem better quality. They are much smaller collections and thus rarer too.
I love the minimo range, it is high quality, but they have ceased making them.

Charlie Bears have proven themselves to be a lazy, anti-consumer company selling sub-par products with clearly no pride in their work.

Bears are sold in such awful condition it is disgusting. There is no consistency, with eyes that are wonky, fur that is missing and more worringly, broken (see the recent bear 'Babs' with a commonly torn ribbon). This 'unique'nonsense they use is an excuse for cheap products and awful quality control.

In addition, not only do their bears amount to false advertising, they are so far behind in production, pre-orders are pointless. Excuse after excuse with this company.

I implore every one thinking of investing in Charlie bears to NOT do it under any circumstance. There are far better companies out there deserving of your custom - this pitiful assortment of inexcusable mediocrity is not.

Charlie Bears have been in my life for almost 8 years now - I love their bears so much. I only have a small collection of just 10 Charlie Bears but they mean the world to me. All my dealings with them have been very good, they really seem to care about their collectors and that makes them a very special company in mind eyes.

I’ve been a collector of Charlie bears a while now and always thought the service was excellent, until I had a problem with a faulty bear which I returned back to them special delivery, I can see they received it the next day from tracking they are telling me they can’t find this bear so unable to refund me ??? I’m really upset that they won’t replace or refund me I even told them I don’t feel right about collecting anymore they understand my frustration but nothing they can do. They have obviously lost the bear at their end or it’s been thrown out as it was a very small bear. My opinion is that they are very good when your buying a bear and very helpful but terribly bad at solving a problem and taking ownership of mistakes. I’m really upset this has happened and gutted at their response.

This company reminds me of Christmas morning every day. It’s such a warm environment. The bears are beautiful and I don’t agree with the negative reviews at all. The bears are all different, that’s what makes them special. No 2 bears are exactly alike. I love being able to pick a face and I just adore all the little details and designs. I wish I had found this company sooner. I bet the guys that work there adore their jobs, I know I would!

Received the Beautiful Isabelle Masterpiece 2023 - perfection! as always, excellent quality and packaged with love and care. Delivered next day, excellent condition. Highly recommend this company, they do care and their bears do have their own personalities.

Bought a mohair bear for the wife. When it arrived, she didn't like it although had practically been talked into having it and if not liking sending it back.

Under the selling regulations Charlie Bears are supposed to refund your delivery cost. When challenged on this they referred to the return cost that we had to pay. We already knew that, and I pointed out that we were talking about the delivery cost refund.

Charlie Bears then did what Charlie Bears do ignored any other contact with them rather than refunding
what they were supposed to have done. Wife has decided that they have overstepped the mark one to many times and has called it a day, with over 300 of their bears you would think they would treat loyal customers with more respect than they do. Seems they are just in this to make what they can from the public rather then respect loyal buyers.

Bought my first bear in 2008, amazing couple and brand, very warm family feel,

Now for past few years their success is well deserved though it’s lost that personal friendly family
And affordability feel,

Their extended staff are so out of touch with reality and are as good as robots

And a lot of their bears are very similar to each other way to expensive
It’s a shame I am in mourning for how they use to be

Be great if you could bring back the human family understanding

I agree it’s definitely a cult feel

Wont buy from again.

I bought a Charlie Bear for a little girls birthday. Arrived today squashed in a cardboard box with a DHL label stuck to it. That was it. No proper packing or inner gift box

Phoned Customer Service to be told they don’t have any gift boxes left. Really???? What kind of company are you that won’t provide a gift box with your bears when they are such an expensive purchase. I’m sure many people like myself buy them as gifts.

My first and last Charlie Bear. I will stick with Steiff Bears who have in my opinion nicer bears and better packing.

I was choosing between a Steiff Bear and a Charlie Bear for her birthday gift. I really wish I’d gone wifh Steiff Bears. It’s too late to return the Charlie Bear and get a Steiff Bear in time for her birthday.

I wouldn’t recommend Charlie Bears from this experience with the company.

I agree with the other negative statements these bears are all made abroad and shipped over big impact on the environment,on top of that they are poor quality and very expensive.
It should state on the website where they are made but it just says finished off in Thailand which is wrong as they are made there.
No negative comments are allowed on the Charlie bears sites at all and if you do you get removed.

Since one half of the creators of Charlie Bears directed customers to review and it would seem these reviews can remain public, even if they are critical of the company prompted me to review.

Firstly I love bears and I found Charlie Bears by accident in about 2008. They had a unique selling point then in that the bears were high quality plush or mohair, all ranges were reasonably priced for the product and they felt like a luxurious purchase. A beautiful bear presented in a canvas bag. I quickly became addicted adding bears to my collection however slowly, as the company sought expansion into other countries etc. I felt gradually quality decreased while prices went up . For example now an average plush bear will cost you around £80. The tags are folded with info for different countries unlike the cute round tags of old and usually are generic with a printed label stuck on the back detailing the bears name and product code. Sadly no more bags either.

With the expansion also came the deterioration of the Best Friend Club membership. In the early days you joined and buy and large could select a bear from this exclusive range with a guarantee to purchase. That all changed, except the marketing of the club implied access to exclusive bears but actually its now a wish list. Firstly bears were offered to members by ballot and latterly it's "fastest finger first" , so actually the club does not guarantee access to exclusive bears at all. Interestingly when it was the ballot system, the same people (I suspect people who spent lots on bears) were chosen repeatedly for these bears .

In the case of a very popular mohair bear which I requested and not surprisingly didn't get, I did contact the company to ask about the ballot system and to highlight the above issue of false marketing in terms of access to exclusive products, no surprise to learn I received no reply probably due to my criticism.

Now I appreciate that the above is clever marketing to create hype, generate a feeling of exclusivity and ultimately create more sales and more desirability for similar products, that's how businesses work but it took me a while to realise that this approach, rather than heightening my enjoyment of bears , was actually making me upset, bring unable to get bears I wanted.
In addition I'm also aware of how stockists are treated as customers, having no idea what stock will arrive or when which must be a nightmare. Smaller stockists waiting longer, presumably because they don't bring in as much capital as bigger retailers.

So now I've stopped being a club member. I own over 700 Charlie Bears but I'll only get an occasional one and not buy into the hype.

Sadly I suspect many long term collectors will feel the same, having seen a decline in quality, rise in price and more and more marketing techniques to make you fear of missing out on a bear. Not to mention that most people only have finite amounts of space.

For a company as young as Charlie Bears to remain competitive I honestly believe they need to change their approach.

1) Take a constructive approach to criticism and respond to any, even if its just a message to placate customers. At least they'll feel valued in that you bothered to respond.

2) Improve the quality of the bears and focus on smaller ones. Do a petit-plush range or something but with more interesting designs than what is offered in the 2023 collection.

3) Change it up a bit. There's so many talented up and coming artists who sell their work on the likes of Bearpile. Give them the opportunity to work with you, create different designs while giving their career a boost.

4) Look to do collaborations, whether it's a bear in partnership with a local or UK business. Perhaps even do more charity collaborations but stick with local causes.

5) Value your stockists more! The high street is dying and we need to support retailers, not mess them around.

I hope my feedback is at least considered.

I decided to make a list of good points & points where I think there could be improvement (as there is always room for improvement with every company!)

I have been collecting Charlie Bears for years now, at one point I had over 100 of them!

GOOD POINTS:

I personally have never had an issue with any faults or quality. To me, nothing else compares to Charlie Bears, they are absolutely beautiful! They have a lovely weight to them & always the best quality materials are used. They have always come to me well packaged from the Bearhouse, strong boxes, then wrapped well in tissue paper and presented well with a bear care guide & recipe card.

I have the utmost respect for William and Charlie Morris, they really are hardworking, honest people & they are really quite 'hands on' within the company & you can see they are proud of their business & rightly so. It's come a long way in the years I've been collecting.

I think membership is really good value for money. At only £15, you get a £10 voucher & a lovely catalogue & then further smaller secret collection catalogues throughout the year. You also get various little bits, badges, Birthday cards/Xmas cards etc. So when you factor in postage & packing too for the catalogues & cards to get to you, it really is such good value! (And technically you only spend £5 as you get £10 back in a voucher!)

I like that the Bearhouse use DPD as their courier. You are always sent an email to confirm when your order is on its way & you are able to track the order. The day of delivery you are given a 1 hour time slot which is brilliant!

The Bearhouse Facebook group is brilliant, I feel the admin really do their best to run it & to keep it a positive, pleasant and cheerful place to be. I've made some lifelong friends through that group! There are over 16k members now, so I'm guessing that running the group is no easy task! Life is hard at times, bear collecting and that Facebook group is a welcome escape from real life for me. It's nice to have an escape that is fun and lighthearted.

WHERE I FEEL THERE COULD BE IMPROVEMENT:

Bears eye whites! Sometimes I've had bears where they're so uneven, I've usually had to even them up myself. I understand that they are hand made, so there are going to be little imperfections here & there, but I do feel the eye whites really do alter the expression on a bear and if they are done badly, it really stands out. So I feel more attention should be paid here to have them looking even and neat.

Lastly, I feel it would be good to have some more affordable bears within the collections again. I understand prices have to rise given the current climate. But sadly it is pricing a lot of us out of collecting now. The Bearhouse range used to be more budget friendly. Whilst the detail in them have greatly improved over the years, so have the prices unfortunately. I am still collecting but have massively had to slow down due to the cost of living. Would love to see something more budget friendly so loyal collectors can still treat ourselves now & again without the guilt!!! Would also be nice to have something for kids to be able to use 'pocket money' on again.

EDITED 1/8/23: I had made a point about the Bearhouse not always providing photos on request (which I have now deleted). As Since my review, they have been happy to send photos when I have asked! This is really great, as each one can be so different where they are handmade. Thank you Bearhouse for listening to your collectors & for the excellent customer service!

So that's my review. Overall I love Charlie Bears and have no issue recommending them as a company. They honestly do care and will quite often ask for our opinions in the Facebook group & that will usually come from the proprietors themselves, how many companies are that hands on nowadays really? They then set about making changes to try & keep the majority of their customers happy. Well done Charlie Bears, you're a fab team! There will always be things every company could improve on & you can never keep every person happy all of the time, but respect for always doing your best! Keep up the fab work & keep those gorgeous bears coming!

I have been a collector of top quality teddy bears for very many years and, consequently, had already amassed quite a considerable hug by the time Charlie Bears arrived on the scene. I’m not one to part with my bears, therefore, with a home already bursting at the seams with my existing hug, I had to try so very hard to resist this new and exciting range of collectible bears. Well, I put up a good fight, which became futile in the end as, eventually, I succumbed to their charms and have never looked back!
The range of bears and creatures which are made by Charlie Bears is indeed diverse with creations so utterly enchanting and addictive that I would joke that they must sprinkle them with some kind of fairy dust to cast a magical spell over us all!
Over all the years that I have been collecting Charlie Bears, I have never had any issues with regards to quality or service. The founders of the company, Charlie and William Morris, are a highly personable couple whose enthusiasm for their products is just as infectious as the bears themselves. They interact fully with their collectors and encourage our participation and opinions, with William being a regular presence on their Bearhouse Facebook page. For these reasons, I find some of the criticisms and negativity levelled towards them personally quite unfathomable. The suggestion of a “cult” just seems plain daft to me! Yes, they do have collectors going right the way back to their early days and whom they met in person when they did their tours around the UK. The fact that they remember these collectors and know their names after so many years is to their credit. Sadly, it does seem to me that, in a few cases, Charlie and Will’s endeavours to connect with us all have gone against them, which is a real shame.
Without wishing in any way to negate the experiences of others, I do feel that perhaps some of the complainants need to look at the bigger picture. The recent Pandemic literally turned the whole world “on its head”, negatively affecting many aspects of our lives, no doubt including very many manufacturing companies, besides Charlie Bears. Now we have a cost of living crisis, where just about everything has risen in price, not just Charlie Bears. It is all relative. Yes, Charlie Bears are a luxury, however, the collections are really diverse, and that also includes their prices.
We have a Charlie Bears Collectors’ Club which offers us so much for very little in the way of a joining fee, including a beautifully produced, quality catalogue, which, in my opinion is in itself is a collectors’ item.
Where they are based in Cornwall, Charlie Bears have created the most amazing “Museum Home” for their creations. At present, through distance and personal circumstances, I am unable to make a visit, however, I have seen many photos of this truly magical, wondrous place and can only imagine the atmosphere and feelings of actually being there.
Their presence in Launceston will have provided jobs for the locals, those employed by them affectionately referred to as the “Bear Cubs”….they even name some of their bears after their employees, which I feel is such a lovely gesture.
All in all, I just can’t find any fault with Charlie Bears. They are a progressive company, producing such endearing and delightful characters that really do give so much joy and pleasure to those who collect them and, in many cases, provide comfort through difficult times.
Long may they continue!

Always the most warm and friendly welcome whether on the phone or in the shop. Great service with well trained and professional staff. The shop and museum are a wonderful escape into a magical world that Charlie and Will have created for us all to enjoy. Staff can not be more helpful and always ready to assist. The quality of everything done is of the highest standard be that bears or the museum its self. Great place to visit for everyone