Hot Topic Reviews 441

TrustScore 2 out of 5

2.1

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Review summary

Based on reviews, created with AI

Most reviewers were unhappy with their experience overall. Many people expressed significant dissatisfaction with the customer service, citing unhelpful interactions and difficulties in resolving issues. Customers frequently reported problems with their orders, including cancellations without notice, incorrect items being sent, and prolonged processing times for pre-orders. There were also complaints about defective products and issues with refunds not being processed correctly. Conversely, some people were satisfied with their in-store experiences, highlighting friendly and helpful staff who made their shopping enjoyable. A few other people also felt that the product quality was good and that the ordering process was easy.

What people talk about most

Order

Reviewers mention ambiguous feedback about order. Many customers report issues with orders being canceled,... See more

Product

People report ambiguous experiences with product. While some customers praise the quality of items,... See more

Customer service

Clients share negative opinions on customer service. Many reviewers report terrible experiences, citing... See more

Retail

Users describe ambiguous interactions with retail. Some customers praise the friendly customer service, cute... See more

Staff

Customers had ambiguous experiences with staff. Many reviewers praised individual employees, highlighting... See more

Based on these reviews

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Would have left a 1 star, but 2 months later I got my purchase refunded. I REALLY wanted my order. It was pre-ordered and they never notified me that they hadn't delivered. Tracking said UPS awaiting... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

This is the 3rd time this has occurred to me, but they keep canceling my orders with little to no notice. This time I ordered online and chose to pick up at a nearby store that has it in stock and the... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Terrible company. I operate a small business and I’m tax exempt. I have to call after every order to have the sales taxes removed from my orders. Recently they did not include an item and won’t refund... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Ordered 2 t-shirts on 12/11/25 and they sent USPS. Checked tracking and package hadn't moved in 2 days so reached out hoping to get a hand. Person wouldn't help me until the next day as USPS had till... See more


Company details

  1. Clothing Store
  2. Printed Clothing Store
  3. Streetwear Store
  4. T-Shirt Store
  5. Women's Clothing Store

Information provided by various external sources

Everything about the music... and more! Hot Topic specializes in music and pop culture based fashion including Rock T-Shirts, Skinny Jeans, Band Tees, Music Tees, Novelty T-Shirts and more - Hot Topic


Contact info

2.1

Poor

TrustScore 2 out of 5

441 reviews

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Well I've bought a few times from this…

Well I've bought a few times from this company and it's been fine till its not..... so I ordered 2x bags and 2x matching purses and they have cancelled the bags I asked them if they could cancel my whole order as I don't need purses as they match the bags they said no... tho u can still buy the bag online they said it was out of stock... not only that they have charged me the same shipping for the 3 purses as the whole order instead of sending me a refund they are unwilling to do so..... be warned this company is shocking.

December 5, 2023
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Three times I ordered a t-shirt and all…

Three times I ordered a t-shirt and all three times they canceled the order, even tho on the website it didn't state that it was out of stock. Now today (after the order went in a week ago) another item is out of stock and a couple other items are on "backorder". Emailed and got a response from Michael to send me order numbers which I did and havent heard back. Very disappointed in the overall experience and probably won't do business with them again.

November 27, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

HORRID ONLINE SERVICE HOT TOPIC

Horrible two of my most recent packages smell horrid and of smoke this is Abousletly not okay . And not just the packages the clothes and other items smell terrible too . Called customer service they claim all they could do was give me a refund which wouldn't show up till 2-3 weeks , bring the clothes back to a store and they'd try to help me find replacements for them. Half are out of stock . Oh and also they have an order limit once you reach it they reverse your order this policy is no where clearly stated. on their website I used to be a fan of hot topic but now I am not! Do not order from thier online store!!! Buy in person from a store! or find an alternative!!!!!!!!!!! This is beyond crappy!. The smell was bad enough I almost fainted and threw up. Screw online hot topic!!!!!!!!

November 23, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I was purchasing items at the register…

I was purchasing items at the register 11/11/2023 at 1p. The male employee began asking me if I wanted a rewards something I said no because I had to drop my kids off and was in a hurry, the female employee standing next to him said to him “what do you type to slow”. Nothing will be done because everyone is short staffed but she lied and told me “he can give you 20 percent off too” I only got 10 percent off! That girl should honestly be fired but again companies put up with this out of desperation. Awful person a bully and liar! I was so upset it ruined my entire day shopping. I was so angry I didn’t say anything to her! I’ll never go to hot topic again. I spend hundreds there too. Salem Nh mall

November 11, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

SCAMMERS BEWARE

SCAMMERS BEWARE, HOT TOPIC DOES NOT ISSUE ADJUSTMENTS ON SALE ITEMS OR ADDITIONAL PERCENTAGES OFF! THE ADVERTISED PRICE WILL SHOW, BUT ONCE THE PRICE IS IN THE CART, THE ORIGINAL PRICE SHOWS. CUSTOMER SERVICE WILL SAY THAT THE PRICE WILL SHOW AND YOUR ADJUSTMENT WILL BE APPLIED TO YOUR ORIGINAL PAYMENT WITHIN 5 TO 7 BUSINESS DAYS. NOT TRUE! CHECK YOUR BANK STATEMENTS. CALLED CUSTOMER SERVICE AND I WAS ON HOLD FOR MORE THAN 15 MINUTES.

September 21, 2023
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Additional Fees

I returned an item for a refund (wanted an exchange but they didn't have the size I wanted). When I got the refund, it was of a lower amount. I was aware that they deducted the shipping cost from the total but they charged additional fees so I had even less. They don't include this in the invoice, you're just surprised about it later. I had to contact support to find out about it.

I use to shop here all the time, but now I'll just stick to Vampire Freaks.

October 20, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Such rude workers.

So rude! My daughter tried to ask if they had any danganronpa items because they have danganronpa t-shirts, funkos, etc. They said no VERY rudely. She is a child. This doesnt deserve even 1 star! I wish i could give 0 stars.

September 17, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

As soon as I walked I felt sick to my…

As soon as I walked I felt sick to my stomach, Elena was very aggressive, pushy and RUDE . I have been a FAITHFUL CUSTOMER for over TWENTY YEARS ! Every other Hot topic that I’ve been to has always accepted my husband’s disabled veteran ID for a military discount. Elena said they only accept active duty I’d for discount. I brought a sweater and left with tears in my eyes! The reason I brought the sweater is it was the only Hot topic that had my size!

September 14, 2023
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

TOOK TWO MONTHS TO RECIEVE ITEMS READ MORE

TOOK TWO MONTHS TO RECIEVE ITEMS.
THE QUALITY IS POOR AND UNLIKE THE UNITED STATES QUALITY THAT YOU'D WEAR HERE.
THEY ARE OUT OF CHINA!!!
IN ORDER TO RECIEVE A REFUND I (THE CUSTOMER) HAVE TO JUMP THROUGH HOOPS AND WAIT DAYS AND DAYS ON RESPONSES AND THEN THEY MAKE YOU SEND IT BACK ON YOUR DIME AND UPS WANTED 400.00 TO MAIL IT (NO JOKE) SO I TOLD THEM THAT AND THEY OFFERED ME 10 percent BACK. STAY CLEAR OF THIS SCAMMING COMPANY.

June 20, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 4 out of 5 stars

My kids are huge HT fans

My kids are huge HT fans. In the many years that we've shopped there and we have spent a lot of money at HT! Best advise to moms, this is basically a fandom/fast fashion store that sells overpriced low to mediocre merch. It's fair to say 50% of their clothes are "wear a couple of times and trash it". BUT, anytime we've ordered a print tshirt and it's arrived in horrible condition, HT is immediate to respond, ask for pics and replace. I couldn't ask for better customer service. And that is WHY we continue to shop there but we shop by reviews and only shop sales and use the bejuju out of coupons and HT cash. They really have no competition in their price point unless you go to one of the popular fast fashion international online stores and honestly, they are cheaper and identical in quality but lack the customer service that HT has.

August 4, 2023
Unprompted review
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Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/10

Just got my stuff today in the mail. I ordered earrings and an anklet. I've shopped in person before, and I have to say, they have the cutest jewelry. I've only experienced my jewelry breaking one time, but that was my fault, because I stepped on it. Their earrings are great quality and it's one of my favorite places to buy jewelry and accessories. I've had one of my pairs of earrings for almost a year, and they haven't changed color, and their quality hasn't worn down yet! 10/10 I must say though, it's a little overpriced

August 2, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

DONT USE THE WEBSITE. DO NOT SHIP TO YOUR HOME. ONTRAC/LASERSHIP LIES

Maybe I can post my review here. Since Hot Topic said it can’t be published cause it didn’t “meet the guidelines” ANYWAY Got an email saying that it arrived on 07-09-2023. I got home and it wasn’t at my door or in my mailbox. I checked the tracking number and it shows it’s been delivered. There is a signature that is not mine. The shipping company is a private company I was not familiar with. OnTrac/Lasership. They have a pretty bad reputation for losing packages or lying about packages being delivered. I’ve contacted them and they told me to wait 2 business days for a respond. They didn’t respond. I had to contact them again just to get a response for them to say they can’t find it and can’t provide me any details such as who the delivery person was, whose signature that was on the receipt, who their manager is, their customer service number. Hot Topic has an even worse policy that I have to wait 5 business days for them to do anything. So I’m out of $100 for four weeks. And I got this item with the intend on going to see the movie. So by the time I get it, if I decide to, the anticipation for the movie will be over. But my issue is that on Hot Topic’s website it says they deliver through USPS with standard shipping. I chose the standard shipping. So I do not understand why my stuff is being delivered through OnTrac. If you’re planning on buying anything I would go to the store or have it shipped to the store. Cause no way will OnTrac lie about not having it go to the store. And I highly doubt the employees would tell you to wait 5 business days to get the items that are in the store.
Someone mentioned on here that they received a knockoff from the site. And the more I think about it, I did order a shirt a few years ago that never matched what the picture was on the website. Yeah just don’t use the website

July 9, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Really nice employees and great customer service!

I’ve only been to Hot Topic twice but both times I spoke to the same employee. The employee’s name was Chris and he was very nice (he also complimented my Billie Eilish shirt). Chris was super friendly and made me want to visit again. The two times I’ve been there we’ve had nice conversations that I really enjoyed. All the employees were super kind and helpful, this is the kind of customer service we need everywhere else. I also love the whole aesthetic/vibe of the store, it feels very welcoming and I love all of the graphic tee’s. I hope one day I can work there when I’m older and have amazing co-workers like the ones I met when I went. I can’t wait to go there again to see all their merchandise and to hopefully have more nice conversations with the employees.

July 6, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Today I went to hot topic southcentre😐

Today I went to hot topic southcentre I bought some stuff I went to checkout the guy said there is 30% off sanrio stuff and 50% off jewerly and after the guy started scanning the items before he did I saw that he put 44$ before he started scanning the total there was 89$ but he did the 50% and 30% off after I went home i saw something strange that my items were only 49$ without any 50% and 30% off cause I got 1 item for 12.90$ from the sanrio section it's 30% off its 9$ and I got 1 item for 16.90$ and 1 for 12.90$ from the jewerly section with 50%off its 15$ without is 30$ and after I got 1 item for 5.90$ no % off the total was supposed to be 15$+6$+9$= 30$

July 5, 2023
Unprompted review
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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Cancelled my last two orders

Cancelled my last two orders. Just sent me emails saying it is out of stock or undeliverable to my address. But they ship to me all the time. So their website is just wrong about their inventory? Twice? I chose a couple things on clearance there first time so I could see those not coming but the other stuff wasn't clearance. And the second order has no clearance product. Just not the customer service I received during all of COVID when they were begging for orders. Now they could care less it be seems.

June 21, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Huge Discounts that don't qualify

They will offer a huge discount on your next purchase. Problem? "Your coupon is valid but your order does not meet the qualifying the threshold. Please update your Shopping Bag." Grammatical errors and all! Why would I shop here if you offer a discount after signing up that doesn't even work? I'll just use the 20% off sitewide code. Oops! You have to buy three items to qualify for this offer. Wow!

June 20, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

nice but overpriced

very cute things but too overpriced
anything you buy here can most likely be found somewhere else for much cheaper, but i really do like their unique merch for artists💗 but overall i think the quality of their clothing/accessories could be better considering the prices.. most of the accessories look cheaply made and the jewelry doesn’t last too long before it falls apart:(

June 19, 2023
Unprompted review

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