***BEANIE BABY OFFICIAL CLUB NEWS***
More Info on Clubby
December 1, 1998
We have an update on the number of registration cards that have incomplete or missing addresses. The corrected count is 6000 (Six thousand or so) with just over 300 having been fixed. The count was skewed because the original count included the cards which were destroyed by the post office. (and you wonder why Clubby is in such bad shape when he arrives?) .
We're still getting tons of mail on these and I've noticed some of these questions on my favorite site (yours!): .
1) Why is Clubby being sold in stores now and what happens to my order? .
Due to unbelievable pressure from consumers, Clubby is now available for purchase AT THE STORE, WHEN YOU BUY THE KIT. Great. And since Ty has not been able to control the price of beanies, what's gonna happen to the price of the kits and Clubby? Bad idea. But, Ty is trying to make beanie fans happy. I applaud his efforts. The reason is to try to avoid some of the problems that have been encountered in shipping Clubby one at a time. I personally think tag protectors and boxes for shipping are the best way to go. Oh well, as you can see, I'm not exactly on the board of directors. Many Clubbys have been stolen en route. And since this is the US Postal Service.....File a claim! It is ridiculous that they are being stolen when they should be safe in transport! Perhaps this will be the way to go. Who knows. .
What does this mean for everyone still waiting for their Clubby to ship? He's still coming. Provided all your information was correct and complete of course. You can go to the store and buy another kit if you like. You will still receive the Clubby you ordered. .
2) Why does it take so long to fix my address in the system? .
It does NOT take 6 weeks to fix your address. It takes 2-3 days depending on volume. Don't know where ya got that. Not true. .
3) My label has been printed. How long till I get Clubby? .
It is true that the label having been printed means zilch. That does not guarantee a ship date. It has been taking 4-6 weeks, as promised, for Clubby to arrive from the time the order is PROCESSED.
4) What do I do if my child lost his/her Gold Charter Membership Card? .
IF you have already registered, call or email and ask for it. We should have it on file. If you have NOT registered, find it or buy another kit. The Charter Membership number is your proof of purchase. That and only that. The BBOC cannot be held responsible for lost or stolen cards. .
5) There wasn't a card in my kit! How can I register and order Clubby? .
If you did not receive a card in your kit, take it back to the store where you purchased it. They CAN and SHOULD replace it. .
6) There weren't enough numbers on my card or it was blank. What do I do? .
If your card is missing some of the 9 digit numbers required send the original card to the club and it will be replaced. When we replace a card we process it for you right away. We do not replace gold cards if you lost the card but we can provide your number if you are in the system. .
7) Why does it take so long to get through to the BBOC on the phone?
Volume of calls. We do have an answering service handling overflow calls. We take approximately 2-3 thousand an hour and they get a few hundred an hour. We are re-re-re-retraining them. We have the same problem there, though, that we do at our customer service center and it is the reason we had to use a service, Turnover. One girl left in tears after a call. She now works at Wal-Mart. People are so nasty when they call. They assume that we won't help them to begin with and assume they have to get nasty to get results. Please be nice so our reps quit quitting! We can not give you good service with half trained people and we can not keep people when they are treated like trash by the very people they are trying to help. Please pass this on. I know no one at my favorite site would EVER behave that way!!!! .
8) Why can't I join if I don't live in the US? .
There is finally a Canada club and a UK club. Kits should be available WHERE YOU LIVE! You can still use the US club kit if you can provide a US address. Cyrk and Ty are trying to figure out how to handle US kit buyers who are out of the country and do not have a US address available. Letters will be going out shortly to everyone in Canada and the UK who have tried to register without a US address informing them of what, when, where and how. I'll let you know when I see the letter. .
9) I registered on the web site, I got confirmation and a password. Why am I not in the system? .
The web site you registered on is the Beanie Babies Connection. It has NOTHING to do with the BBOC. You MUST mail in your registration card with your complete name, address and member #..
10) I didn't receive a member card with my certificate! .
Your member card came in your kit. (you would not believe the number of nasty letters, emails and phone calls about this one!) .
11) There was no post card in my kit OR I want to keep my kit complete. .
Due to overwhelming demand we will now process Non original registration forms provided the member number is valid and you included a complete name and address. Also, non original Clubby order forms provided the information is complete and correct, the member number is valid and the correct amount is paid. .
12) This kit is for a baby that has not been born yet (or any other reason for leaving the name blank).
Sorry folks. Can't do it. We can't send out blank certificates. Put your name on it and do a name change down the road.
13) Clubby's tag is ruined. .
Ty's current policy is the tag is not reason for replacement. I know I made myself REAL popular with this last time I wrote in. Sorry. I do happen to agree with the collectors though. Did I go up in the polls?
14) The case and/or Clubby is damaged.
Send to the address included on the letter in the package. Please do not send to the Lubbock address. This will delay replacement. If you still have questions call 806-741-0815.
November 12, 1998
There are a couple of things I'd like to address for you.
When you call the 806-741-0815 number be prepared to have the member # of the member you are calling for along with their complete name and address (this if for Grandparents who call about grandkids Clubbys)
Ty is very disappointed with the way the Clubby mailings were handled at the Post Office. The many different shipping methods were researched and it was determined that Priority mail was the most cost effective method that would get Clubby delivered safely. Priority mail is supposed to be hand canceled. Guess the Post Office forgot that or changed their policy.
Clubbys and cases were shipped separately at first. That is why you may have received one without the other. That policy has changed and Clubby will ship with the cases from now on. The reason Clubby was shipped separately was because we could get it out faster. Faster isn't always better so this was changed.
If your order was processed after September, your Clubby should be with it's case (if you ordered one that is). If you receive one without the other please call the 806#.
There is a 3 day turn time for phone call research. If we are unable to reach you we will send a letter. Lots of people don't have answering machines. We work on Saturdays and Sundays trying to call people back. Every attempt is made to call rather than write. We even call back answers to letters if the number is on the letter.
There is a 3 day turn time on emails also. Emails are a bit harder because we got several complaints about "form" emails so now we have to write an individual "letter" to each email. This takes quite a bit more time than cutting and pasting a "formula" answer so expect some delays and time overruns past the 3 days.
Also, we get lots and lots of emails returned as undeliverable. Check with your provider to make sure you are getting your mail. Since we hit "Reply" it should automatically go back to you.
And last, regarding damaged tags. I'm gonna bite the bullet here and hopefully not tick off too many people. Ok, the tag is not part of the toy. It is a toy and the tag is intended to be removed after purchase. Damaged tags are not considered defective merchandise and neither the tag nor the bear will be replaced. Ouch I know but that comes from Ty Warner. The retirements were intended to keep people interested in the toy, not make it a collectors item.
Do not throw out damaged cases! Return them for replacement.
Ya'll still luv me? Hope everyone enjoys the collectors cards. And by the way. The cards don't have anything to do with the club so please do not contact us regarding them. We can't help ya there.
MORE INFO ON CLUBBY
If you are having a problem recieving your order form you can call 1-978-282-4297. If you want to track where your Clubby is, if it has been more than 8 weeks since your check has been cashed 1-806-741-0815
BENT OR CREASED TAG
Did your Clubby arrive with a bent or cresed tag? This is a letter received by Gloria.
Dear Beanie Babies Official Club Member,
Enclosed please find your original Clubby bear. Unfortunately, we are unable to exchange your Clubby. A creased or damaged tag is not considered defective or damaged merchandise. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you. We look forward to bringing you other great Beanie benefits and offerings in the near future.
Sincerely,
Beanie Babies Official Club
***PROBLEMS WITH CLUBBY***
10/1/98-I did finally get a response to the e-mail to Cyrk about the excess Express shipping fee paid on the Clubby. I was told to bring the matter to the attention of Ty's Complaint Dept.
Ty Inc. Complaint Dept.
PO BOX 5377
Oakbrook, IL. 60522
9/24/98-If you are having problems getting your Clubby, here are some answers for you.
First if you bought a MEMBERSHIP KIT you will get a Clubby! If you sent in and ordered one. You must pay $5.99 plus shipping to get one.They are not FREE because you purchased the KIT!
If it has been more than 8 weeks since you sent in your certificate and you have not received the order form. Send a letter explaining the problem with your NAME ~ ADDRESS ~ AND A CLEAR PHOTO COPY OF YOUR GOLD MEMBERSHIP CARD.(MUST BE ABLE TO READ THE MEMBERSHIP NUMBER CLEARLY) Send it to:
BEANIE BABIES OFFICIAL CLUB
PO Box 12505
Lubbock, TX. 79452-2505
If you have a complaint about the Clubby you received send a letter to:
ATTN: Defective/Damaged
PO Box 5000
Danvers, MA. 01923
If you have not received your Clubby yet, many others have not received their either, just be pateint. If after all have been sent out you can write to the Danvers, MA. address.
***HEADQUARTERS HAVE CLUBBY***
9/3/98-I just got a copy of the letter that The Official Headquarters are getting when they receive their display Clubby.
July 27,1998
Dear Retail Partner,
Congratulations! We want to thank you for joining us as a Beanie Babies Official Club Headquarters, and to show our appreciation we've enclosed the one and only Clubby, the exclusive BBOC Bear, Clubby comes with a beautiful water clear collector's case for your display purposes, and even better, both Clubby and the case are yours to keep at the end of this promotion!
If you missed it, Clubby was introduced at the Atlanta trade show earlier this month,along with several new products from Ty, Inc., including Beanie Babies Official 1999 Calendars, the only true Official Ty Heart Tag Protectors, and the Beanie Babies Official Trading Cards and accessories. We will be sending more information to you shortly on how to order.
We're sure Clubby will cause quite a stir in your store, so please display him wisely. Clubby should not be used for resale--because of the huge demand for him, we can only send each Official Club Headquarters one Clubby, so please be sure to keep him safe please!
We hope you'll enjoy your time with Clubby. We look forward to bring you more exciting Beanie Babies Official Club news in the future!
Sincerely,
Ty Warner Ty, Inc.
***CLUBBY HAS ARRIVED!***
-9/1/98-(FACT)I received a e-mail today from the company making the BBOC Kits! They said that Clubby has arrived and they have started to ship CLUBBY! They said it will take about 6 weeks for them to ship all the orders out, but to please be patient. They would start with the order that paid for the express shipping first! They also said everyone who ordered Clubby will recieve one. Ty has now also posted this announcement on thier BBOC CLUB PAGE!
***LOTS OF BBOC NEWS FROM ATLANTA***
7/17/98-Ty Reps. release lots of news at ATLANTA GIFT SHOW for BBOC CLUB MEMBERS. BBOC retailer will be able to sell a new BBOC Calendar. There will be 3 styles- a wall calendar 11"x7", a daily heart shaped desk calendar, and a weekly caldendar all will sell in the $10. range. The calendar will be for sale around the end of Sept.
Ty also released news of Beanie Babie Trading Cards, the first release will be 9 sets numbering between 90-100 cards, which will include current, retired, and puzzle cards. A pack of cards will go for about $2. A notebook binder will be available for about $10, which will also carry the Ty logo.
***TY UNVEILS CLUBBY ON THEIR SITE!***
7/10/98-Ty unveils CLUBBY on their BBOC site this morning. Stating this will be one of the most sought after bears. The bears are being shipped with a BBOC pin. Ty will display the new Bear at the Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishing Show on Saturday July 11th. Ty says they received hundreds of thousands of orders for CLUBBY, from people who didn't even know what he looked like. Also Ty Stated plans for future offerings to club members is already under way.
***CLUBBY MAKES HIS DEBUT!!!***
7/9/98-Today on the Today Show Katie Couric and a Ty Rep. Pat Brady let us all see "CLUBBY" he is a royal blue teddy bear with BBOC logo on his chest, and a tie-dyed ribbon around his neck!!So they should be shipping them soon!!I can't wait to see mine!!
July 7, 1998
Wearing his club pin for all to see,
He's a proud member like you and me,
Made especially with you in mind,
Clubby the bear is one of a kind!
***CLUBBY???***
7/5/98-(RUMOR)Receiving more e-mails stating that "CLUBBY" is royal Blue with BBOC logo on him! I guess I'll have to wait and see!
***CLUBBY ON THE WAY??***
7/5/98-I received my bank statement and the check I sent in for CLUBBY has been cash, I hope that means CLUBBY is on the way! I also have received a few e-mails stating they have received their CLUBBY, one says he's a brown Teddy Bear with the TY heart logo on the chest.
***CLUBBY ON TIME??***
6/15/98-(RUMOR)Will Clubby be deliver on time in July? The rumor is that Clubby is still in production, that is why no one has seen or knows what Clubby will look like. Clubby is suppose to be shipped the first of July, we'll have to wait a little bit longer. I will let you know when mine arrives.
***I GOT MY CERTIFICATE***
6/1/98-I received my certificate today it came in a 6x9 white envolope with a Ty heart in the left hand corner. The cerificate has my name on it and came with a matt for framing with Beanies Babies all around it. Also in it is the cerificate to order "CLUBBY". I have already mailed it back will let you know when "CLUBBY" arrives.
This is a picture of the order form for CLUBBY, he will not be shipped until July, but you can send in the order form as soon as you receive it.
***CLUBBY STILL A SECRET***
5/30/98-Ty is still not letting us see what Clubby looks like, Ty did post the BBOC Kit but no picture of Clubby. I guess we'll have to wait.
***NEWS ON NEW CLUBBY!!!***
5/15/98-Ty's BBOC WEB SITE has news on how to get CLUBBY!-You will receive a reply card when your certificate is returned to you and you will be able to send in for Clubby. It also says a lot of new offers will be coming for club members only!
***CLUBBY?***
5/20/98-The picture that was here of "CLUBBY" was a fake. The tag on it was an older 3 Generation tag, and the tag on Clubby would have to be a newer tag. Thank you to all of you that pointed this out.
***TY ANNOUNCES CLUBBY FOR BBOC MEMBERS ONLY***
Clubby the BEAR is for BBOC Club members only, you can purchase for $5.99 plus postage. But you must sign and send in Membership cerificate.
***THIS IS A LIMITED TIME OFFER!***
**THE OFFICIAL TY MEMBERSHIP KIT**
5/4/98-Since the announcement of the new club beanie some stores have raised the cost of the kit.I went in one store on Saturday after the annoucement of Clubby the price of the kit had gone up $5. Two days before the clerk told me they weren't selling very good and they were thinking of sending them back, now they are almost gone!
4/27/98-CLUB MEMBERS WILL BE ABLE TO PURCHASE A BEANIE ONLY FOR CLUB MEMBERS. I was told today by a retailer, that speical promotions will only be availible to club members you must purchase the club kit and send in the certificate to be able to purchase this beanie.
(I do have some kits for sale.)
4/15/98-I was just told by the retailer were I buy my Beanies that in order to become an Official Club Headquaters they must purchase $1500. worth of Plush from TY. The retailer told me this is going to be very difficult for smaller Gift Shops like her to do because she just can't afford to buy that much at one time.So the kits are going to be hard to find.
4/5/98-I just bought my kit. It's really nice, there is a gold membership card (like a credit card),you can send in for a certificate with your name on it. there's a sign for your room (like a do not disturb sign).A really nice Beanie check list, and some great stickers that you can put on the poster that comes with it.It all comes in a little carrying case.
