Rant - UPDATED

This time, against Webkinz. MM got one from his aunt on Saturday. Sunday morning, we tried to "adopt" it, which means we have to register.

Everything was going fine. Name? Done. Region? Done. Username and password? Done and done. Webkinz code word? Done.

Then it asks us to type in the captcha letters we see on the screen.

Except...we don't see any captcha letters on the screen. And there's no link for "I don't see the letters". So I finally find my way to the help section, which says that we need at least IE 6 and the latest Adobe flash. Well, I've got IE 7 and my Adobe is up-to-date. So then I try to send a note to Webkinz Tech Support.

And here's where they've lost me.

To send a message to tech support, you need to be registered.

But I NEED TECH SUPPORT TO GET REGISTERED!

So I go to Dr. Google and find an email and phone number (not listed on the Webkinz site) and I send an e-mail and leave a phone message. Whereupon I learn that Webkinz tech support is only available 9-5 EST, M-F.

When are most kids playing with their Webkinz? On the weekends and in the evenings.

MM was bummed that he didn't get to play on-line with his new toy, but we showed them! He decorated a box to be a house, and made a little bed out of curly ribbon for his friend and is sleeping cuddled up with her right now.





I know that in the grand scheme of things, this is truly minor. But it irks me that their customer service is so lousy.

UPDATE:
I finally was able to get MM registered (captcha letters appeared late last night), but I haven't gotten a response to either my phone call or my e-mail. Do you think enough people complain over the weekend that they can't get to them all in one eight-hour work day? Or do they just not respond to complaints? I'll let you know if they get back to me!