Do not order from here! The website looks enticing but they are awful. I ordered a product for my niece near Christmas. It came in wrong size. When I called to exchange, they said I had to make another purchase and return the first one. Should have been my red flag but I was just focused on Christmas. I found a better product elsewhere and tried to cancel the 2nd order (about an hour after I placed it - 7:45pm) but they claimed it already shipped (didn't arrive in time). Anyways, initiated second return as well.

Customer service is awful! They give you the run around and put you on hold for long periods of time. Rudeness depends on the rep and what you're inquiring about, but none are helpful.

The return process is shady. They tell you to fill out the form on the back of the packing invoice. I did not see one so I called to ask about "using our easy Fedex online service to print a prepaid return label" (which is advertised online). Customer service said they don't do that and instructed me to just write things (i. E. return reason, order number, refund amount, etc) anywhere on the product description paper that comes in the box.

In hindsight, I also realized that the confirmation emails were a different amount than when I checked out on the website.

I have returned both items via UPS with tracking numbers and it says both items were received late Dec. I called in early January to follow-up and they said refunds can take up to 6 weeks (also listed on their site).

I'm calling back today (mid to late February) and the first girl hung up on me (also claimed she couldn't verify that the products were returned). They keep you on the phone for a long time with pauses, "checking," etc, it's all very shady (especially since it's midnight). The 2nd person had kept me on the phone for over 30 minutes. I was getting impatient when she also tried to give pushback on the returns so I pushed back harder. She finally claimed her supervisor approved of the refund and then changed their tone saying they'll refund me, which will take 3-4 weeks. Obviously, they do this so that it may be too late to dispute the charges so I went ahead and started a dispute with credit card company. Fingers crossed!

Makes me sick because I came across this website after a catalogue was delivered to my house. The elderly lady who lived here before us had been receiving it, I wonder how many times she's been duped and scammed from buying gifts for her grandchildren.

JUST A PIECE OF HISTORY REGARDING THE PROMISED REBATE (SENT TO VIP)
"Dec. 17,2015
To whom it may concern:
I am enclosing the required documentation which you requested I submit in order to receive the rebate promised to me in the "VIP welcome letter" I received recently (no date on the letter). Over the past two weeks or so, I have tried repeatedly to gather the documentation you required for proof-of-purchase, to no avail:
1. No sales receipt—I ordered by phone on Nov. 25 and was given an order number only.
2. Packing slip--Package with my order did not include a price (see enclosed). Further, I had sent a separate package to another party as a gift; consequently, no sales receipt with price sent to me.
3. Order confirmation—I never received any confirmation in any form from you. I had only an order number.

Your welcome letter suggested I could submit a claim online at YoungExplorers VIP.com. No such luck! I called your customer service number a half dozen times, with the following "results":

1. First CS agent said to go online where I would find claim form to submit. It is not there! There is only a list of directions for filing—but no form to fill out!
2. Second call to CS: I asked for an email confirmation and gave my email address. I never received that confirmation by email, after it was promised.
3. Third call to CS: I was told your company does not send out email confirmations; no further help—just told that I should be able to do this on online. I WAS, however, given specific data needed to fill in the claim form. YOUR CS dept. had that info from detailed files—why would I have had to provide copies of the detailed file info?
4. Fourth call to CS—just trying to contact a different agent for a more satisfactory result: same inadequate response re: online.
5. FINALLY I connected with a CS agent named Matthew. (unfortunately, I never got his last name nor an agent #--and we were disconnected; in my location at that time, I wasn't able to make another call to the CS number). BUT…Matthew followed through anyway! Imagine that! He told me it was possible to mail me detailed confirmation info! Why couldn't anyone else suggest/do that?! I received it soon after and am enclosing it all, including his personal note to me, with this mailing. MATTHEW DESERVES NO LESS THAN A PROMOTION—AT LEAST A HOLIDAY BONUS!—FOR DOING HIS JOB WELL AND COURTEOUSLY! THANK YOU, MATTHEW! (:
6. Before I received Matthew's mailing, I made one more call to CS and spoke with a young woman (name unknown) who also told me it was possible to mail the required materials. Finally, I have to say that I plan to cancel my VIP membership before the grace period runs out and I have to pay for it monthly! DO YOU BLAME ME?! One of your CS agents told me that Jan 1,2016 would be the absolute deadline for me to do so. But, when I placed the order, I was told it would be one month from order date (would be Dec. 25). To add to the confusion, the agent who took my order told me I should wait for the rebate check and deposit it in my bank before I cancelled the free membership! (I mentioned that to another CS agent who told me that the first one shouldn't have said that!)..."
I could add more, but sum it up to say that I called to check on this (1-15-16), only to be told it would be up to three more weeks before I received anything owed me since my request had been processed only a few days earlier! MORE THAN ENOUGH 'WORDS TO THE WISE' HERE AND THIS IS ONLY A FRAGMENT OF THE LETTER I SENT TO THEM!

A friend sent my son a $100.00 item from Young Explorer's for his birthday. We felt funny exchanging the item, but decided it was too similar to something he already had. I have purchased items many times before, as well, from YE).
After paying $26.00 (oversized, insured, UPS) out of pocket (which I knew ahead of time I would be doing), Young Explorers received the item December 3. (Three separate times I called mid-day and was told to call later due to "heavy calls"). I had written on the back of the return form the items we wanted in lieu of the original gift just as their instructions stated; but, one month later... nothing arrived. So I called, spoke to a rep who acknowledged the account was noted Dec. 23. Now, two weeks later and MULTIPLE follow up phone calls, I have been told me that they credited her credit card (which they say is now being declined) and are unable to exchange the item. Their UNPUBLICIZED/UNWRITTEN store policy is that EVERY item is ALWAYS credited back and requested items for EXCHANGE are then RECHARGED to the purchaser. So, the bottom line is the gift giver ALWAYS know if the recipient returns the gift for something else (which can be awkward). In my case, I would actually have to call my friend and say, "Can you please call them and give them a new credit card number because for all I know your expiration date is different from the one in their computer or your card number was stolen and you've cancelled your card." My friend is financially secure; that is not the issue. HOW AWKWARD TO HAVE TO DO THIS! HOW AWKWARD FOR THE GIVER TO KNOW IF YOU ARE EXCHANGING THE GIFT! This "exchange" policy is not printed anywhere on the form but according to YE it is their state law. One person I spoke with said, "Let me ask my supervisor if we can issue a gift card..." "unfortunately, no." I was told this again (after I requested to please speak to the supervisor). Sadly, the "supervisor" was INCREDIBLY indifferent and basically read a "one size fits all" script on how to handle situations like these. I will definitely ask my friend if she has been credited for the amount, and I will encourage her and ALL of my friends to shop elsewhere for true customer service. They need to take a lesson from Zappos, Target, or the Department of Motor Vehicles for that matter. Very disappointing. I never raised my voice or used bad language, but did tell them their customer service is extremely misleading, disappointing, and certainly not geared towards satisfying their customers. It is NOT 100% as stated on their website.