"After reading the other reviews on here for this merchant, I placed an order with a wary eye. I was not overly concerned about getting the pkg yesterday (that's what brick and mortar stores are for...), only that I got it. Order was placed 6/04/10 3:35 PM, bank processed my payment 6/08/10, and the order was received on 6/14/10, complete and in good shape. Ten Days. The only complaint is in my submission to the site, which follows:

"This is for order #xxxxx xxxxxx‏. After having received your e-mail and replying to it today, I received my order in great shape. Shipping was quicker than expected. My only complaint would be the lack of a shipping confirmation or tracking number, as per your order confirmation e-mail: "When your order is shipped, you will be notified via email with shipping information." My junior rocketeer and I will be using your services again in the future. (I also should have ordered more rocket motors, but I'll blame the kid for that!) Thanks!""

"Avoid Avoid Avoid. I read the reviews and still decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. Big mistake. They advertise items that are not in stock, accepting your order and take your credit card info, even ask what date you need the item by, and then never follow up; in my case it was clear that they had no intention of fulfilling my order or informing me of that fact. A month later, after leaving several messages on their answering machine (no one answers their phone, though i always called during normal business hours), and e-mailing them, I finally received an e-mail that told that they had stopped carrying the line (Thomas the Tank Engine). I'm fine with an item being out of stock, but a phone call or e-mail informing people of that fact is not just a basic courtesy, but a necessity of doing good business. It's unfathomable to me that this company wouldn't think to do this simple thing. Avoid!

These comments will be reflected on web review sites."

"I read all the negative comments but still decided to order through them because they were the cheapest that I found. Two of the items I ordered were on backorder (which I knew when ordering) so it took 3 weeks for the order to come in. No problems. I think they may be a small business and may not have the manpower. I would order from them again."

"This company is totally non-responsive. They failed to confirm my order, failed to ship, and failed to respond to my email inquiries. (There is no phone number to contact them.) I would NOT recommend doing business with A2Zhobbies.com or Timeless Hobbies, Inc."

"I'm having the same problem as the others... but I've learned something I wanted to share. The people that own A2Z, Jim Gibilterra, Bob Daley and Mike Cullen run many companies; one of which is TheTapeCompany.com. That company and A2Z are in the same office building on Church Court in Elmhurst.

The phone # for TheTapeCompany.com is ***-***-**** and if you push the buttons that get you to the SALES department, the person that answers can practically yell across the hall to the A2Z people.

THey will still claim to be unable to get anyone from A2Z on the phone, but it's a number you can call that has someone actually answer"

"Received my complete order 12/12/08. Also received phone call and explanation of lack of communication. Mike went out of his way to rectify situation. Thank you, will do business with you again.
I ordered from A2Z on 12/1/08. This was to be a Christmas gift for my grandchild. I received the automated response right away. It stated my credit card would not be charged until my order was shipped, and that I would receive an email from them when my order was shipped. My credit card was charged on 12/2. I HAVW NOT received an email stating my order was shipped. My husband has been calling and leaving messages all week - no response. I have sent 2 emails - just automated responses. I will be disputing the charge on my credit card. I wish I had looked here before ordering."

"Order placed on 11-21-08. As of 12-3-08, have received nothing from them. Credit card has not been charged. Phone number listed in directory assistance is not answered. NO PHONE NUMBER ON WEBSITE, which I didn't notice before ordering. E-mails have been ignored. BAD COMPANY. In process of reporting to BBB right now. ADDITION ON 12-5-08: My Discover card #, which was used to pay this company, has been hijacked and fraudulent purchases were attempted. Discover card has been shut down. Addition on 12-11-08: A2Z Toys called me & claims to have sent e-mail on 11-24 that they were out of stock of the Breyer model horses I ordered & would not get them back in stock. I did not receive that e-mail. Said they had no one covering phones & remove phone number on website at Christmastime due to too many calls from children taking up too much time; call came from 800#, so they must have a toll-free # to call. Did not explain why 4 e-mails from me were ignored; response came only after I reported to BBB. Said is sending me a Breyer model as compensation for everything that happened; I will report on that if/when it is received. Addition on 12-15-08: Breyer horse arrived in good shape today, at no charge."

"A2Z Hobbies (aka A2Z Toys) is good at advertising on Google, but not so great at shipping merchandise, nor at customer service.

I ordered something for my nephew on 12/6. It apparently took them until 12/12 to get a package into the mail, although they charged my card the day before. It took them four days to respond to my request for a tracking number.

Their email didn't have a tracking number. It essentially said: "Mail is slow. Be patient".

Let's see: this is a business that caters to children. It is a fair assumption that anything ordered from them in December is a Christmas gift. Taking 6 days to get something, that was indicated to be in stock, out the door is nearly criminal.

Bottom line: my nephew isn't going to get my gift under his Christmas tree. Thanks, A2Z!

Avoid this business if you value your kids' happiness, and be ready to perform a chargeback if you don't take this advice."