I just received an order (Windy City Novelties LED Light Up 44" Jumbo Mardi Gras Bead Necklace with 3 Dynamic Light Modes for Festive Fun) The wire was broken and the largest bead was damaged. I won't send it back, since I wired it together & got it to work, but I'm not happy with it. read more

My experience was terrible. I spent $16.49 on 2 pks. of Warbling Bird Whistles. They were very cheap and didn't make a bird sound as described, just kinda a whistle, but not even that, a faint whistle. Not at all the quality of the one I had when I was a kid (1980's). So, then I had to pay to send them back (out of pocket ($8.10), plus they didn't refund the original shipping ($5.99). So, I spent $10.50 for the merchandise + $5.99 shipping + $8.10 to send it back = $24.59 I waited for a credit back to my debit card and didn't get it after abouta month, so called them. He said the return of $10.50 was sitting in the account I had with them. I requested that it be transferred back to my checkingand he said yes, he could do that. So, I paid them a net of $14.59 for absolutely nothing! read more

This company does not deserve business after how they treat their customers. I ordered tambourines for my wedding which were advertised to be the color white. Those of you who have planned a wedding know how important little details like colors are. I received the tambourines and they are clearly a purple-ish off white color instead of plain white. I called and spoke to a representative and they said that I can send it back for a full refund but that they are an "outbound service" only and can not send me a pre paid shipping label. I see down below another from three days ago, where a reviewer was upset by the website's misrepresentation of an item they received, and the owner or whomever replied back said they would be happy to pay to have them send it back and provide a full refund. First of all, why do they only offer certain customers prepaid shipping and not others? And to make matters worse, the person named Greg argued with me over email correspondence that "it is in fact white" and that it "may just be a reflection from light shining on the silver and glitter" or some load of BS like this. I am extremely upset and would definitely NOT recommend using this company as a vendor for event/party supplies. They will argue their point just to keep their little bit of money they don't want to spend on shipping a misrepresented item back. Final point, their items are CHEAP TRASH. Buy elsewhere, make your own, do anything but buy from Windy City Novelties!!! read more

My parents celebrated their wedding anniversary on Valentine's Day. They would throw a big party and for years, as my anniversary gift to them, I would send them dozens of blinking red hearts or glow bracelets from Windy City to give out as presents to their friends. Now you ain't seen nothing until you see a bunch of elderly Filipinos jamming to We Are Family on the dance floor while red hearts blinked or their wrists glowed! Sometimes I worried that a 78 year old here or there would experience heart arrhythmia and have a heart attack with all the crazy lights, but so far, everyone has survived. Sadly, my father passed away in 2016 but I am continuing the tradition of letting my mom give out these hearts as a tribute to my beloved father at her party. My orders from Windy City have always come on time. This year, I took advantage of some holiday sales and was smart enough to order early and get some BOGO hearts! read more

I am elated to write this review, Windy City Novities by far exceeded my expectations, from the accuracy of my order, to the products available, the prices, customer support and speed of shipping. With their help, I couldn't be happier knowing our party decorations will blow the minds of our guest as we celebrate one of my bestie's biggest milestone birthday's in life. This was my first time ordering from Windy City Novities, but it sure won't be the last. Thank you, Cynthia read more

I cannot speak for the negative reviews. But would like to share my experience with this company. My daughter was turning 10. For her birthday we decided on a glow in the dark- neon theme. I ordered everything from here! including backlights- plates- napkins- Glow in the dark forks, knives & spoons. Glow in the dark cups and straws. Glowsticks, glowing earrings, glasses, bracelets. Glow in the dark outside actives like beach ball and ring toss. - I'm talking the full 9 yards here. The party was such an amazing hit. All the kids loved this theme. They has such a great time. Thank you Windy City Novelties for your helpful youtube videos and the wonderful products you sell. read more

I just received my order in less then 5 days. The items were great and there was a happy gift included. I wish every store was this great and filled with joy. thanks Windy City Novelties Bonnie C. NYC read more

I give it a one star because I haven't received any packages of what I ordered and I got an email saying that it was delivered on the 17 ....... it's the 28. I contacted customer service and I have yet to hear back from them and I've been reading these reviews and it sounds like we all have this problem. My question/concern would be if I will be able to get a refund or if I can get a replacement or something. read more

Our charity made a mistake and over ordered a few items. I will never use this company again because but the time I send back unused, unopened items. minus 10% we lose $74. I don't mind keeping items I over ordered but We were told LED liquid in cups do not store and could lose glow if we stored until next year. The total of return would have been $109.35 after 10% was deducted. Shipping was $74 so subtract that from $109 we would have received only $ 35 dollars back losing $74 towards scholarships. This is truly "BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE". our charity (NON PROFIT) raises money for scholarships for girls and women in our community. Shame on you. Debra Spinardi Soroptimist of RV read more

I can't believe that I'm reading all of these negative reviews. Their website has everything you need for summer music festivals and themed parties. I've spent waaaaay too much money on items from the "flashing blinky items" section. It's dangerous - and awesome! The shipping is always fast (and free if you spend $39). It never takes more than a few days. I've never had any issues with any of my orders. My only issue is that they don't have a referral program. I've told so many people about the site- I need some free stuff in return! read more

I ordered some items for my wedding and paid for expedited freight which would have arrived on Friday (the wedding was Saturday). These clowns delivered needing a signature which of course, we werent home. I couldnt pick them up at the post office so I wrote and told them I'd be returning them to which they agreed. 6 weeks later I wrote letting them know I hadnt received a refund - no response. Sending another email tonight but that's the end of it. I dont have time for these incompetents. If I could give zero stars, I would. read more

I have ordered from Windy City twice now and am very happy with the website as it is super easy to navigate and buy from.. I buy the inflatable guitars for the Karaoke I go to.. Its a gift and funny watching people air guitar with them.. Tjhis last order last week came so fast I was surprised.. WCN, you guys rock!!!! read more

I received an order on which I was shorted some items. When I called Customer Service, they were VERY RUDE and informed me they would only credit my credit card and I would have to place another order to replace the items AND PAY THE ADDITIONAL SHIPPING & HANDLING which was more than the price of the items themselves. When I asked to speak to the employee's supervisor I was rudely "blind transferred" to a voice message. The supervisor did call me back promptly, but told me the same thing. I will never place an order with this company again. There are too many other companies out there that sell the exact same items. WHY SHOULD THE CUSTOMER HAVE TO PAY FOR A COMPANY'S MISTAKE? This REALLY makes no sense to me. It's a TERRIBLE way to do business. read more

I haven't ordered from WIndy City as of yet, but I have quite a few items in my cart for an Annual Oscars party I throw, because they have quite a selection. I live in Illinois and perchanced to call to see if they were open to the public or were they just an online star. The first woman I spoke with was a bit short with me. She informed me they were only an online store. I then inquired as to how long delivery wwould take, to which she said she didn't know and whould have to transfer my to the shipping department. I thought that odd, but whatever. The woman who answered from shipping was abrupt with me. She said Shipping is standard delivery. I asked her how long that was. She responded in an incredulous tone "Five to six business days!" I'm obviously on the fence about ordering from this site at this time." read more

SCAMMERS! Total Scammers! I'd give 0 stars if I could. I ordered a large batch of keychain skulls from Windy City Novelties. When they arrived they were NOT the same skulls in the picture on the website. I spoke to the manager who told me they were the same, to which I showed him the picture. He said they're not responsible for the fact that what they sent me was not the same as what is in the photo. I was just dumbfounded. The manager wanted me to pay the return shipping to return them! A day later I saw that they changed the photo on the website to reflect what they had sent me to cover their butts. However I had screen grabbed the page before they did as proof! I got them red-handed trying to commit fraud! I eventually had to go to my bank to do a chargeback which won me my entire purchase price back. Do not buy from this company! They are very underhanded and their customer service and management are horrible! read more

I have ordered large and small orders from Windy City numerous (50+) times over the last 4 years. I have always enjoyed the customer experience when I've had to call them. The great thing is how quick they ship out when you order online especially when you use expedited shipping. The prices are a bit higher than we'd like, but the higher quality of products, with stronger batteries and brighter lights, make the selling point higher for Windy City's products. Good job. read more

I was a little nervous ordering from here with some of the negative yelp reviews, but I am so glad I did! I found the product I ordered cheaper on their website than another website with the exact same product, and I got my item within 2 days of ordering with their standard shipping! I highly recommend Windy City Novelties! read more

I like these masks. They cover your face well. Comfortable. Wish they could bring down the price some. That is the only reason for 4 stars. read more

If I could give them a 0 I would. The worst customer service on earth. Should not be an online store. Placed an order for school event. There was no order confirmation. I emailed for confirmation and received an email 2 days later. I realized that it was my fault that one item was not included on order. Asked to add since I just received confirmation. Answer was a curt no and that I had to pay shipping again. One of the items arrived broken, I then contacted to have it sent quickly because the event was in 2 days, the answer was no. (Side note that there was no email address so had to use contact form that did not have a spot to attach picture. When I received the email back, it was a condescending one to tell me that I can attach one to the email address he sent from.) Duh, I know how to use email. Days went by and did not see credit hit my account. I emailed to follow up and days later another email saying that they were issuing a store credit in the amount of $2.69 and I had to call next time I want to place an order so I can use the credit. Is this a joke? I will never order from them again. It is not even about the $$$. I will be sure to tell everyone I know not to order from them. Compare to Oriental Trading Company, this was a joke. The customer service person's name I dealt with was Alex. He needs to be fired or if he is the owner, needs serious customer service training. read more

HORRIBLE customer service. I did not get some items in my shipment. I called as soon as I opened the box & noticed they were missing. I paid extra shipping to get them in time for my daughter's birthday. I left a message as they were closed when I called Fri night. I stated how upset I was as this was for a birthday. Although I was upset I figured, no big deal, I'm sure they'll apologize & send it right out. After all, it must have just been a mistake & I'm sure they want to make their customers happy. Boy was I wrong. How naive of me! Mon. comes, no return call. I sent an email in the am. No response. I called later in the day Mon. Got transferred twice. Got voicemail. Message says "we return calls in 15-20 min." I waited 45. then called them again. Was told they'd call back. Lady finally calls me. I explain situation. She says "well in this case we usually just refund." I said "why? if I still want the product? I want the necklaces." She said "when is the event?" I said "It's already passed, it was Sat." She said "then we would just refund." No "I'm sorry you didn't get your item, sorry for the inconvenience," nothing! I again said "I really still want the products." She said "I'll check on it & call you right back." Well, I waited an hr. then tried to call them back & they're closed!! Unbelievable. Then I come on here & see all these reviews & really wish I had read them before ordering from Windy City. They obviously don't give a damn about customers. Awful customer service. They have so many competitors, I just don't get it. I WILL NOT be ordering from them again. If you want to know alternatives, send me a message & I'll email you a list. I've researched & found many wholesale companies. You don't have to deal with this kind of service. read more

The prices are competitive but the customer service was not great. Had I not inquired about an order, they would not have informed me that items were out of stock. No one offered any type of solution and the person who I first spoke with me actually laughed when he said it would be another 6 days before I could get half of what I offered. Not worth the frustration. Spend a little more money with a company who know what they are doing! read more

I ordered some things for a school I work at. We were not able to get the donations we needed to pay for them so I had to return them. It has been 2 weeks since the box was received by them and no refund. I have called 4 times. RUN AROUND. Oh and don't forget the 25% restock fee. I would NEVER order from them again. read more

Wish I had checked here before ordering. I placed an order for party favors for my daughters birthday. I paid for expedited shipping to ensure that it would arrive on time. When it became clear that the package would not arrive on the day that they promised, I contacted them to find out my options. They said that I could refuse delivery and that they would give me a refund. That sounded like a fair option even though I was disappointed that we wouldn't have favors for the party. I refused delivery, and tracked the package back to them. Then a few days after I saw they received the package, I noticed that I had still not been credited. It took multiple attempts, but they finally said my credit would go through the next day. I checked my statement again, and they had only given me a partial refund. I called them again to find out why that was. I spoke with Abigail Flores who said she'd get me credit for the remaining amount. After a month of trying to get the $16.49 remaining refunded, I realized that I was getting the run around. I then filed a complaint with the BBB about it. They had the nerve to respond to the BBB complaint with an offer for 10% off and free shipping off a future order. Like I'd ever do business with them again. Any company that would put such a small amount of money ahead of customer happiness doesn't deserve to be in business. read more

Terrible place, terrible service. I got defective product, they promised to overnight more since my wedding was 2 days away. Never got a package, they never even sent out new product. I would be embarrassed to work for such a company. Let's see how long it takes to get a refund... If I don't get it quick, I'll involve the bbb. What a joke of a company. read more

Great party products - I threw an Oscar themed party a year or so ago, which was great indeed and that could not have been without the help of Windy City Novelties, Inc. My only suggestion: Please review your shipping charges because they are on the ridiculous side! read more

I was very impressed with their selection of items and placed or order for Halloween. My items shipped very quickly and I received my order in a couple of days. I will definitely order from them again. read more

I ordered some some necklaces last week for my Halloween "Jellyfish" costume. 17 of them and two of them between shipment from warehouse and me somehow got switched "ON". They are expensive, too at $2.95 each! Needless, to say by the time I got them they were barely blinking. Which meant I had to change the batteries, which sucked. Otherwise, I paid the extra expedited shipping to my house so I could have them for this weekend as I'm attending an "early" Halloween party and needed them quick. They arrived quickly with no probelm. I can't return them and just fixed the problem myself. I'll definitely order from them again! read more

DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY!!!! Items are sent damaged. Then they charge your credit card again while you wait for the new order, which will also be damaged. And they will NOT refund the shipping which is too expensive. I've been trying to get a refund for over 6 months. TERRIBLE COMPANY!!! And it's just not me! Here's a few other unsatisfied people: Horrible.... by fancygirl30 ,Apr 01 '11 Customer Service Sucks....The lady was so rude and not allowing me to talk....When i placed an order,there was a typo in my address and it prompted to correct the address by giving a small box to type in the apartment number.But i was surprised to know later that the system has updated only the billing address and not the shipping address.I cheked the box which says billing and shipping address are same. I had to pay 14$ extra for them to correct the shipping adress. The funniest part is the item valued 26$ and i had to pay 24$ for the shipping and the address correction charges. Read more Defective products will be replaced at our own cost?! by anonymous07 ,Jul 02 '10 I order three sets of lights from this comany and received them within 6 days i love the lights except that a few of them dont work. Had to call customer service which the lady that first answers simply leaves you talking and transfers your call to somewhere else, then i was told i had to pay for something THEY shipped that did not work. How is that MY fault? If a product is defective it should be their policy to change it since they're we payed for USEFUL products not something we can not use. I would never buy from this company again very bad refund policy they should at least warn you before u click buy. Very disappointed by nellyi ,Mar 12 '10 Ordered 2 dozen L I T E - U P C R Y S T A L S T A R O F D A V I D. 7 stars did not light up. Customer service said that I have to sent defective stars back and pay for shipping (cost as much as product) in order to receive a replacement. Very disappointed. Read more The worst shopping experience ever. by onewish1 ,Aug 11 '09 I ordered two sets of light up leis one set 4 out of 12 only worked. The other 1 did not work. I contacted the company and was told to ship them back for replacement. I asked if they were going to pay for shipping and was told no they were a wholesale company and do not do that. I can not understand why a company would ship defective items and not make good on replacing them. The cost of shipping would then be more than the actual items and it is terrible. I will not be buying again from Windy City. bait and switch and ignored afterwards by lcolliej ,Jan 27 '09 Yes,my lumi loon balloons arrived within 6 days. The shipping costs doubled the price to 28.00 total. A very thick catalogue that I did not request weighed the box. I am very disappointed because the flashing picture of the balloons on the website is nothing like what you receive. The light is so tiny and dim, you can hardly tell the balloon is lit. My inauguration tables lacked the flashing lights that the ad promised. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE! by skanzulak ,Apr 30 '08 Defective merchandise that you have to pay yourself to return- a "no refund" policy that is not listed anywhere on the front page, on the check-out page, or anyplace you can really see it. It is printed on the invoice when the merchandise ARRIVES. Customer Service people don't really care. I would NEVER buy from there again, or recommend them to anybody I care about. read more

I am beyond pleased that the order I placed just yesterday already arrived today! It is as described by Roger & will work perfectly!

We ordered 18 'red' led lanyards. The lights were red but the lanyards are white. The photo had black lanyards with red lights. 3 didn't work and they refused to send them to me overnight. The lanyards were not put together very well and they wouldn't latch. read more

I have been ordering products for several years from Windy City Novelties. I always get what I ordered, what was advertised, and with the quickest delivery of anyone I do business with. Great Job ! I will continue to do business with them. Dave Logan Racing read more

I am surprised at the negative reviews, as our experience with this company has been great! We ordered supplies for a Halloween party, and the package was stolen (along with other deliveries). I called the day after I was expecting it to get here but didn't talk long with the rep because I was in a store. I figured I'd address the issue later. By the time I got home, the person I originally worked with had left me a voice mail message and an email asking if we wanted to use the same address for the reshipment, which was to come the next day. I didn't even have to ask; they were already on top of it. read more

Fast. Good quality. I recently ordered 2 packages of glow necklaces for a birthday party. Everything worked normally. I previously ordered my Halloween costume from Windy City also - cheaper than anywhere else I found online or in stores. read more

I will never trust this company with an order again. I placed an order for my 60th theme milestone 50th birthday party and they promised I would get my order in time. They sent an email the day before my order was to arrive at my home stating they cancelled the order because they didn't have one item. It was a larger order and to make matters worse, I am dealing with my grandmother's passing and now I have to spend time shopping for items I took hours buying on WIndy CIty's website. I even spoke with Jeff at Windy City and he assured me I would have my items. Sad customer service. They emailed me and it went to my junk folder, which I happened to check this morning and that is how I found out. SAD...Deborah Owens, President/Founder www.missioneducation.org read more

I got lots of great party items for our bachelor party at a crazy low price. They even had light sabers. Thanks Greg for pointing those out (wink wink), too bad you could not make the party. We had a lot of fun dressing up like star wars characters and getting ripped at the BP down the street. read more

Read some negative reviews on yelp about this place, so I was nervous about ordering the items I needed for the school fall Festival. But I did it, and I am happy to report, everything was shipped exactly as ordered and really quickly. I'm very happy with my $500 order of colored hair spray for the festival. I would use them again. read more

I tried to place an order on your website after seeing a great selection and competitive prices compared to Oriental Trading. I should have been deterred by the inferior website that was extremely slow to load. However, your systems are clearly unable to handle orders with different billing and shipping codes and your customer service agent was unwilling to send my order out unless I had it shipped to my business. I verified my address multiple times and suggested he call the credit card company to verify the charge which is standard. He wouldn't let me speak to a manager. I am buying goods for a party and have no desire to ship my items to a different location and then have to carry them across town. I tried to take a chance on a small Chicagoland business as a NU grad, but clearly I should just stick to the big guys who know what they are doing. read more

I ordered a set of glow in the dark martini glasses for my granddaughter's sweet 16. The ad showed four different colors in a set. I received a call from Windy City indicating they only had two of the colors from the set and asked if I was okay with that. I told them yes, go ahead and ship them. Well, the next day I get an email indicating my order was cancelled because they did not have the item in stock. My thoughts are with all the electronic tracking systems, why did it take you a week to realized you not only didn't have all four colors, but that you didn't have any at all. All they had to offer was an apology, not even an alternative product. This is NOT what you want to hear when you are planning a party. I feel like they should've known as soon as I ordered that the item was out of stock. I do parties all the time. I will never order from Windy City again. I can't rate them because zero is not an option. read more

Ordered on the online site for Windy City. Product was very low quality. I returned and they are charging a 25% restocking fee!!!!! Ridiculous and not clear when you order. Cann't believe a company would charge 25% for low quality product. Clearly customer service not in their company culture! read more

My complaint is the same as others, the merchandise is garbage and broken when it arrives. Windy City hides behind the "shipping policy", it costs as much to ship back the product as the product itself costs. I had to reach out to Windy City on 3 different occasions just to hear B.S. shipping policy. I ordered 4 LED drinking glasses and all 4 leaked for a 100% failure rate. DO NOT BUY FROM WINDY CITY!!!!!! read more