Hot Topic Reviews 

I made an online purchase on June 21, and when the item arrived, the pants were the wrong size. I returned them to a Hot Topic store on July 12, but when I noticed that a refund had not yet been issued, I called the store. They advised me to reach out to your customer service department, which I did on July 17. After discussing the issue, they informed me that the refund had been processed and even sent me an email with the transaction details, stating it would take one to two weeks for the refund to be completed. Today is July 30, and I still haven’t received the refund. It has been over two weeks, so I contacted PayPal after speaking with your customer service department, who reiterated that the refund had been processed. After two hours on the phone with PayPal, I finally reached a supervisor who explained that the issue is not on their end but rather that the funds for the refund have yet to be released by Hot Topic.

Ordered 2 Sleep Token T-shirts on July 5 2025. The t-shirt in question had 2 left in stock. . I received one T-shirt, the other was pending. They took my money, left the order on Processing for 2 weeks. No correspondence whatsoever. It is July 26 and I’m still waiting . Never received a refund or a reason why they took my money for a T-shirt yet failed to deliver! Never will I order from Hot Topic again!

No stars. We have been waiting on the Arcane Jinx graffiti hoodie for 6 months now. The order still says processing. It was originally a normal order then it was switched to a Pre-order. Every time I call or email about the order I get a different answer about when it will ship. No one knows what is going on at Hot Topic. They don't even know their own inventory system which is just sad. How can you claim any kind of customer service when you run things this way.

do not shop here online. recently got a strange email about unauthorized access, and was confused since my current email had never been compromised. Turns out Hot Topic had a data breach last year and 10s of millions of customers data got leaked. did hot topic email me to tell me? no. so not only did they cause harm from not securing customer data, but then they didn't even have the decency to let the customers affected know so they could take preventative steps before getting hacked. but they can send monthly advertisements. 🙄 Currently being sued for it too by multiple lawfirms

I recently had the absolute pleasure of shopping at Hot Topic for the very first time, and I cannot say enough good things about my experience there. From the moment I walked through the doors, I felt genuinely welcomed and appreciated as a customer. Every staff member I encountered was not only friendly and approachable but also genuinely kind and eager to assist me with whatever I needed.
One of the highlights of my visit was the incredible deal I received on a shirt I had been wanting for quite some time. Initially, I was excited to find out that the shirt was already 40% off, which I thought was an amazing discount. However, to my surprise and delight, I learned that because it was my first time shopping at Hot Topic, I qualified for an additional 10% off my entire purchase. This meant that I ended up saving a total of 50% on the shirt I had my eye on, which made me feel like a truly valued customer.
To put this into perspective, the shirt I wanted would normally cost around $50, but with the discounts applied, I was able to purchase it for just $22.22. As someone who loves finding great deals and making the most out of my shopping budget, this made my day and left me feeling extremely satisfied with my purchase.
Beyond the great savings, what truly made my shopping trip stand out was the exceptional customer service I received, particularly from my cashier, Bella. I cannot thank Bella enough for her warmth, patience, and genuine care during my checkout experience. She greeted me with a big smile, made sure I was aware of all the promotions and discounts available to me, and answered all my questions with the utmost courtesy and professionalism. It is not every day that you come across a cashier who goes out of their way to ensure that your shopping experience is as pleasant and stress-free as possible, but Bella did exactly that and more.
Her kind and caring demeanor, along with her willingness to take the time to help me understand the discounts and double-check that I was getting the best deal possible, made a lasting impression on me. It is rare to find customer service representatives who are so dedicated to making each customer feel special and valued, and I truly believe that Bella deserves recognition for her outstanding service.
Overall, my first visit to Hot Topic exceeded my expectations in every possible way. From the friendly atmosphere and helpful staff to the fantastic deals and exceptional customer care, I left the store feeling happy, satisfied, and eager to return in the future. I am grateful for the savings I received, but even more so for the kindness and support shown to me by the wonderful team at Hot Topic.
I highly recommend shopping at Hot Topic to anyone looking for unique merchandise, great discounts, and top-notch customer service. Special thanks again to Bella for being such a wonderful representative of what excellent customer service should look like. I am already looking forward to my next visit!

Took my thirteen year old daughter to the Countryside mall in Clearwater, FL. I wanted to experience a level of nostalgia from my own youth, growing up in the 90's. To my disappointment and my kids, the store was horrible. Seemed like the garbage HotTopic is selling has been sitting on the shelves and racks for 30 years. Nothing of quality and 90% of the items were way overpriced and only suitable for wearing if you're a clown. Hot Topic should really invest in a 2025 fashion makeover for the poser skater or goth kid who wants to make a statement.

Was told I’d get free shipping for paying $20.10 more, but imagine my surprise when they tried to get me to pay $63 USD for shipping! That’s almost $100 in my local currency. They’ve also raised the price of shipping to Australia from $40 USD to $53 USD. As if $40 wasn’t extortion enough honestly. They also charge more for plus-sizing. They wouldn’t charge more for medium than they would a small, would they? Not only are that a rip-off they’re also one of the fat-shaming stores. Avoid.

Well I recently ordered some perfume from them and my bank account was charged instantly for what I ordered. But then today my account gets charged for the same amount a second time and now my account is in the negative. I tried speaking with a customer service rep only to recieve no help. They stole my money and won't even give me a refund. Lousy greedy assholes.

Terrible company. I operate a small business and I’m tax exempt. I have to call after every order to have the sales taxes removed from my orders. Recently they did not include an item and won’t refund or replace it due to the amount of “incidents” I have. My “incidents” are literally me having to call regarding the removal of the sales tax mind you which they mandated I do because they won’t do it and they have approved my tax exemption documentation. I’m furious to say the least.

I have shopped at Hot Topic for years. My most recent experience with them has turned me off to them for good. On March 14th, 2025 I placed a pre-order for a Sleep Token shirt that was set the be released this month. In my confirmation email I was told it was expected to be shipped between 4/15-4/25. I checked the order status almost everyday between this period. On 4/25 I received an email stating my order had been cancelled due to the shirt being out of stock. Sorry but I thought preorder meant that stock would be saved for preorders like every other company. They have lost my business. I will have to purchase that glorious shirt of Vessel elsewhere

I ordered two shirts from this company. They cancelled one of the shirts. they use USPS to ship one of shirts. I HATE USPS! now I have to wait for two weeks to get the shirt. I WILL NOT EVER ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY AGAIN! I agree with the others that they cancel orders on any out of stock. they need to be honest and let customers choose the shipping method.

Never got my order. I been trying for 6 months to get my money back. Finally got hold of someone but still waiting on refund. Don't trust this site. Never trust any cheap site. Just stick to the main selling sites.

Ship damaged to anybody who buys 5 or more and wont accept returns. Sleazy company, hope they go out of business as well as Box Lunch. Terrible customer service.

Amazing place to shop

Order# CH1000091251
Below is my email to them letting them know how unhappy I am with them. They need to update their inventory online and with their customer service who obviously can't really see what's in stock and what's not. Horrible experience.

I was told by the lady on the phone who placed the order we would receive it within 8 business days because it was in stock while she placed the order for me. This order said preparing to ship at one point because I have been checking it every day. The original order was cancelled that was supposed to ship by March 1st because of a payment issue. I called the same day I received the cancellation email and placed the new order and was told it was in stock to ship right away. We have been waiting for this since January when your website said it was in stock and then it suddenly changed to pre order. Hot Topic is going downhill when it comes to correct inventory in its system and with its employees. We will obviously have to wait again for this to ship in June ( we move in July, so it better come on time)

It’s quite impossible to place an order. I can’t add things into my cart after a few items, and if there’s any type of promotion going on, forget trying to checkout. The promotion will end before you ever get to do so successfully anyways because if you just try to purchase the couple of items you were able to add to your cart, that won’t work either. It’s just error after error. This website sucks. It’s like they purposely make it so that they don’t have to honor the sales and promotions they have going on.

Impossible to place order. Customer service was fone, but couldn't help at all. Had to give up on my order.

Bought stuff from hot topic, thinking I was spending a certain amount, only to look at my bank and realize it was WAY more, because unclear to me, it was not in my currency. So I went to cancel it, they said it was already processing, it was not when I requested to cancel. Package said it was delivered but the receiver couldn’t pick it up, it wasn’t there. Two weeks of it saying delivered it says it actually in Tennessee, not at all where it’s supposed to be, eventually it says it processing in the state it’s supposed to be delivered, then suddenly it’s delivered, to the sender. Where is that? Tennessee. At least two weeks it said it was delivered and it hadn’t even left the warehouse, I wonder if it ever did. There was also a debacle over the return label, they said they sent it, I waited, finally contacted them after waiting like a week, “oh due to an error it hadn’t been sent we’ll send it now” then immediately after replied again saying they can’t send the label to a P.O. Box, a package is fine but a label is not? Almost two months later they’ve finally figured out THEY messed up and refunded me, somehow forgot to refund the taxes so I had to ask them for that, and I'm still out 40 CAD despite them promising a FULL order refund.
They’ve also cause my credit score to drop 2 levels, because I couldn’t afford the order in the first place.
I also requested to speak to somebody above customer service and they completely ignored that.
The 2 things I’ve learned are Hot Topic is absolutely not trustworthy, and their customer service is completely incompetent.
This is less structured than I would normally write, because I’ve repeated all of this so many times trying to get this situation resolved.

Update: they finally responded to my better business bureau complaint, and they lied.

I ordered a Funko Pop and it was shipped in a poly mailer with no padding or anything so it was surprising to me that the item is damaged. I have contacted hot topic several times and only tell me to return the item but they will not replace it or honor the price I paid when using my rewards. Horrible customer service and I will take my business elsewhere. I’ve been a loyal customer for years but that’s means nothing to them.