TJ's Kids - frustrated with the "help" I got (Vancouver, BC)

Hello! This is my first post here. I feel so overwhelmed with all the info out there and am trying to sort it all out! DH and I both drive newer small cars (Civic and Prius) and will eventually need to move DS to a convertible. He is 6 mths old right now and around 18 lbs so he still has a ways to go in his SafeSeat, and we probably won't need the new seat for another 3-4 months. Because of daycare dropoff/pickup issues in the future we'll need two seats but don't really want to pay Britax prices.

ANYWAY we were at TJ's today thinking that maybe we could try out the seats in our car to see what fits (I had it in my mind that no seat would fit in our cars but from this forum I see I'm wrong!). A staffer asked if we needed help and I pointed to a Radian and a True Fit and tried to ask him some questions about them. I told him I was interested in ERF. Here's what he told me: that at 20 pounds, kids can be moved forward; that 30 lbs RF is standard; that ERF is safer but kids want to see; 25-30 lbs FF was realistic; and the True Fit can hold a kid up to 100 lbs. Oh, and he said that we'd probably need a small Britax because the others might not fit in our car. I ended up leaving w/o asking to try out the seats because I was so frustrated.

What the heck! Is this just a terrible place to buy car seats or was this just a bad egg in the staff?

kodes said:

What the heck! Is this just a terrible place to buy car seats or was this just a bad egg in the staff?

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Hi and welcome to the forums here.

To be perfectly blunt, it's just a terrible place to buy car seats from in terms of advice and service. The store has itself enough of a reputation that I wouldn't be likely to shop from them myself and I don't even live near them. (Though I have friends who do and have had problems with them themselves.)

I'm guessing for TJ's this might not have actually been that awful an encounter... though the whole 100lbs thing is crazy on the True Fit.

I'll let someone else chime in for more of a definite comparison though. :thumbsup:

I don't know how I missed this post?

Skip TJs. If I weren't a moderator, I'd tell you they're all a bunch of cash-grabbing idiots.

Baby's World in Coquitlam doesn't actually have trained techs on staff, but you honestly cannot go wrong with them. Their staff is friendly, they're knowledgeable and they will assist you in trying seats in your vehicles. I have never heard an incorrect piece of information come from their staff, be it about carseats, strollers, or any other piece of gear they sell. I cannot say enough about how wonderful the owner, Nadia, is. She is a very ethical businesswoman and her staff sing her praises as an employer. I buy all of my local baby gear there, and I'm out in Delta. They're worth the drive.

-Nicole.

I agree with QuassEE, Baby's World is AWESOME! I'm in MB but everytime I visit BC (Surrey) I have to make a visit to Baby's World because I love it there so much

I have had a Radian in a older Civic in the middle with the lapbelt RF and it worked there. I'm not sure about in the newer ones though. I also don't know much about the TrueFit but I do know that I wasn't happy with how it fit in my '96 Accord but I think that both seats would be worth a try.

TJs service SUCKS. However, they do have good prices, so if you know what you want and aren't looking for help or information, they are OK.

I actually don't like Baby's World and have always had completely horrible customer service there -- worse than TJs, actually.

I'm really REALLY liking WestCoast Kids in Richmond, near Ikea. There service ROCKS.

First off you should have quite a while to use your SafeSeat and I'd recommend waiting to buy a convertible until you need it so you get the most life out of it before it expires. You can buy a seat for the 2nd car and wait to replace the SS until it is closer to being outgrown (it also staggers out the purchases a bit).

For the Civic, I've had a TrueFit and a Marathon (which has the same shell as the Roundabout50, Boulevard, Advocate) in a 99 Civic (4 door). They both take up less room than a SafeSeat IME (especially once the child is older and you can put it more upright). From what I've read, the MyRide takes up a similar amount of space so that might be a great option especially since it RF to 40lbs. I've even heard rumours of a Radian fitting back there but I've never played with one to know.

I'd skip any of the Britax with a 30lbs RF limit (especially for an 18lbs 6 month old). If a Radian can fit I'd get one of the XTSL that are coming out soon that will RF to 45lbs (although they aren't cheap). The MyRide will RF to 40lbs and is cheaper. The cheapest option is a TF which RF to 35lbs but they go on sale quite regularly at Zellers (I think they can go down to $179 or even $159) and you could probably get 2 of them for the price of an XTSL.

I suspect bubbaray goes to Baby's World on weekends... It's a madhouse in there on weekends. Go during the week and it's like day to the weekend nights.

Westcoast kids is less busy, in my experience, and a good option. There's a store in Richmond Centre I'd skip, as well as Crocodile Baby that I'd skip.

-Nicole.

QuassEE said:

I suspect bubbaray goes to Baby's World on weekends... It's a madhouse in there on weekends. Go during the week and it's like day to the weekend nights.

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I think Mondays are often quiet at Baby's World.

QuassEE said:

I suspect bubbaray goes to Baby's World on weekends... It's a madhouse in there on weekends. Go during the week and it's like day to the weekend nights.

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Nope, I've only been once on the weekend (crazy). The other times I"ve been have all been during the week when I'm pretty much the only person in the store.

The staff there are snobby and completely unhelpful. I'd rather spend my money at TJs if I only had BW and TJs to choose from.

I don't have any experience with a Prius but I drive a 2004 Civic & I can pretty much get any car seat installed rear-facing in there, no problem. I have a Marathon & TrueFit in there right now. Both take up less room than the Safeseat did.

thanks for the replies all!

I'll check out both Westcoast Kids and Baby's World, thanks!

The worst part about the TJ's experience was the True Fit 100 lbs thing - I mean the tag was still on the seat saying 2-30 kg. Yeesh.

Thanks also for car-fitting advice! I do hope to keep the Safeseat as long as possible before moving to convertible. I can't put the new seat in the middle though because I have a large dog who MUST sit on the driver's side in the back. She's quirky that way.

I agree, TJs is horrid. They are rude and their business practices are terrible. I had a parent come to me with a new in box recalled seat from TJs and their response was "its not our problem". They also sell used seats that they don't know the history of, and very old stock at regular price. Needless to say, when I walk into the store they usually say "oh God, its her". Unfortunately they have some of the best prices around so I've purchased a couple seats from them, but I try to keep it to a last resort if at all possible. I have had nothing but good experiences with Baby's World and Westcoast Kids. I have bought seats from all three stores in the last 6 weeks.

I dont post here alot, but do agree tj's sucks, I actually really liked the store in Richmond center and bought both our seats there. The manager is really nice and ended up calling britax for me because of an issue with one of the seats I had.

Now funny thing is I cannot stand westcoast kids. And definetly DO NOT pay for anything that is not in stock, my cousin went there and ordered two cribs and the matching dresser & change tables (She has twins) it was only supposed to take 5 weeks and ended up being backordered...long story short she ended up being pushed into getting a different set because they dont offer money back when the product dosent come in - she waited 2.5 months I believe.

And they tried to sell me a used carseat as new, I know this because when they brought it out from the back it had an invoice taped to the box & the seat had crumbs in the corners, needless to say I didnt take it but she was trying to guarantee me they dont take back seats and it was new.