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FOX43 Finds Out: Hatchimals manufacturer responds to disappointed parents’ complaints

NEW HOLLAND, Lancaster County — Thomas Gunning of New Holland, Lancaster County was pretty excited on Christmas morning. The 6-year-old says this Hatchima...

NEW HOLLAND, Lancaster County -- Thomas Gunning of New Holland, Lancaster County was pretty excited on Christmas morning.

The 6-year-old says this Hatchimals toy was at the top of his Christmas list.

"I guess I was extra special to get this big thing," said Gunning.

Hatchimals were the hard to get toy this past holiday season.

Many stores across Central Pennsylvania sold out.

Alicia Gunning was lucky though, she was able to get one of the last Hatchimals at a Toys R' Us just days before Christmas.

She paid 80 bucks and now says the toy is a letdown.

"He really wanted it. he was super excited to get it, so it's kind of a disappointment for everybody," said Gunning.

The toy comes in a plastic egg and is supposed to "hatch" out when the child plays with it.

Once out, the toy lights up and can repeat words humans teach them.

The Gunnings say their Hatchimal never hatched.

"Opened it up, was waiting for it to hatch and two hours later it still didn't hatch."

Then Gunning checked social media and realized she wasn't the only one with the problem.

Twitter user Dustin Shammo had the same issue.

He posted this video of the toy poking through the same spot on the egg, but never hatching.

Gunning said that`s what happened with the toy she bought too.

"It just kept pecking on the one side and it wasn't going through the egg."

It was more than just a few people with the problem, though.

Spin Master is the company that makes Hatchimals.

A quick search on the company's Facebook page shows the company was flooded with complaints following Christmas day, many with similar problems as the Gunning family.

"How do we get it to be the Hatchimal it's supposed to be?"

We reached out to Spin Master about the problem.

A company representative says it was doubled its customer care service line to deal with the amount of complaints.

Spinmaster also posted a video trying to troubleshoot the do`s and don'ts for some of the issues.

And it all else falls, you can get a replacement toy.

The company rep releasing this statement: "If we cannot find a solution, we will ship a replacement Hatchimal within two days. We are doing everything possible to resolve outstanding concerns. We sincerely apologize to those who have experienced issues and thank everyone for their patience."

The Gunning`s say they plan to reach out to the company.

So, we asked if all the hype of the Hatchimal craze was worth it?

"Would you do it again? No. I would not."

Here's the complete statement from Tara Tucker, VP of Global Marketing Communications, Spin Master:

Statement from Spin Master

Spin Master strives to make life more fun for children around the world with all of our products. Hatchimals have generated tremendous excitement since their launch in October. There have been more than a million successful hatches and while the vast majority of children have had a positive experience with Hatchimals, we have also heard from consumers who have encountered challenges. As parents and caregivers, we understand how upsetting this can be, especially for children, and we want you to know we are 100% committed to bringing the magic of Hatchimals to everyone.

In the last 48 hours, we have more than doubled our Customer Care team to assist with calls and emails, and extended our hours to respond to consumers as quickly as possible. Our goal is to respond to inquiries within 72 hours. We have also created troubleshooting tips and a video with the Top 5 Things to Know About Hatchimals: https://youtu.be/didliyZclcQ.  If we cannot find a solution, we will ship a replacement Hatchimal within two days.

We are doing everything possible to resolve outstanding concerns. We sincerely apologize to those who have experienced issues and thank everyone for their patience.

Spin Master’s Customer Care team can be reached at customercare@spinmaster.com.

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