Recently we were invited to try out a new Lego rental service called Pleygo. Here’s what we thought about it.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pleygo and US Family Guide. All opinions are my own. Please see my disclosure policy.
March 2014 Update: Please note that since writing this review the company has changed it’s name to Pley. Before signing up to the service please take note of the concerns other readers have had recently by checking the comment section below.
First I’ll run you through the basics of the system. If you’re familiar with Netflix, then Pleygo operates in a similar way; they send you Lego sets from your wishlist which you keep as long as you like, return, then they send you the next on the list. There are three plans, and these different levels determine which set sizes you can get.
On their website you can search by keyword, child’s age, plan type or serial number. Once you’ve added items to your wishlist and selected a plan, they will ship the first set to you. You can play with the set as long as you like, pack it up, return it (yes, with a prepaid shipping label) and then await your next set.
Two key questions seem to crop up with a service like this. Question 1 – are the sets clean? Well yes! Pleygo says: “Sets are cleaned with an Eco-friendly and kid-friendly solution utilizing ultrasonic technology that allows microscopic bubbles to clean inside the bricks and its studs (the round bumps). Our proven cleaning and sanitation process ensures that 99.99% of residuals, germs and bacteria have been killed and removed from the bricks.”. Question 2 is what happens if any of the Lego bricks get lost? Again, Pleygo has this covered, and say that then cost of the plan includes a guarantee that covers any “normal loss” of bricks.
A key selling point for me (with a 2.5 year old boy), is that Pleygo also offers Duplo (however at time of writing they only offer six different Duplo sets). Although it should be noted that as I was an avid Lego builder in my childhood, I would have tried out this service even if they hadn’t offered something age appropriate for my son! 🙂
The first set that we received was Duplo – My First Farm.
The set came in a (slightly worn-looking) bag with instructions. I believe that Lego sets come with an extra bag of spare pieces, but this doesn’t apply to the Duplo sets.
Pleygo recommends keeping the pieces in the packing box until they are played with, but I think this is more for Lego than Duplo. Plus I made sure that this didn’t get mixed up with any of his other building block sets.
The first thing F noticed was the wheels, so I built the tractor with him.
I was immediately reassured about the cleanliness of the blocks; they looked immaculate. Then I built the farm for him while he played with the tractor and animals. All the necessary pieces seemed to be present.
Returning the set was super easy. We broke up the joined bricks, put them in the bag, back in the box, attached the prepaid shipping label, and took it to USPS. Although if your child really loves the set, you do have the option to pay extra and keep it instead.
I have read that some customers have experienced long wait times between returning sets and receiving the new one. The company is still growing and say they are adding to the inventory all the time.
November 2013 Update: Pleygo have informed me that they are now working with FedEx which has cut shipping times in half.
It took five working days for Pleygo to acknowledge receipt of the first set, three days for them to dispatch a second set, which I received two business days later. The company advises that the more sets you have on your wishlist, the quicker the turnaround time. I didn’t think the wait was too long given that we are only interested in the Duplo sets, but as it is a monthly service I wouldn’t want to wait much longer. As much as the rental system is comparable to Netflix, it is obviously more complicated to mail a box of toy bricks than it is a DVD!
Our second set was Duplo – My First Construction Site.
This was perfect timing given that we had just finished our focus on Construction Site Vehicles. This set was also in great condition, with no missing pieces that I could see (although it is harder to tell with Duplo!).
Interested? Go to www.Pleygo.com to register! Pleygo also offers 3, 6, or 12 month subscription gift options.
March 2014 Update: Please note that since writing this review the company has changed it’s name to Pley. Before signing up to the service please take note of the concerns other readers have had recently by checking the comment section below.
