Debenhams claiming their vouchers are fake

anamenottaken · 1 December 2016 at 11:08PM

A Debenhams Loss Prevention Manager has refused to accept that a £10 Debenhams voucher received via Consumer Pulse was genuine. Told me it was fake - tried to prove it to me by showing me how ink didn't come off when he rubbed it and that the hologram on the front was not correct.

He also told me a £5 Love2Shop voucher was a fake. That had been received from TNS. He appeared to be rejecting a couple of £1 L2S vouchers too but then said he would accept those. They came from the same source as the £5 one he thought was a fake.

The only person in store that I could complain to about this was him. To go higher, I would have to contact Head Office and provided the registered office address on the back of the till receipt scrap. He gave me a note saying (spelling and punctuation as here),
"The vouchers which have been attempted to be used in debenham's have been rused due to potential counter fit."

I note that he used the word "potential" in writing but was adamant orally that they were, without a shadow of a doubt, fake.

I shall be taking this up with the two supplying organisations but wondered whether anybody else had experienced this kind of thing with Debenhams.

jenniewb · 3 December 2016 at 12:42PM

I would initially contact Consumer Pulse but would also contact their head office (at Debenhams).
Every year I get vouchers to buy presents from and 2 years ago for the first (and last) time got vouchers for Debenhams.
I had three £10 vouchers which I used to buy something costing £21. Fully expecting to have the vouchers put onto a card of some sort, I waited after the assistant took the vouchers. She did not put anything onto a card and despite my arguing and the long queue behind me she refused point blank saying it was not in their interest to do this and that it was also not something they did. I asked to speak to a supervisor which is when she told me she was one. I then asked to speak to a manager who she said was on his break and would be unable to help me. I said I'd wait until he finished his break and it was only then when she decided to get in contact with him. She called him and via their loud-speaker walkie-talkie he explained that she did need to put the amount onto a gift card.

The whole thing did leave me in some doubt with how Debenhams work and if I wanted to go through that again. It wasn't without stress (I've left quite a bit of the detail out there) and so now shop elsewhere. If I were told my vouchers were fake and I had been given them by a company I believed did not send out fakes, I'm sorry but I would first be thinking that it was Debenhams that were in the wrong, not my vouchers.

Would be interesting to hear how you get on with this.

anamenottaken · 5 December 2016 at 10:24PM

Well I've emailed Consumer Pulse and TNS regarding the "fake" claim. Will wait for responses from them before taking it up with Debenhams. I wonder if I will get any kind of apology from the Loss Prevention Manager.

Like you I now feel much less inclined to use Debenhams in the future. I didn't continue with the purchase the other day - though I could have used £1 L2S vouchers etc. So they've lost that sale and future sales. John Lewis may be the winner from this.

Haffiana · 6 December 2016 at 10:18AM

I wonder if Debenhams may go belly-up in the new year? Something isn't right about their business model if internal problems and lack of staff training are beginning to impact the shopper. This all smells bad to me.

fiscalfreckles · 8 December 2016 at 10:41AM

I think it's a staff awareness issue, they do employ an awful lot of part time staff, and extra ones at this time of year. There are so many concessions and departments,there must be staff coming and going all the time. They obviously have some communication issues and I've found that it's the luck of the draw whether you get somebody who knows what they're doing.

anamenottaken · 10 December 2016 at 8:24PM

Not much of an update but:

TNS have confirmed they purchase direct from Love2Shop but I have to take up the matter with L2S, which I am doing. I know I could just spend them elsewhere but because of the matter of the Debenhams vouchers, want to sort it out.

I've just looked at the back of the Debenhams voucher and see that it includes, "Debenhams . . . reserves the right to reject any gift voucher that, in its sole discretion, it believes is not genuine". So I don't think I'll get any more.

Debenhams claiming their vouchers are fake

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