Habitat Gift Voucher Scam

moggylover

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

Moggylover I thought someone would say what you say about cheques expiring.

It's up to retailers what terms they offer their vouchers under. It's not a scam unless they impose an expiry date which wasn't made clear at the time the voucher was bought - and, as the date is printed on the vouchers, it's the buyer's fault if they didn't notice it and in turn, the recipient's fault for not noticing it.

It still does not make it either moral or ethical! However, this site would not exist at all if the attitudes of business had anything to do with either morals or ethics these days would it:D .

Unless they return the money to the person who bought the voucher at the time that it expires, or have a way of dealing with mis-placed vouchers (such as this one) then this amounts to theft - wrapped up in the same "terms" as bank charges, and probably just about as legal!:rolleyes:

Whether you want to accept that it is a scam or not does not mean that it is any less of a scam. I have purchased such vouchers in the past, and I have to admit that no-one ever pointed out that they expired in "x" amount of time at the point of sale, and I bet it doesn't get printed in very large print on the voucher either!:rolleyes:

MarkyMarkD

It doesn't make it theft.

If you and I freely enter into an arrangement which says "you lend me £30, and I'll give it back to you whenever you ask in the next 2 years, but if you don't bother asking I'll keep it", then that's a legal contract. If you are too lazy to ask for the money back, I'm up £30 and you are down £30. End of story.

That's no different to the gift voucher scenario.

Nor is it any different to those who lose their gift voucher and accidentally chuck it in the bin.

Gift voucher schemes cost money to operate, and most retailers don't charge anything over and above the face value. The money they make on the tiny percentage of those who fail to redeem their vouchers compensates for the running costs.

wary

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

It doesn't make it theft.

If you and I freely enter into an arrangement which says "you lend me £30, and I'll give it back to you whenever you ask in the next 2 years, but if you don't bother asking I'll keep it", then that's a legal contract. If you are too lazy to ask for the money back, I'm up £30 and you are down £30. End of story.

That's no different to the gift voucher scenario.

Agree. It would be nice if retailers would be more amenable to those vouchers that have only recently gone past their sell-by date, and some retailers clearly are. But I'd feel that I was getting something that I wasn't strictly entitled to.

Either way, you can't call it theft.