WARNING - WHSmiths gift vouchers rip off

LELAN

dmg24 wrote: »

So where is the rip off? You have had TWO YEARS to use the vouchers.

This is pretty standard practice now, indeed for many stores gift cards run out over six months or a year.

Someone else has suggested that perhaps It should be standard procedure to ring fence money when it has been spent on gift vouchers.

I think that Voucher money should be held in some form of trust and drawn by the retailers as their Vouchers are redeemed
This would protect it for the consumer, not least from the hands of any future administrators. --- Some administrators likely see gift voucher money as a nice little 'cash crop' ---- :mad:

The Woolworths plc joint administrators did not want Woolworths to accept Kingfisher Gift Vouchers, althought many Woolworths stores were accepting them, and even giving straight cash back on them.
It would seem that the administrators were very happy for the customers to take the Hit.

The cost of running a Voucher/Gift card trust could maybe come from the interest on the 'free loan' of the consumers money.

There would theoretically be no need for any 'expiry' dates.

I firmly believe that Vouchers will be so discredited after the current tidal wave of ripped off consumers see the light that they will almost cease to exist.

Personally, I would advise anybody CURRENTLY holding any vouchers, and most particularly those for single shops/stores, to get rid of them before they end up taking the hit for a chain that they have inadvertently become 'Banker' for --- by 'lending' them hard earned cash

---

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The money spent on Vouchers/Gift cards were/are already a free loan until/if they get redeemed :T

chuckley

The_MoneySavingKid wrote: »

Not everyone's life works likes yours does,because what you are saying is what you would have done...people are in different circumstances and different (thank god) lives.
Not everyone has to be like you because it makes sense to just you.

yes and as a result OP lost the value. there really is no room for complaint here. soak up the loss.

Halloway

Will someone please put this thread out of its misery?

advent1122

Well, it works like this. If you dont reply it drops of the page and becomes a distant memory.
So by asking for this thread to be put out of its misery, you have in fact ressurected it.
No doubt this will be answered and the thread can continue on its merry way until we all, once more lose interest.
Unless of course someone asks again for it to be put out of its misery.

Halloway

advent1122 wrote: »

Well, it works like this. If you dont reply it drops of the page and becomes a distant memory.
So by asking for this thread to be put out of its misery, you have in fact ressurected it.
No doubt this will be answered and the thread can continue on its merry way until we all, once more lose interest.
Unless of course someone asks again for it to be put out of its misery.

Keep working at the 'being clever' bit. You'll get there one day.

advent1122

Will someone please put this thread out of its misery?

Takoda

While I think the OP doesn't have much of a case for a moan - having forgotten to spend their gift vouchers..........

I do think having a thread which in effect REMINDS people to get their (WHS but also other types) vouchers spent ASAP is in itself no bad thing!

So I quite like it.

One of the great things about MSE is that when people post about their problems it acts as a warning to others as well. So one person might've lost out but others have benefitted.

CynicAl_3

LELAN wrote: »

Someone else has suggested that perhaps It should be standard procedure to ring fence money when it has been spent on gift vouchers.

I think that Voucher money should be held in some form of trust and drawn by the retailers as their Vouchers are redeemed
This would protect it for the consumer, not least from the hands of any future administrators. --- Some administrators likely see gift voucher money as a nice little 'cash crop' ---- :mad:

The Woolworths plc joint administrators did not want Woolworths to accept Kingfisher Gift Vouchers, althought many Woolworths stores were accepting them, and even giving straight cash back on them.
It would seem that the administrators were very happy for the customers to take the Hit.

The cost of running a Voucher/Gift card trust could maybe come from the interest on the 'free loan' of the consumers money.

There would theoretically be no need for any 'expiry' dates.

I firmly believe that Vouchers will be so discredited after the current tidal wave of ripped off consumers see the light that they will almost cease to exist.

Personally, I would advise anybody CURRENTLY holding any vouchers, and most particularly those for single shops/stores, to get rid of them before they end up taking the hit for a chain that they have inadvertently become 'Banker' for --- by 'lending' them hard earned cash

---

.
The money spent on Vouchers/Gift cards were/are already a free loan until/if they get redeemed :T

People should be aware that vouchers are particularly vulnerable in today's crunchy credit times. If you have any B&Q vouchers, for example, they have been worthless since the middle of last December thanks to the demise of Woolies (part of the same group). We found out the hard way and lost £50. It's definitely worth checking any vouchers you've been given (eg, for Xmas) and find out from the relevant store(s) whether they are still valid - saves the embarrassment of standing around the shop till whilst some numpty makes you feel like you've been caught shoplifting!

No_Future

How irritating for you.

I hate gift vouchers for this reason because they are so restrictive. Cash is a much better gift option - can be used anywhere, can be invested and does not expire!

Why hand over your money to the shop so readily?

CynicAl_3

No_Future wrote: »

How irritating for you.

I hate gift vouchers for this reason because they are so restrictive. Cash is a much better gift option - can be used anywhere, can be invested and does not expire!

Why hand over your money to the shop so readily?

...in Zimbabwe! The only good voucher is a free voucher, or at least one that's discounted and for a 'good' store like John Lewis. Actually, if you can get your hands on Asda vouchers cheap or free, you can use them to fill up with fuel...credit cruncher!! :j