gift card rip off

zulu_girl

we had a W H Smith gift card that we had forgotten about, when we went to spend it we were told it was out of date, Money doesn't go out of date so why can a store just keep your gift card money if you haven't spent it in 24 months. I checked some other stores such as Boots and Asda, similarly they take your money. Meadow Hall in Sheffield only give 1 year. I think this is outrageous, and there should be something done to stop this theft of peoples money

dmg24

Can you elaborate on why this is a rip off or theft? The card and/ or receipt does detail the expiry date.

[Deleted User]

Thanks for the warning. WHSmith used to be a respected brand. This does appear to be a rip-off and probably a reason retailers mostly don't do gift vouchers anymore. After all, has the money exchanged for the gift card expired? No, it's formed part of the company's cash flow/directors' bonuses. It seems clear to me they have gained as a result of the expiry of your gift card.

How about a polite letter to customer service explaining the situation? If they have their recession shoes on they should do what they can to keep customers happy. Let us know what happens.

DCFC79

zulu_girl wrote: »

we had a W H Smith gift card that we had forgotten about, when we went to spend it we were told it was out of date, Money doesn't go out of date so why can a store just keep your gift card money if you haven't spent it in 24 months. I checked some other stores such as Boots and Asda, similarly they take your money. Meadow Hall in Sheffield only give 1 year. I think this is outrageous, and there should be something done to stop this theft of peoples money

its not theft though nor a rip off is it, was there an expiry date on the card,

Meepster

zulu_girl wrote: »

Money doesn't go out of date

It doesn't? Try and use some farthings when buying something, you'll soon see currency does indeed have a "use by" date...

emay

Before the gift cards, any paper gift voucher I had, always had an expiry date on it, or the date it was purchased and how long it was valid. I've never known any company not to have an expiry on vouchers.

Also, if you read some t/c's they take a small amount off the card each month (for admin costs!!) before fully cancelling card after a couple of years!

Our shopping centre even charged you £2 for each card last year (strange that they've now given this up...wonder if it had anything to do with people not using them?)

SmallEnglish

I really fail to see how this is either a rip off or a theft.

Halloway

Once again proving the MSE rule that anything described in the PV&W forum as a 'rip-off' isn't.

See also 'con', 'scam' etc.

golddustmedia

When it comes to monetary gifts for a birthday etc in our family we give a "bank of England gift voucher" rather than any shop voucher! Accepted everywhere and no T's & C's!

Freddie_Snowbits

I normally give Bank of England Form £5. It has no expiry, but why should a comapny be used as a bank by a customer? They claerky show that teh gift card is valid for a period of time, and exoires after 2 years. Why should a company continually hold this money separate from its business ad infinitim whilst the card holder waits with baited breath to spend it.

eyelinerprincess

You on the drink already, freddie?