trafford centre customer services

hvsmith

Recently i purchased a trafford center gift card for a birthday present; I was shocked when a £10 gift voucher turned out to cost me £12!
The extra £2 was a administration fee, i think this is outrageous as when you buy a gift voucher form a shop it will only cost you the value of the voucher.
I thought i should warn people, so they do not lose out as i did.

Helen x

SarahMoon

If I believe correctly they issue a Visa Electron giftcard (Issued by MBNA www.mygiftcard.co.uk ) So they will be charging for the card and those cards are usable anywhere in the trafford centre, When I was there the otherweek, there was a notice saying giftcard purchases attracted a fee.

It could be worse, my sister was in a garage and she was charged a convience fee for using her debit card in the kiosk!!

hvsmith

Thank you for the update, i appreciate the information.
But i still believe that it is not right even if it is a visa electron giftcard, it says it in the name GIFTCARD.
Yes there was a notice up which was pointed out after the transaction but this still cannot justify a £2 charge for a piece of plastic and a transaction which was electrical and would have cost less than a simple text to a friend.
If you spent £10 in any shop in the trafford center by using money or an actual visa electron debit card, would you pay an extra £2 for your purchase.
I also have just checked on the trafford center website and i had to go through 4 links to recover the information of the additional fee (which is then only stated in terms and conditions); it is obviously something they are not willing to state out loud until you get to the customer service desk.
All i know is i will be buying giftcards from the shops direct from now on.

SarahMoon

The giftcard can be used anywhere (that accepts visa electron, outside the trafford centre aswell) so they are charging for the card and number and to operate the account (You see these banks are really poor lol)

Its wrong, but theres always someone who will buy them so they aren't that bothered

Viper_7

and the card can be topped up again. Once you have the card, I believe the top up charge is less than getting one from scratch, but believe it's still around 15%. Also some places charge for using it, so a double wammy!

hvsmith

Thanks for your information both of you.
All i wanted to do is make people aware of the charge so they can make their mind up before buying

advent1122

I usually send a gift card bearing a picture of the queen for a birthday present.
It don't cost any more to buy and you can use it anyway.
The person can top it up by going to a cash machine and putting it in their wallet.

marleyboy

A good alternative to a £10 Gift Card is a Crisp £10 note, the advantage of which can be used at any store within the Trafford Centre or alternatively anywhere else' from shops, bars, restaurants, clubs or even market stalls to Post offices or any branch of bank.

All for the bargain price of £10. (it makes for a superb gift for just about anyone)

advent1122

Which I had thought of that.

maggie111

hvsmith wrote: »

Thanks for your information both of you.
All i wanted to do is make people aware of the charge so they can make their mind up before buying

You knew about the charge before you bought it as well... so why the warning?? I think it's quite a good idea, rather than having a gift voucher to a specific shop, you can get access to the whole shopping centre... Plus the TC has to have staffed agents at the desk selling them etc etc... OK, so maybe £2 is a little steep, but as someone else says it's also a Visa Electron so not only the Trafford Centre's cost on top...

I'd support you if you bought it and then found out you'd been charged more... But it's not like you didn't have any other options... So you bought it and then complain?

Sooler

administration fee = commision the card expires and you lose any money left on it , no top ups

Does the Gift Card have an expiry date?
Yes. It is printed on the front of the card and varies depending upon when the card was purchased.

Can I top up my Gift Card?
No, the card cannot be topped up.


What happens if there are still funds available when my Gift Card expires?
We encourage you to use the entire gift amount before the card expires. Any balance remaining on the card when it expires is non-refundable.