Vent: Debenhams Electricals DO NOT Accept Gift Cards or Vouchers

haheipah

We recently received over £400 in Debenhams Gift Vouchers. We decided we wanted to put the money towards the purchase of an Apple Mac Mini however, there is no way Debenhams will let us buy it with their Gift Vouchers or in fact (if we had one) their Gift Cards.

Goods CANNOT be purchased from Debenhams Electricals with Debenhams Gift Vouchers or even their Gift Cards. They can only be purchased with a credit card.

The stores are also unable to order in electrical items for their customers so even if you are willing to come into a store and pay - you can't!

I can imagine people who receive significant amounts on a Gift Card for a wedding or birthday and wish to purchase a nice TV or other electrical goods must find this a terribly disappointing process. We certainly have!!

I am going to write to the CEO and their 'Customer Resolutions Team' to ask for a remedy to our problem but I wanted to post this so if you are thinking of giving a Debenhams Gift Card or Vouchers - you might like to think twice and take your custom elsewhere.

vikingaero

Debenhams Electrical are fulfilled by a third party company, Easycom. Basically Easycom pay Debenhams to use their name.

Mupette

well if you buy via credit card, at least you have a safety net.

But stupid way of doing it, it's as good as cash.

nickcardwell

could you take out a debenhams card, purchase the mac, and pay the card partily using the vouchers??

haheipah

Interesting suggestion nickcardwell and I will follow the idea up - although I suspect their credit cards are probably managed by MBNA or someone else external - just like Debenhams Electricals.

vikingaero, I am sure it is all legally compliant having Easycom 'borrow' the Debenhams' brand in order to provide an electronic product offering with absolutely no risk or involvement by Debenhams. However, where they fail is managing their customers' needs and expectations. Customers see Debenhams as a whole entity and enter into the relationship expecting their Gift Card or Gift Vouchers to purchase them a set of towels or a flat-screen TV - regardless.

In my opinion, they fundamentally fail to understand this point - as I will be telling their CEO.

And my experience (with both in-store managers and customer services staff - including supervisors) is they are woefully mis-informed when they assure customers they can buy electronic items with Gift Cards - which they did to me on four separate occasions.

4743hudsonj

You should meet sirmarcus. You two would get on like a house on fire.

Do you really think the CEO will give a damn? I suspect the terms and conditions of the gift vouchers mention this exclusion?

Becles

I always thought the electricals dept was an instore concession, the same way as you get Oasis, Wallis etc, concessions in clothing, Dune concession in footwear etc.

haheipah

You are right 4743hudsonj. The Gift Vouchers and Gift Cards do detail the exclusions but this isn't any good if receive them as a gift and are then told you are unable to purchase the item you would like after you get them.

I did read the advice by sirmarcus and on reflection, I do agree with the feeling by other writers that the CEO should be the last port of call and will try the 'Customer Resolutions Team' at Head Office first.

I don't quite understand the whole 'concessions' set up Becles. If I go into Debenhams, John Lewis or Selfridges with vouchers or giftcard I would expect to be able to buy anything in that shop with that form of payment regardless of the item or brand I am buying. I would hazard a guess it is their back-end systems that don't link up meaning we the customer have to navigate our way around.

Thanks for the replies guys. I understand the system better now. Just hope that others do too and don't fall into the same trap.

Paul_the_Painter

No concessions in John Lewis, if you buy anything there you are buying from John Lewis.

Used to be a couple of (rare) exceptions not sure if that is still the case, but they were fairly obvious - e.g. hairdresser at John Lewis Welwyn

preable

Easycom own debenhams eletricals and pay them for using there name

fozmcfc

Not really sure what the OP is trying to achieve here.

Basically they want to have special rules applied to them so they can use vouchers which quite clearly state they cannot be used to purchase from Debenhams Electricals.

Surely they should be taking it up with the people who got the vouchers and saying along the lines of "you idiots you got me vouchers which quite clearly state I cannot use them with Debenhams Electricals and I want to put them towards electrical goods"

In short why should the OP be treated any different to the thousands of others who receive vouchers every year as gifts.