Amazon Gift Cards - Money for Nothing?

verityboo

Yes, give them a call, they might do something, depends how long ago it expired.
In future add any gift vouchers to your amazon account immediately, you can apply them to your account and then spend them at a later date

Herongull

A few thoughts:

1/One big problem with having an expiry date is that tokens used to be non-expiring, so buyers and receivers don't know things have changed. Of course it is in the fine print, but people just think: It is a token, I need to use this some time" and then when they want to use it, it has expired.

2/If they expire, then the company has benefited to the tune of the amount. It is not like meat going off - no one benefits then, and everyone knows (or should know) that meat (or other food) doesn't keep forever. Banks accept old banknotes and coins.

3/There isn't an accounting "problem" with non-expiring tokens - all these companies must have accountants do their accounts and there must be a standard accounting practice for treating these tokens (a liability in the balance sheet)

pmduk

verityboo wrote: »

Yes, give them a call, they might do something, depends how long ago it expired.
In future add any gift vouchers to your amazon account immediately, you can apply them to your account and then spend them at a later date

The last gift certificate I credited to my account showed a date by which the credit had to be used.

pinkshoes

Have you actually PHONED Amazon to see what they say before starting this thread?

If not, then it's a little unfair to slate Amazon when you haven't even asked them if they can help!

Katarina187

I know in my place of retail, gift cards have an expiry time of two years. Once it is expired there is no way of getting the money back. Maybe ring their customer support?

terra_ferma

gift cards are a rip-off, in my opinion, retailers must make a fortune out of them
it's like lending them your money, that you may, or may not, be able to get back
I doubt it costs them a lot of money to administer, just using the interests they get out of the money the are given, before it's used, if ever, would probably be enough to cover their costs

ruthie1horse

I had gift vouchers from Animal that my mum gave me, I forgot about them and left them too long so they expired. I understand that's not the companies fault but cannot understand a company of their size not re imbursing me as a good will gesture. I have to say Amazon have been brilliant and will extend voucher dates. Perhaps Animal could take a leaf out of their book. I am loath to buy people vouchers as gifts as I know that you can't always find something you want to buy in the timescale. So the company benefits big time. As someone else said vouchers didn't used to have expiry dates on, I think the buyer should be made aware of this when they buy them. No one tells you this when you buy them.
I know I'm ranting but I think business's must get a fair bit of revenue from this.
Hacked off.:mad:

marvin

The thing about Amazon that annoys me is that even when you have added the gift voucher amount to your account it still has an expiry date.

I had some vouchers for Birmingham Bullring which expired, could never find anything in the place I wanted to spend them on! Contacted the company who issue them and the wanted more money to extend them by a month, they got told where to go!

I think people should avoid these vouchers and just hand over cash.

custardy

ruthie1horse wrote: »

I had gift vouchers from Animal that my mum gave me, I forgot about them and left them too long so they expired. I understand that's not the companies fault but cannot understand a company of their size not re imbursing me as a good will gesture. I have to say Amazon have been brilliant and will extend voucher dates. Perhaps Animal could take a leaf out of their book. I am loath to buy people vouchers as gifts as I know that you can't always find something you want to buy in the timescale. So the company benefits big time. As someone else said vouchers didn't used to have expiry dates on, I think the buyer should be made aware of this when they buy them. No one tells you this when you buy them.
I know I'm ranting but I think business's must get a fair bit of revenue from this.
Hacked off.:mad:

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ruthie1horse

Haven't got a problem with Amazon, have a problem buying direct in shops we're you're not made aware of expiry dates.......