wh smith "gift voucher" short expiry date con

HAPPY_BEING_A_YUMMY_MUMMY

was in WH Smith a few months ago buying a birthday card and the shop assistant said as you are buying a card you can have a £15 gift voucher for £10 - of course I said yes - promptly paid up and popped the "gift card" in my purse until I needed to use it. Two weeks ago went into Smiths with children having just gone back to school so went armed with a list of new term requirements!!! Only to get to the till to be told the card expired 31 August 2012. I contacted Smiths to be basically told tough - you should have noted the expiry date - yes in some ways I agree but I have never had a plastic gift card with a short expiry date - they are always either 12 or 24 months (Smiths are actually 24 months!!) WH Smiths have said they are sorry (of course they aren't - they have my £10!!!) but there is nothing they can do!!! How many other people have fallen foul of this - I know of one other person who I mentioned it to the other day opened her purse and there it was another card that had expired - they must be making a fortune from catching people out and misleading them into thinking they had bought a normal "gift card" with normal terms and condition!!!

browneyedbazzi

This isn't a grabbit or indeed a 'con' (I hate that word being used inappropriately because there are a lot of genuine victims of crime whose experiences are belittled by others saying they've been conned when they clearly haven't been).

Your post might be more appropriate in the 'praise vents and warnings' board.

Dave_C_2

Yet another good reason for not buying gift cards. I always give and ask for cash - you can use it in any shop and it doesn't expire!

Dave

missile

Dave_C wrote: »

Yet another good reason for not buying gift cards. I always give and ask for cash - you can use it in any shop and it doesn't expire!

Dave

just looses it's value due to inflation

System

Dave_C wrote: »

Yet another good reason for not buying gift cards. I always give and ask for cash - you can use it in any shop and it doesn't expire!

Dave

The deal was get a £15 gift card for £10.

I doubt they would run a promotion of get £15 cash for £10 cash!

Azari

browneyedbazzi wrote: »

This isn't a grabbit or indeed a 'con' (I hate that word being used inappropriately because there are a lot of genuine victims of crime whose experiences are belittled by others saying they've been conned when they clearly haven't been).

I'd disagree that it is not a con.

When you go into large high street shop you expect that they will maintain a certain standard of behaviour.

That would include gift vouchers that last for an a very minimum of a year.

The name of the shop gives you confidence that they will behave honourably and not trick you by having unexpected restrictions in place. They are tricking you into forfeiting money because you have confidence in their name.

So, yes, this is a con and it's a worthwhile warning.

System

Azari wrote: »

I'd disagree that it is not a con.

When you go into large high street shop you expect that they will maintain a certain standard of behaviour.

That would include gift vouchers that last for an a very minimum of a year.

The name of the shop gives you confidence that they will behave honourably and not trick you by having unexpected restrictions in place. They are tricking you into forfeiting money because you have confidence in their name.

So, yes, this is a con and it's a worthwhile warning.

It doesn't sound like its a standard gift voucher. Seems like they bought a promotional gift voucher. I would therefore expect a much shorter expiry date than if they had bought a normal voucher.

I don't believe you can call something a con when the information and dates about the offer are clearly displayed on the voucher.

Azari

goater78 wrote: »

It doesn't sound like its a standard gift voucher. Seems like they bought a promotional gift voucher. I would therefore expect a much shorter expiry date than if they had bought a normal voucher.

I don't believe you can call something a con when the information and dates about the offer are clearly displayed on the voucher.

That may well be true.

It depends just how clearly displayed they are.

To escape being classed as a 'con' the expiry date should be as clear as it is on such things as season tickets and membership cards.

Macadamia

HAPPY_BEING_A_YUMMY_MUMMY wrote: »

was in WH Smith a few months ago buying a birthday card and the shop assistant said as you are buying a card you can have a £15 gift voucher for £10 - of course I said yes - promptly paid up and popped the "gift card" in my purse until I needed to use it. Two weeks ago went into Smiths with children having just gone back to school so went armed with a list of new term requirements!!! Only to get to the till to be told the card expired 31 August 2012. I contacted Smiths to be basically told tough - you should have noted the expiry date - yes in some ways I agree but I have never had a plastic gift card with a short expiry date - they are always either 12 or 24 months (Smiths are actually 24 months!!) WH Smiths have said they are sorry (of course they aren't - they have my £10!!!) but there is nothing they can do!!! How many other people have fallen foul of this - I know of one other person who I mentioned it to the other day opened her purse and there it was another card that had expired - they must be making a fortune from catching people out and misleading them into thinking they had bought a normal "gift card" with normal terms and condition!!!

Yes. I agree with you. This is a con. Anytime restrictive terms and conditions are not brought to your attention is an attempt to con. And they depend on people just moaning about it and taking the hit. What they do not seem to take into acount is the number of people on forums like these who do the public spirited thing and give praise, vent and warnings. So THANKYOU for bringing it to my attention. :T (and that's why I have thanked your post - don't know why no one else has so far.)

I think many people are unaware of the shortlived duration of giftcards - and put them in their wallet for a rainy day - and then, when they try to spend them, are told there is nothing on them, and then believe they have spent the money themselves, rather than the card balance has expired or disappeared into thin air.

This should be challenged.

Why not write to Smiths explaining, just as you have done here, what happened, and asking them for recompense. Even your original £10 back would be better than nothing.

(and then update us to tell us what their response is.)

HAPPY_BEING_A_YUMMY_MUMMY

It is a plastic credit card type gift card i have bought lots of times before as gifts and this has nothing explaining it is anything other than a normal "gift card" the writing on the front does say WH Smith GIFTCARD (in capitals) so when is a GIFT CARD not a gift card????

fozmcfc

.......or people don't believe it's a con.

I personally think that the short validity of the card, could have been bought to the customers attention.

But I also don't think it unusual to expect someone to either ask, when can I use it to and/or to look at the expiry date.

Perhaps an offer of exchanging it for a £10 gift card, would have been a fair compromise.