MSE News: Use gift vouchers ASAP- don't be caught out by store collapse 22 January 2013 at 8:50PM in Shop but don't drop 6 replies 1.9K views

Former_MSE_Dan

"If you've got gift vouchers or cards, use them as soon as possible to avoid being caught out if the store collapses."

Read the full story:Use gift vouchers ASAP- don't be caught out by store collapse

tara747

Even Love2Shop etc are not 100% safe, as any store may refuse to accept them or drop out of the scheme...

jenniewb

Really wish there was some way of knowing which companies are at risk of going bust. I had a load of vouchers from Christmas and was going to buy myself a Kindle, but on later research found out that what I needed from the Kindle wasn't possible (reading books on drawing where colour and tone is pretty essential) and using diagrams which wouldn't work on all screens (the book is pretty colour heavy) as others have reported in reviews on Amazon, these books don't work.

So I thought I'd wait for a full colour version of the Kindle- but without the glossy finish of the Fire/FireHD which just worry be in terms of theft- I'd never use them if I had one as I think it would be an invitation to be mugged.

I had wanted to put this off until the Autumn when Amazon seem to bring out new products, the vouchers I have are for Currys.

I have no idea if it's just better to buy something and sell it on ebay and risk losing a few pounds through fees, postage and tax and so on or if I sit and wait whilst hoping Currys don't have anything to worry about.

I also have quite a bit on my Boots Advantage card which I was hoping to use for Christmas next year, and Tesco vouchers I was amassing....you hear about these companies vanishing so quickly and before you've even seen the newspaper report, all vouchers are useless.

I think the media and others need to do more to help the consumer, I'd like to read the financial pages in the paper and be able to make sense of it all in terms of helping myself as a consumer, instead they are all aimed at city-types who know the market and who probably have little to worry about on a personal cash level when it comes to vouchers and companies going belly-up.

Chris_Doran

If all else fails, you may be able to sell them on eBay as collectors' items. Even till tickets and carrier bags become saleable once collectors know there won't be any more.

As well as vouchers, some people have found that credit notes for returned goods may not be accepted when the store goes bust, or may time out, so follow the same advice to use them a.s.a.p.

juliebunny

I have a friend who used to work in Primark (where i have some vouchers for). Although they say they are valid for up to 2 years, he told me that they regularly get wiped off after one year, so I'm going to use mine within a year.

JimmyTheWig

tara747 wrote: »

Even Love2Shop etc are not 100% safe, as any store may refuse to accept them or drop out of the scheme...

With something like this, though, even if one store pulls out of the scheme then you _can_ still spend your vouchers - though not necessarily on what you were planning on spending them on.

My concern, though, is what if Love2Shop themselves go bust? Presumably all stores would stop accepting the vouchers the moment that happened so it's not really any safer, is it?

pmduk

tara747 wrote: »

Even Love2Shop etc are not 100% safe, as any store may refuse to accept them or drop out of the scheme...

NB The funds on Love2shop gift cards are held in trust, however not Love2shop gift vouchers (according to their website.) I don't know why, seems incongruous to me.