Refusing to take vouchers...?

MaKaVeLi

Hi guys,

Just after some advice before I make "the phonecall".

I bought my parents some vouchers as a thank you for their support through my wedding day which were for a couple of hundred quid in a michellin starred restaurant.

These vouchers were issued in September 2013 (8 Months ago), but unfortunately my mother became ill and has been bed bound since. She's not back at work yet, but is in the mend, so my dad got the vouchers out to take her for a meal to cheer her up.

However, the vouchers have "expires March 14" hand written on the back...?

A 6 Month expiry? Surely not!

My dad emailed the restaurant asking if this was correct and what they could do.

The response he received was that the vouchers are invalid now and there is nothing the restaurant can do, as they've changed the voucher system now.

I'm fuming, but wanted some advice from you kind people before I call them.

This is daylight robbery, they have been paid a lot of money for a service that hasn't yet been delivered, so I don't know how they can state that there is nothing they can do now...?

Thanks for all advice!

Tom

Spank

They clearly stated when they expired & your parents did not use them in the required time.
Sorry but the restaurant has done nothing wrong. You could go there yourself & explain about your mothers illness, but it might prove fruitless.
Remember to check the date in the future.

bris

It's not their fault, they failed to take up the service in which the vouchers were sold.

Sad circumstances but it doesn't change the contract you entered into, no point fuming at them, they have done nothing wrong.

MaKaVeLi

Thank you for the response.

The vouchers came, stuck inside a card so the expires wasn't visible unless you actually detached them and being that my parents have used vouchers at The Hand And Flowers, which have no expiry, I do think it was a reasonable mistake to make.

What I think is unreasonable is taking £200 in exchange for vouchers, placing a 6 month life on them without mentioning it, then when reasonably asked if anything could be done the excuse of "the voucher system has changed"

What's changed? They have taken £200 and I believe are being unreasonable in not offering any help at all.

Tom

tomtontom

As they expired in March it is possible the vouchers were accounted for in last year's accounts - to allow you to use them now would show as a loss in the current year's accounts.

lucy03

MaKaVeLi wrote: »

Hi guys,

Just after some advice before I make "the phonecall".

I bought my parents some vouchers as a thank you for their support through my wedding day which were for a couple of hundred quid in a michellin starred restaurant.

These vouchers were issued in September 2013 (8 Months ago), but unfortunately my mother became ill and has been bed bound since. She's not back at work yet, but is in the mend, so my dad got the vouchers out to take her for a meal to cheer her up.

However, the vouchers have "expires March 14" hand written on the back...?

A 6 Month expiry? Surely not!

My dad emailed the restaurant asking if this was correct and what they could do.

The response he received was that the vouchers are invalid now and there is nothing the restaurant can do, as they've changed the voucher system now.

I'm fuming, but wanted some advice from you kind people before I call them.

This is daylight robbery, they have been paid a lot of money for a service that hasn't yet been delivered, so I don't know how they can state that there is nothing they can do now...?

Thanks for all advice!

Tom

Having worked at a restaurant chain's Head Office we would have dealt with this because of the potential negative publicity that could otherwise arise. So I'd go straight for the restaurant's better nature personally. There might be a compromise, perhaps asking if it's possible to go on a day that might otherwise be quiet for example. A sane voice in the restaurant would know that this would probably only cost them £50 or so in ingredients and drinks, far less than having grumpy customers complaining about them.

If they won't do anything I'd personally review the restaurant negatively (but don't tell them that's what you intend to do - that verges on blackmail). It's a very negative experience so most restaurant owners I know would expect customers to respond in such a way. A review saying "disappointed, treated my parents to an expensive meal by buying vouchers but due to illness and confusion over dates they couldn't be used. Saddened as we were so looking forwards to it" doesn't make good reading for the restaurant.

There's not much legally you could do IMO. You could take them to the small claims court and argue they mentioned the date wasn't pointed out to you, but it's a pretty good defence that the restaurant has that it's written clearly on the back. You might win if the restaurant doesn't argue the case, but it's pretty dodgy ground legally IMO as they have written the date on.

But good luck. Perhaps name them if you get no joy at all from them.

redcard

tomtontom wrote: »

As they expired in March it is possible the vouchers were accounted for in last year's accounts - to allow you to use them now would show as a loss in the current year's accounts.

That's the most ridiculous reason I've ever heard in my life.

lucy03

MaKaVeLi wrote: »

Thank you for the response.

The vouchers came, stuck inside a card so the expires wasn't visible unless you actually detached them and being that my parents have used vouchers at The Hand And Flowers, which have no expiry, I do think it was a reasonable mistake to make.

Tom

If you still have the card and can show this, I suspect you might have a much stronger case if you weren't elsewhere notified of the expiry date.

redcard

Get in touch with the restaurant on Twitter. Explain the situation briefly and they'll look after you.

MaKaVeLi

Yeah when I spoke to the restaurant to ask if they did vouchers they never mentioned an expiry, even when ordered it wasn't mentioned... Then checking the website, there is no mention, and the vouchers were "stuck" in a card with it in the back...

I'll just call and ask nicely. It's just upsetting when my parents have been through a lot this year and then this happens. That's all..

Thank you,

Tom

lucy03

MaKaVeLi wrote: »

Yeah when I spoke to the restaurant to ask if they did vouchers they never mentioned an expiry, even when ordered it wasn't mentioned... Then checking the website, there is no mention, and the vouchers were "stuck" in a card with it in the back...

I'll just call and ask nicely. It's just upsetting when my parents have been through a lot this year and then this happens. That's all..

Thank you,

Tom

Good luck with it!

I think the "please can you help me" in a nice manner should get you something from the restaurant and is definitely the best approach. They should be aware of the potential negative results of not being helpful.

I can't say how it'd go, but if the end result is that you took them to the small claims court, which brings its own stresses, and showed that the voucher expiry date was partly hidden and they hadn't announced that expiry date in any other way, I suspect they'd struggle to get a judge onside.