Can Amazon keep my Gift Card balance?

tom1308

Hi,
Amazon recently closed my account due to me apparently returning items too many times. Regardless of the fact I don't agree with this that is not my main issue. I had a gift card balance on my amazon account of over £50, which now my account is closed I am unable to access and use. Amazon have advised me that they have the right to close the account and wipe the gift card balance and do not have to pay this back to me or allow me to spend it. They are now rather annoyingly ignoring my email contact.
Does anybody know if this is correct and if they have the right to do this?
Thanks

London50

Yes they can it is in their t&c's, if you Google you will find many that have {for what ever reason} "lost" far more than you have.

pinkshoes

London50 wrote: »

Yes they can it is in their t&c's, if you Google you will find many that have {for what ever reason} "lost" far more than you have.

Unless they specify the exact circumstances that they will close your account e.g. a certain percentage of returns, then surely this is an unfair t&c?

(Otherwise they could just go closing any account that had a large voucher balance)

London50

I agree but as the OP states, the reason for it being closed is too many returns as they see it. We have been using Amazon for many years and are lucky enough not having fallen foul of the t&c's but as I stated to the OP it is in the rules they have and as their company is {as I understand} based in Europe I know of no way {easily} that they can get the card balance back.

unholyangel

London50 wrote: »

Yes they can it is in their t&c's, if you Google you will find many that have {for what ever reason} "lost" far more than you have.

That doesn't make it legal.

Theres actually quite a good chance this is covered by EU unfair terms legislation (which means it should have been implemented into the laws of the duchy of luxembourg - which is the governing law when you purchase from amazon).

No, you can't force them to sell items to you. But nor should you be any worse off because they have decided to dissolve the contract on a purely discretionary basis.

London50

I am not saying it is legal and I would think if the OP would like to take it through the system to retrieve the money/card that they have had taken by Amazon there is nothing stopping them trying. I do feel sorry for the OP but for whatever reason that they have chosen to close the account and are not responding to any messages I find it hard to suggest what direction they can go.
Too many companies these days seem to hide/choose reasons not to play fair with customers but until some laws that "joe public" can without costing an arm/leg it seems we just have to put up with it.

unholyangel

London50 wrote: »

I am not saying it is legal and I would think if the OP would like to take it through the system to retrieve the money/card that they have had taken by Amazon there is nothing stopping them trying. I do feel sorry for the OP but for whatever reason that they have chosen to close the account and are not responding to any messages I find it hard to suggest what direction they can go.
Too many companies these days seem to hide/choose reasons not to play fair with customers but until some laws that "joe public" can without costing an arm/leg it seems we just have to put up with it.

Erm OP asked:
Does anybody know if this is correct and if they have the right to do this?

And you answered:
Yes they can it is in their t&c's



To me, that implies that you're saying they're allowed to do it/within their rights (ie its legal). Surely if you were saying its not legal you would have said "no they can't but enforcing it might be tricky and/or costly"?

London50

Ok I did not word things correctly {I will remind myself in future that wording is the most important thing} but the OP is still {if it is not legal} going to have a long fight to get the balance back.
Perhaps with myself being of the old school that understands that before I do things I read ALL the t&c's/ instructions and if I do not understand what is being stated I ask or if I do not agree I do not carry on with it. At least that way I do not find myself in the position of the OP.

OP it may not be legal but you may have a costly fight to get anything back.

[Deleted User]

tom1308 wrote: »

Hi,
Amazon recently closed my account due to me apparently returning items too many times.

How many items have you returned? I have returned many items but I have also bought many items.

gotmurked

I find this quite scary. I have quite a high GC balance due to saving for a high-price electronics item and to think that this could be wiped out for making one return too many is enough to make me think about doing this again (once I've achieved the amount needed).

I can't see how this is right. Imagine if a friend or family member gave you an Amazon gift card/voucher for a few hundred pounds, you apply it to your account and then a week or two later your account is closed and that money is gone. Can that really be legal?

I've actually got a return sitting in my lounge that's due to be sent back. I hope it doesn't push me over their undisclosed/hidden excessive returns clause. I'd be gutted to lose a large amount of credit which has legitimately been gifted to me by other people who have paid for that credit.

[Deleted User]

People who abuse Amazons generous returns policy deserve no sympathy.