Amazon Gift card does not work purchased from another retailer

ladygea2001

I purchased two Amazon Gift cards from Sainsbury's yesterday

When I got home one of the gift card claim numbers did not work on the amazon website whereas the other one did.

I phoned Amazon who also said they tried the code. They said that there was something wrong with it but as the card was bought from a third party, I would need to contact them. They sent me an email to confirm the code was no use so I could take to Sainsburys as evidence.

I went back to Sainsburys who said that it should be Amazon to sort it as they could do nothing with the gift card.

Since then I have spoken with the manager at Sainsburys who again said they could not give me my points back which I used to purchase the gift cards. I again spoke to Amazon who said the retailer should sort it and they have no liability. The manager is not happy with the email suggesting I need to speak with Amazon again as it is there product.

Whose responsibility is it and what should I do next? A colleague of mine said Trading standards if not sorted.

Surely Sainsburys should sort this as I bought the product from them. They say they buy gift card products in good faith from Amazon - almost suggesting there cards should all work. The thing is I bought the product from Sainsburys in good faith not directly from Amazon.

Not what I need just before Christmas:mad:

tomtontom

You are right, you bought the card from Sainsburys, it is for them to remedy the problem. It's no different from buying a faulty kettle, your contract is with the retailer not the manufacturer. Are they unwilling to give you a replacement?

ladygea2001

Well initially the customer service assistant was going to do it but could not get the points back on my nectar card. It is when she asked the manager he said they are not willing to replace or reimburse. I spoke with him on the phone and explained that i also had problems when purcasing the cards as one would not go through.

So frustrating and I am disappointed with Sainsbury's. Will never buy gift cards from third parties again.

theonlywayisup

ladygea2001 wrote: »

Well initially the customer service assistant was going to do it but could not get the points back on my nectar card. It is when she asked the manager he said they are not willing to replace or reimburse. I spoke with him on the phone and explained that i also had problems when purcasing the cards as one would not go through.

So frustrating and I am disappointed with Sainsbury's. Will never buy gift cards from third parties again.

Perhaps a post on one of their social media pages might be fruitful.

wealdroam

ladygea2001 wrote: »

Will never buy gift cards from third parties again.

That is a good idea.

Just to re-enforce Tomtontom's point, here is a short quote from MSE's Consumer Rights article:

Know who's responsible

When returning items, beware shops trying the oldest trick in the book: saying they're not responsible for the shoddy goods and you must call the manufacturer. This is total nonsense!

If a company fobs you off by saying “go to the maker instead”, it's wrong. It's the retailer's job to sort it.

It doesn't matter if it's an iPod from a high street shop or a designer frock from a department store. If something's broken, torn, ripped or faulty, the seller has a legal duty to put it right as your contract is with it.

unholyangel

You could also try putting your complaint in writing to the store - perhaps even sending a letter before action if they dig their heels in.

Put quite simply, the store are in breach of contract as they have not provided what you have paid for.

Red*Dragonfly

ladygea2001 wrote: »

Well initially the customer service assistant was going to do it but could not get the points back on my nectar card. It is when she asked the manager he said they are not willing to replace or reimburse. I spoke with him on the phone and explained that i also had problems when purcasing the cards as one would not go through.

So frustrating and I am disappointed with Sainsbury's. Will never buy gift cards from third parties again.

I work in a shop that sells gift cards, it sounds like there was a problem activating the card when it was purchased (gift card are not activated until they are paid for).

we sometimes get 'dud' cards that wont activate and get an error message immediately after payment, to say that there is a problem. When this happens the supervise usually issues a new card.

Shops don't usually refund gift cards, as they could have already been used and there is not way to deactivate them (that I am aware of), but I don't know why they are not willing to replace it if you can prove that it is not working, manager has probably never had to deal with faulty card before.

Try arguing faulty and 'not fit for purpose'

NectarCollector

You should have gotten a separate receipt confirming that each of the cards had been activated and with the amounts. Did you get these? It's possible that the cashier made a mistake and scanned the same card twice (the second time would have failed as it would already have been activated.

The barcode used to scan through the till is on the top half that snaps off the gift card or the cardboard backing it is on, the barcode to activate the gift card is on the back of the actual gift card itself. I suspect that this is likely what has happened. I hope you kept your store receipt and the activation receipt as the store may not take your word for it that it failed to activate (ie, a person could pick up another gift card in the store, take it to the counter and claim that the money had not been put on it, or may have simply spent the money and tried to get a free top up- this is to prevent fraud)

JayJay2016

I had the same problem with a pack of 3 £10 gift cards that I bought from Sainsburys before Christmas. I sent one to my nephew but it would not work. I still had the other two so I returned them to Sainsburys expecting to obtain a refund. They were aware that there had been a problem and had been told by Amazon to take them off the shelves. However they said it was not their responsibility to refund and I should contact Amazon. I disputed this quoting the Sale of Goods Act but they were adamant so, rather than make a fuss, I came away. I spent ages on the phone to Amazon and managed to get the two cards I still had loaded onto my account but they were unable to do this for the card I had given as a gift. I was not prepared to ask my nephew to go to through the same hassle so I phoned Sainsburys and spoke to the Manager. By this time I had read the comments on this forum and was more confident. The Manager said they had no way of getting the money back from Amazon but he could understand my position and reluctantly agreed to refund the final £10, presumably as a gesture of goodwill. Well done that man!