Amazon Aqua credit card

ferrism

I applied for an AQUA card through an Amazon offer in June. The offer was for a £20 Amazon gift card.

I didn't receive it so I queried this with Amazon and Newday who issue the card.

Newday told me I hadn't complied with all terms and conditions. Specifically I had not made any purchase in one of the first two months. (I had made purchases in the other month.)



The Terms are as follows:



You will be eligible for the Amazon.co.uk Gift Card if you use your aqua card, your monthly payment is received on time and you do not go over your credit limit in each of your first two statement months.



Now I may start sounding like a pedant here but I believe that sentence is made up of independent clauses. I don't believe it means the card must be used in each of the first two statement months. I think the three independent clauses are, well, independent.


Do any English scholars have a view on this?

[Deleted User]

It reads that you need to do all three things in the first two months, including using the card.

[Deleted User]

No it's quite clear and simple.

If you can't understand it then, well.. I don't know...

ferrism

Well I guess the answer to that is I don't belong on this forum! Well, not until I've learnt English. If only it were my first language.

[Deleted User]

ferrism wrote: »

Well I guess the answer to that is I don't belong on this forum! Well, not until I've learnt English. If only it were my first language.

Which part wasn't clear?

The part about making a purchase or the part about it being made in the first 2 months?

m-holland

ferrism wrote: »

Well I guess the answer to that is I don't belong on this forum! Well, not until I've learnt English. If only it were my first language.

In other words the only replies you want are the ones that agree with you

ferrism

Just me being over-sensitive. Sorry.

bsms1147

I think it's just ambiguous enough that you could read it as three separate parts where the 'each month' part applies only to the last of the three;

'eligible ... if
- you use your aqua card
- your monthly payment is received on time
and
- you do not go over your credit limit in each of your first two statement months'

There are possibly clearer ways to phrase it, eg

"You will be eligible for the Amazon.co.uk Gift Card if, in each of your first two statement months, you use your aqua card, your monthly payment is received on time, and you do not go over your credit limit"

(excusing the Oxford comma)

Nothing to lose by complaining to them. The likely outcome is the same position you're in now, but worth a punt.

ferrism

!!! wrote: »

Which part wasn't clear?

The part about making a purchase or the part about it being made in the first 2 months?

It was the part about making the purchase in each of the first two statement months.



I learnt my English quite a long time ago so I apologise for my lack of understanding.
I know what they want this statement to mean but it's not how I understand correct English.

If they wanted it to mean all statements apply they should have used an introductory clause.

I was taught that the method they have used forces all clauses to be totally independent.



In other words it is only necessary to ....
1) Use the card
2) Make the monthly payment.
3) Stay within the credit limit in each of the first two statement months.


In order to effect the meaning they wanted, the sentence should have started with "During the first two statement months the user must ....."


I think it is my misunderstanding or perhaps not listening properly in class!

dr_adidas01

It stills reads that you need to do it in the first two months regardless of how you want it set out in to be read.

Which you didn’t do so no Amazon voucher for you regardless!!

ferrism

dr_adidas01 wrote: »

It stills reads that you need to do it in the first two months regardless of how you want it set out in to be read.

Which you didn’t do so no Amazon voucher for you regardless!!

Thanks for your reply. Would you be able to point me to something which documents that? Or is it something a native speaker should "know?" It's just that this has completely changed my understanding of how the English grammar works. It is totally different to the lessons I had.