white company paper gift vouchers

yas212

Yesterday I found over £100 of white company gift vouchers in an old wallet. I tried to use them in store and I was told that they stopped accepting them as payment last year and they now use gift cards. I contacted customer services and they told me that they stopped accepting them as payment in August 2020 and that they would not convert them into a gift card or do anything with them at all now.
I can understand if the vouchers had an expiry date but they don't, and the company is not in financial trouble. 
John Lewis still accept their paper vouchers as payment even though they stopped issuing them. Is there anything I can say to them to allow me to use them? The T&C's on the voucher don't state that they have the right to stop accepting them as payment.

user1977

When were they issued?

yas212

user1977 said:

When were they issued?

Approx end of 2016/early 2017

bris

Cant you just use them online using the unique number on the reverse. If the number is valid then the internet doesn't know it's paper or plastic.

ssparks2003

yas212 said:

John Lewis still accept their paper vouchers as payment even though they stopped issuing them. 

Just a small point, but John Lewis do still issue paper vouchers, I received some last week in the post. 

user1977

yas212 said:

user1977 said:

When were they issued?

Approx end of 2016/early 2017

And can you evidence that? The usual prescription period is 6 years (if we're talking about England/Wales), which I'd expect to be the relevant limit in the absence of anything else having been agreed at the time.

yas212

bris said:

Cant you just use them online using the unique number on the reverse. If the number is valid then the internet doesn't know it's paper or plastic.

Unfortunately not as they’ve changed the format. The codes on the vouchers will come up as invalid 

Alderbank

Yas, who actually purchased these vouchers from the White Company? You say you found them in an old wallet. In law the contract is between the White Company and the purchaser. White have changed their T&C to say they no longer accept paper vouchers but they are bound by the terms applying when they were sold which seem pretty clear, i.e. they can simply be exchanged 'at any of our stores'. 

Provided the original purchaser still has proof of purchase as evidence they should send a Letter Before Action to the White Company to see what that flushes out.

Note that in law the finder of these vouchers has no claim against anyone, only the original purchaser.

yas212

Alderbank said:

Yas, who actually purchased these vouchers from the White Company? You say you found them in an old wallet. In law the contract is between the White Company and the purchaser. White have changed their T&C to say they no longer accept paper vouchers but they are bound by the terms applying when they were sold which seem pretty clear, i.e. they can simply be exchanged 'at any of our stores'. 

Provided the original purchaser still has proof of purchase as evidence they should send a Letter Before Action to the White Company to see what that flushes out.

Note that in law the finder of these vouchers has no claim against anyone, only the original purchaser.

I first acquired these in late 2016 when my girls were born and I was given some gifts from the White Company which I exchanged for gift vouchers, so I assume I am the original purchaser? Unfortunately I don't have receipts from back then.
I thought to save them for something that we needed and as they don't expire, I had time on my side! I am writing a complaint via Resolver now and we'll see what happens.
It is very cheeky of them as they didn't even send out an email or letter about it, and they had all of my details. I've just counted up my vouchers and I still have £134 worth in total!

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Worth a post on their Facebook page, polite and factual, to gain a better response.  

born_again

yas212 said:

Alderbank said:

Yas, who actually purchased these vouchers from the White Company? You say you found them in an old wallet. In law the contract is between the White Company and the purchaser. White have changed their T&C to say they no longer accept paper vouchers but they are bound by the terms applying when they were sold which seem pretty clear, i.e. they can simply be exchanged 'at any of our stores'. 

Provided the original purchaser still has proof of purchase as evidence they should send a Letter Before Action to the White Company to see what that flushes out.

Note that in law the finder of these vouchers has no claim against anyone, only the original purchaser.

I first acquired these in late 2016 when my girls were born and I was given some gifts from the White Company which I exchanged for gift vouchers, so I assume I am the original purchaser? Unfortunately I don't have receipts from back then.
I thought to save them for something that we needed and as they don't expire, I had time on my side! I am writing a complaint via Resolver now and we'll see what happens.
It is very cheeky of them as they didn't even send out an email or letter about it, and they had all of my details. I've just counted up my vouchers and I still have £134 worth in total!

Would they even have any address details for people that had been given vouchers?