Returns and refund of payments made on gift cards

HBrog

My daughter bought a pair of trousers online (small company called no emotions) and part paid with a £35 e-gift card she was given for her birthday and the balance on a credit card. They were too big so we returned them (at our expense) and they refunded the part payment made on the credit card. We assumed they had also credited her e-gift card back, but when she tried to use it for an alternative purchase, the website let her enter the card code but did not take off £35 so she paid full price for the transaction / new item. On contacting them they apologised and offered to give £35 of her next purchase but we rejected this and said that this was forcing her into another transaction which she may not be in a position to make. I wanted £35 credited back to my card instead. They replied saying that normally they don't refund gift cards but would do so on this occasion as a goodwill gesture. However, I am still chasing the money. Surely they cannot just decide to keep the value of a gift card if you return an item that doesn't fit and do so within their return terms? They have no phone number to call so you have to email all the time and there are no terms and conditions at the point of sale of their e-gift cards which states that if you buy something using an e-gift card and subsequently return it that you will no be refunded. What are my rights, please?

JJ_Egan

Gift card rights are usually with the original purchaser .

sheramber

There is a phone number on their facebook page

HBrog

Thanks for comments - can't get anyone to answer the phone number on there - just a mobile! Will keep trying. Re comment "Gift card rights are usually with the purchaser" - does that mean they should effectively be reimbursing  / have reimbursed the person who bought it for my daughter? If so, I guess they'd have to chase the company. But that's a complicated nightmare, isn't it?!

Sandtree

Normal anti-money laundering procedures are that funds should be returned to source so whats paid by CC should be refunded to CC and whats paid by gift card should be refunded to gift card etc. They should have refunded the gift card proportion beforehand but as we are presumably talking about some small company their systems may not be able to add the credit back to the original card and may well generate a new one etc. 

Presumably when the second order was placed you could see that the gift card didnt reduce the balance/amount payable? That would have been the time to ask the question, not after authorising to pay the full amount on a credit card. 

What stage is the 2nd order at? In theory you can cancel the order in your cooling off period and reorder a 3rd time using the giftcard as part payment but if the goods are already dispatched then you have a 2nd return postage to pay. You may want to discuss this with them as part of your statutory rights and the hassle it will cause them etc and therefore wouldnt it be easier if they just refunded in the first instance but you cannot force their hand.

HBrog

Thank you so much, very useful - and yes agree that the point of purchase would have been the time to check all the numbers. Unfortunately teenager with ADHD was typically not paying attention to all the details when she put it though!