Mis-sold an item from M&S but gift card was used

Merlin139

The reason M&S refund to a new e-Gift Card is that they cannot be sure that the customer still has the original Gift Card/Cards that were used when the order was placed. If an item is returned to store and the customer presents the original Gift Card then the refund would be made to that Gift Card.

You can go into the M&S Store in Camberley GU47 0FD (Around 3-4 miles from Farnborough) with your £650 Gift Card and if you so wish pick up 65 Gift Cards and ask for £10 to be loaded on each. Then present payment with your £650 Gift Card. Any number and any denominations. 

I have done this as a customer and had to do this for customers when I worked for M&S. 

powerful_Rogue

Deltadia said:

Thanks peeps. After reading through all your input and advises it seems I am really only left with relying on the goodwill of M&S...which I dont think I will get from how their agents were...

About the giftcard, I do own reloadable giftcard for M&S, which I typically used for small grocery shopping. And this was used to pay the initial order but M&S refunded me with new e-gift card (a single e-gift card of 650....). I use reloadable card as with e-gift cards, you tend to have multiple cards with less than a pound left and you get disorganised quickly. Whereas with reloadable, you just have one card to manage

@Alderbank The corporate reward site is managed by Rewards Gateway. And you assume right, most of the gift cards/vouchers on the site are non-refundable once the voucher is opened. And with the case of reloadable cards, they state they cannot provide a refund. On the M&S gift card site, however, I saw below statement. So I wanted to see if there are any grounds since it was M&S error on their site.

Gift cards cannot be returned or refunded, except in accordance with legal rights. 

@Manxman_in_exile it was quite a harsh lesson because of the timing but I will think more about the consequence of the order not being fulfilled when using gift cards. I certainly did not have any imagination that I would be put in this situation. I will most likely to pursue the avenue of selling the giftcard to friends and family but even that will be a hassle as M&S refunded it into single card.....

@powerful_Rogue I appreciate your bluntness as some facts wont change no matter how you sugar coat it. But I would appreciate if you could dish out your blunt advises whilst reading what I wrote. There isnt really an alternative to spend in M&S for me. I tried looking for alternative items to spend this afternoon, I need some curtain rails/rods but they only do curtains not rods and other big furnitures I have already placed the order elsewhere. So I am stuck with 650 gift card which I will now need to chase them to split into different denominations or spend it in small groceries which will take absolutely ages to spend as I am moving from London to Farnborough where there is no M&S except for one in BP ..  

Can you not cancel/return the other large orders and then purchase these from M&S with the gift card? Unless you purchased those with gift cards as well.

Manxman_in_exile

For £650 you need to try to get the money back.  Don't take a first rebuff from M&S as their final answer.

As an example:  a couple of years ago I had two gift cards from M&S that had expired, total value about £30.  I can't remember why but I first contacted M&S customer services to see if they would extend them and they were very adamant that they wouldn't under any circumstances.  Next time I was instore I asked if they would extend them and they did it without question.  I asked again for the sake of £30.  For £650 I'd ask again, and again, and again.  Make as good a case as in your last post.  Emphasise that it is only their advertising error on their website (which they've admitted) that has put you in this position.

I know a £650 gift voucher refund is completely different from £30 extension, but you have to make the best case you can.  Unfortunately they almost certainly won't refund you as they have no legal obligation to do so, but you can try.

Otherwise try @Merlin139's suggestion to use the £650 to buy smaller denomination cards to sell on to family and friends.  (Although for the reasons outlined in my previous post, I personally wouldn't buy gift cards/vouchers accept at a significant discount as I think they represent very poor value... )

Or try what @powerful_Rogue suggests - although I suspect you've chosen other large pieces of furniture from other suppliers rather than M&S because you prefer what others offer rather than what M&S offers.  I personally would not cancel purchases from other suppliers and buy from M&S just to use a gift card.  Who wants to live with furniture they don't like for 10 years?  It's up to you if you think that's worthwhile.

user1977

Manxman_in_exile said:

(Although for the reasons outlined in my previous post, I personally wouldn't buy gift cards/vouchers accept at a significant discount as I think they represent very poor value... )

Maybe not for things like sofas, but they're fine for more day-to-day purchases - why turn down the equivalent of, say, a 7% discount at the checkout if you're just buying your groceries or knickers at M&S?

Manxman_in_exile

user1977 said:

Manxman_in_exile said:

(Although for the reasons outlined in my previous post, I personally wouldn't buy gift cards/vouchers accept at a significant discount as I think they represent very poor value... )

Maybe not for things like sofas, but they're fine for more day-to-day purchases - why turn down the equivalent of, say, a 7% discount at the checkout if you're just buying your groceries or knickers at M&S?

Interesting that you give those examples!

We used to buy a lot of food from M&S and I used to buy 95% of my day to day clothes from them.  Apart from the odd sandwich I can't remember the last time we bought food from M&S, and other than socks and underwear, I can't remember the last time I bought any clothes from them, but it must have been over ten years ago!  And that's not because they're too expensive or anything, it's because their clothes look awful and the quality is nowhere near as good as it used to be.

Underwear is a case in point.  M&S men's underwear used to be of high quality.  The last two times I bought underwear from them it can only be classed as shoddy and poor quality - and not cheap.

One of the reasons the £30 worth of (free*) gift vouchers had expired in the first place was because I literally couldn't find anything in M&S that I wanted to buy.  I could spend it now on some underwear, but the quality of the last M&S lot I bought was so poor I really don't want to - even if I could save 10%.

And that is the whole problem of gift cards and vouchers when given as gifts.  The poor recipient is tied into buying something from a store that may not offer anything they want to buy.

I think the general demise of M&S as a seller of good quality clothes (especially men's clothes) over the last 20 years or so has been very sad.  They seem to have headed off in a very down-market direction.  I understand their food offerings are still good, but as I said, we don't buy food from them any more.  (And I'd have to say the last time I bought a sandwich there I was disappointed by the range offered and the quality)

*My gift vouchers were actually given to me as a gift - so they were literally free.  Even though they cost me nothing, I can't find anything to buy at M&S with up to a 100% discount.

user1977

Manxman_in_exile said:

user1977 said:

Manxman_in_exile said:

(Although for the reasons outlined in my previous post, I personally wouldn't buy gift cards/vouchers accept at a significant discount as I think they represent very poor value... )

Maybe not for things like sofas, but they're fine for more day-to-day purchases - why turn down the equivalent of, say, a 7% discount at the checkout if you're just buying your groceries or knickers at M&S?

And that is the whole problem of gift cards and vouchers when given as gifts.

Fair enough, but I thought we were talking about people choosing to buy gift cards at a discount (because they know they're going to spend them). I would also not buy gift cards for retailers which I'm not intending to shop at...

Manxman_in_exile

user1977 said:

Manxman_in_exile said:

user1977 said:

Manxman_in_exile said:

(Although for the reasons outlined in my previous post, I personally wouldn't buy gift cards/vouchers accept at a significant discount as I think they represent very poor value... )

Maybe not for things like sofas, but they're fine for more day-to-day purchases - why turn down the equivalent of, say, a 7% discount at the checkout if you're just buying your groceries or knickers at M&S?

And that is the whole problem of gift cards and vouchers when given as gifts.

Fair enough, but I thought we were talking about people choosing to buy gift cards at a discount (because they know they're going to spend them). I would also not buy gift cards for retailers which I'm not intending to shop at...

I understand.  I was responding to your apparent general comment that gift vouchers have "value" if you've bought them yourself.  I elaborated upon it by drawing attention to what I see as the more specific problem of giving "gift" vouchers.  A waste of money by the purchaser.

user1977 said:

...but they're fine for more day-to-day purchases - why turn down the equivalent of, say, a 7% discount at the checkout if you're just buying your groceries or knickers at M&S?

 and indicating that I have been quite happily turning down a potential 100% discount on M&S gift vouchers for the last 5+ years because what they sell these days isn't worth buying - or even getting for free!

To get back to the OP, his problem is that he apparently bought a discounted gift voucher for himself with the sole intention of making a specific purchase from M&S based on a description M&S posted on their website and which they now accept was inaccurate.

I think it is "wrong" that the OP should be locked into spending £650 with M&S when he only purchased the gift card because he was misled by an inaccurate description on M&S's website that they have since admitted was wrong.  I understand that M&S have no legal obligation to refund the OP whatever he bought the gift voucher for, but in my opinion (and it is only my opinion) they should do so because M&S were at fault here in misleading the OP - whether inadvertantly or not.  That is why I would persevere in putting my case to M&S.

This has no bearing on my general view that I wouldn't give gift vouchers as a gift to anyone (even to my worst enemy unless they were M&S vouchers) and I wouldn't buy any for myself to use unless the intended purchase was absolutely 100% guaranteed.  (And even then I'd be hesitant to buy from M&S... )

lincroft1710

Manxman_in_exile said:

user1977 said:

Manxman_in_exile said:

(Although for the reasons outlined in my previous post, I personally wouldn't buy gift cards/vouchers accept at a significant discount as I think they represent very poor value... )

Maybe not for things like sofas, but they're fine for more day-to-day purchases - why turn down the equivalent of, say, a 7% discount at the checkout if you're just buying your groceries or knickers at M&S?

Interesting that you give those examples!

We used to buy a lot of food from M&S and I used to buy 95% of my day to day clothes from them.  Apart from the odd sandwich I can't remember the last time we bought food from M&S, and other than socks and underwear, I can't remember the last time I bought any clothes from them, but it must have been over ten years ago!  And that's not because they're too expensive or anything, it's because their clothes look awful and the quality is nowhere near as good as it used to be.

Underwear is a case in point.  M&S men's underwear used to be of high quality.  The last two times I bought underwear from them it can only be classed as shoddy and poor quality - and not cheap.

One of the reasons the £30 worth of (free*) gift vouchers had expired in the first place was because I literally couldn't find anything in M&S that I wanted to buy.  I could spend it now on some underwear, but the quality of the last M&S lot I bought was so poor I really don't want to - even if I could save 10%.

And that is the whole problem of gift cards and vouchers when given as gifts.  The poor recipient is tied into buying something from a store that may not offer anything they want to buy.

I think the general demise of M&S as a seller of good quality clothes (especially men's clothes) over the last 20 years or so has been very sad.  They seem to have headed off in a very down-market direction.  I understand their food offerings are still good, but as I said, we don't buy food from them any more.  (And I'd have to say the last time I bought a sandwich there I was disappointed by the range offered and the quality)

*My gift vouchers were actually given to me as a gift - so they were literally free.  Even though they cost me nothing, I can't find anything to buy at M&S with up to a 100% discount.

Couldn't agree more about M&S quality going south. In the past they had dedicated outside factories in UK making clothes exclusively for them, but no longer. 

Money_Grabber13579

lincroft1710 said:

Manxman_in_exile said:

user1977 said:

Manxman_in_exile said:

(Although for the reasons outlined in my previous post, I personally wouldn't buy gift cards/vouchers accept at a significant discount as I think they represent very poor value... )

Maybe not for things like sofas, but they're fine for more day-to-day purchases - why turn down the equivalent of, say, a 7% discount at the checkout if you're just buying your groceries or knickers at M&S?

Interesting that you give those examples!

We used to buy a lot of food from M&S and I used to buy 95% of my day to day clothes from them.  Apart from the odd sandwich I can't remember the last time we bought food from M&S, and other than socks and underwear, I can't remember the last time I bought any clothes from them, but it must have been over ten years ago!  And that's not because they're too expensive or anything, it's because their clothes look awful and the quality is nowhere near as good as it used to be.

Underwear is a case in point.  M&S men's underwear used to be of high quality.  The last two times I bought underwear from them it can only be classed as shoddy and poor quality - and not cheap.

One of the reasons the £30 worth of (free*) gift vouchers had expired in the first place was because I literally couldn't find anything in M&S that I wanted to buy.  I could spend it now on some underwear, but the quality of the last M&S lot I bought was so poor I really don't want to - even if I could save 10%.

And that is the whole problem of gift cards and vouchers when given as gifts.  The poor recipient is tied into buying something from a store that may not offer anything they want to buy.

I think the general demise of M&S as a seller of good quality clothes (especially men's clothes) over the last 20 years or so has been very sad.  They seem to have headed off in a very down-market direction.  I understand their food offerings are still good, but as I said, we don't buy food from them any more.  (And I'd have to say the last time I bought a sandwich there I was disappointed by the range offered and the quality)

*My gift vouchers were actually given to me as a gift - so they were literally free.  Even though they cost me nothing, I can't find anything to buy at M&S with up to a 100% discount.

Couldn't agree more about M&S quality going south. In the past they had dedicated outside factories in UK making clothes exclusively for them, but no longer. 

That’s because when they made quality clothes, people refused to buy them because they were too expensive. So they made them cheaper by sacrificing the quality and people still won’t buy them because they are shoddy. It seems that M&S is caught between a rock and a hard place because customers want traditional M&S quality at Primark prices.

lincroft1710

Money_Grabber13579 said:

lincroft1710 said:

Manxman_in_exile said:

user1977 said:

Manxman_in_exile said:

(Although for the reasons outlined in my previous post, I personally wouldn't buy gift cards/vouchers accept at a significant discount as I think they represent very poor value... )

Maybe not for things like sofas, but they're fine for more day-to-day purchases - why turn down the equivalent of, say, a 7% discount at the checkout if you're just buying your groceries or knickers at M&S?

Interesting that you give those examples!

We used to buy a lot of food from M&S and I used to buy 95% of my day to day clothes from them.  Apart from the odd sandwich I can't remember the last time we bought food from M&S, and other than socks and underwear, I can't remember the last time I bought any clothes from them, but it must have been over ten years ago!  And that's not because they're too expensive or anything, it's because their clothes look awful and the quality is nowhere near as good as it used to be.

Underwear is a case in point.  M&S men's underwear used to be of high quality.  The last two times I bought underwear from them it can only be classed as shoddy and poor quality - and not cheap.

One of the reasons the £30 worth of (free*) gift vouchers had expired in the first place was because I literally couldn't find anything in M&S that I wanted to buy.  I could spend it now on some underwear, but the quality of the last M&S lot I bought was so poor I really don't want to - even if I could save 10%.

And that is the whole problem of gift cards and vouchers when given as gifts.  The poor recipient is tied into buying something from a store that may not offer anything they want to buy.

I think the general demise of M&S as a seller of good quality clothes (especially men's clothes) over the last 20 years or so has been very sad.  They seem to have headed off in a very down-market direction.  I understand their food offerings are still good, but as I said, we don't buy food from them any more.  (And I'd have to say the last time I bought a sandwich there I was disappointed by the range offered and the quality)

*My gift vouchers were actually given to me as a gift - so they were literally free.  Even though they cost me nothing, I can't find anything to buy at M&S with up to a 100% discount.

Couldn't agree more about M&S quality going south. In the past they had dedicated outside factories in UK making clothes exclusively for them, but no longer. 

That’s because when they made quality clothes, people refused to buy them because they were too expensive. So they made them cheaper by sacrificing the quality and people still won’t buy them because they are shoddy. It seems that M&S is caught between a rock and a hard place because customers want traditional M&S quality at Primark prices.

M&S made quality clothes for decades which people actually bought and appreciated. In the 1950s and 60s, probably even into the 70s, maybe even the 80s they could still attract customers. But I think as the "baby boomers" reached the age where M&S clothes would start to look "interesting", they didn't appeal to the "bb" generation


It's not just M&S. The town where I live had a C and A, Littlewoods, Co-op, Debenhams, BHS. a large provincial department store plus M&S. All now gone, town centre a ghost town, we have Primark, TKMaxx and Matalan (out of town)