Gift Card

annicka1

I bought a £50 H&M gift card from Amazon on the 21st June 2021.  I had forgotten to use it earlier but when I tried to use it the other day it was telling me the card has expired.  The card is valid for 2 years and should be going out of date on the 20th of June ( actually didn't receive it till the 22nd June 21).  

So, I've contacted H&M and Amazon but neither will reactivate or replace the card and keep telling me it's not got anything to do with them.

Any one had the same problem? For me, £50 is too much to lose.  All advice much appreciated, thanks.

HillStreetBlues

It would be Amazon that you pursue.
You will need to show  the date you bought it and that it states it's valid for 2 years.
If you can do that, Amazon has sold you something (the gift card)  that didn't match what was advertised.

annicka1

Hi HillStreetBlues

Thank you for your reply.   I have spoken to Amazon  (on the phone) they are adamant it's  nothing to do with them.  Even sent me an email saying so, which I have replied to, telling them it is them who sold it to me and HM have sent me back to them.  That was yesterday but no reply. 

Aylesbury_Duck

Could it be that H&M's systems are at fault?  If the card has a printed expiry on it but has expired prematurely, that would suggest so.   It's still Amazon you need to be pursuing though.  Since they're not interested you'll have to decide whether to write and threaten small claims action, or write the voucher off.

annicka1

Thanks Aylesbury Duck.

They are quick to take your money.  £50 for such a big company is peanuts them so why not sort this out with a replacement.  I guess I will have to lose it.

Alderbank

You say that for you £50 is too much to lose, but in 2021 you bought a £50 gift card and forgot to use it for almost 2 years?

Why did you not simply spend the £50 in H&M, particularly in view of those one-star reviews on Amazon from buyers saying that H&M said they were out of date when they tried to redeem their gift card?

You should claim on Amazon's stated (rather weird) returns policy for those gift cards:

Returns

Non-returnable but eligible for refund if damaged or defective
This item is non-returnable, but if the item arrives damaged or defective, you may request a refund or replacement.

I would request a refund 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Green-%C2%A350-Gift-Card-Post/dp/B07ZRX2L96/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3D96O9A2TK787&keywords=h%26m%2Bgift%2Bcard&qid=1687126374&sprefix=h%26m%2Caps%2C91&sr=8-2&th=1

annicka1

Thanks for your reply Alderbank

I had originally bought to give as a birthday gift  for my daughter, but ended up buying something she really wanted in 2021.  So I thought I would give it as a gift to someone else and basically forgot to check when it was expiring.  I will try your link, thanks.

Aylesbury_Duck

How much did you pay for it?

born_again

Alderbank said:

You say that for you £50 is too much to lose, but in 2021 you bought a £50 gift card and forgot to use it for almost 2 years?

Why did you not simply spend the £50 in H&M, particularly in view of those one-star reviews on Amazon from buyers saying that H&M said they were out of date when they tried to redeem their gift card?

You should claim on Amazon's stated (rather weird) returns policy for those gift cards:

Returns

Non-returnable but eligible for refund if damaged or defective
This item is non-returnable, but if the item arrives damaged or defective, you may request a refund or replacement.

I would request a refund 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Green-%C2%A350-Gift-Card-Post/dp/B07ZRX2L96/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3D96O9A2TK787&keywords=h%26m%2Bgift%2Bcard&qid=1687126374&sprefix=h%26m%2Caps%2C91&sr=8-2&th=1

Not sure that after 2 years you would have a valid claim for "if the item arrives damaged or defective"

Clearly expiring is not "damaged or defective"

Not sure why the "Weird". You are buying a bit of plastic, with a value of usually 0.01p. In this instance H&M apply a credit on a account linked to the card.

Alderbank

I agree no claim after 2 years but the point is that this is before 2 years. The defect was not visible and has only become apparent when attempting to use it after eg. 23 months. 

Defective = having a fault or faults; not perfect or complete; broken; not made properly; not working properly.

I thought the term 'Non-returnable but eligible for refund if damaged' is weird. If I decided I didn't want it after a week, I could simply damage it. I would then be eligible for refund! Perhaps they meant to say 'free replacement if damaged...'?

HillStreetBlues

I wouldn't be bothering with Amazon returns policy as it doesn't fit the reason for return
The item is not as described, if if states valid for two years and it's not.

What method of payment was used?