Sainsbury's lost/stolen gift card issue

Section62

Wondering if anyone has found a way round this, if not then hopefully it will be a warning to others...

An elderly relative gets a friend to do food shopping for her using a Sainsbury's gift card. The card gets topped up as and when.

The relative's shopping bag was taken from the friend's trolley instore, and the gift card was in the shopping bag.

The card is registered on the Sainsbury's website, which allows cards to be reported lost or stolen, but there's no indication what happens to the credit which was on the lost/stolen card.  The card has been reported stolen and has been deactivated.  It hadn't been used, and the account is showing the correct amount of credit still stored on the account.

Sainsbury's gift card team (0800 636262) say they cannot do anything without the long card number from the gift card, even though the card was registered to an account.  Explaining to them the long card number isn't available because the card was stolen didn't help.  Computer says 'no'.  They don't recognise such a thing as an 'account number', just the long number from the gift card.

Sainsbury's customer complaints team (claiming to be the highest level CS team) say they can't do anything because it is a gift card issue.  They won't log a complaint about poor customer service because it is a gift card issue.  Their advice is to call the gift card team..... even when it it pointed out (again) that the gift card team won't discuss anything without a long gift card number.

The gift card team only work office hours, so if the loss is discovered out of hours there's no point calling them to report it lost or stolen until the next working day.  And no point calling them if you don't know the long card number.

Unbelievably poor customer service.

So... make a note/take a photo of your long gift card number just in case you need to call Sainsbury's gift card team to report it lost or stolen.  As they don't seem to understand this is something you won't necessarily have if your card is lost/stolen.

marcia_

 Get back on to customer services and raise a complaint about the gift card team/process not poor customer service. 

Section62

marcia_ said:

 Get back on to customer services and raise a complaint about the gift card team/process not poor customer service. 

 CS say they don't do anything relating to gift cards, complaints relating to gift card issues and processes have to be made to the gift card team.

It was like talking to a computer whose only response is "Talk to the gift card team".

Newbie_John

Gift card are being treated as cash.
How much money was left on the card?

Also, when you say gift card was registered.. where was it actually registered? And how do you top it up?

Section62

Newbie_John said:

Gift card are being treated as cash.
How much money was left on the card?

Also, when you say gift card was registered.. where was it actually registered? And how do you top it up?

Yes, Sainsbury's say treat the card as cash, but then provide the functionality to "Block your card if lost or stolen" which is more debit/credit card-like than cash.  The question I was trying to get an answer from Sainsbury's is what happens to the balance if the card is blocked.  There's no point blocking the card if the balance is just lost.... you may as well let the finder/thief make use of the money rather than donate it to Sainsbury's.

The balance was under £50.  Family/friends do the top ups in store (there's no online top up facility).

Registration was done using the Sainsbury's site here -

https://help.sainsburys.co.uk/help/products/sainsgiftcardregister

...which seems to link to a third-party partner.

If you register there then you get an account - with an account number* which differs from the gift card number. The account gives access to transaction history, card block etc.  New/replacement cards can also be added to the account without having to re-register.

(*This account number is what the gift card customer services said they'd never heard of)

FlorayG

Unfortunately for you the gift cards are actually nothing to do with Sainsbury's, they are just an arrangement Sainsbury's has to honour specific gift cards issued by the third party.
I would be escalating this with the gift card people and asking to speak to a senior - the CS people on the 'phone are probably low paid and work from a script and actually don't KNOW how to help you

Section62

FlorayG said:

Unfortunately for you the gift cards are actually nothing to do with Sainsbury's, they are just an arrangement Sainsbury's has to honour specific gift cards issued by the third party.

This is a Sainsbury's branded gift card.  I did wonder if it was a third-party operation, but there is nothing in the Sainsbury's T&C's mentioning this, which AFAIK would be a legal requirement if the contract was with the third-party rather than Sainsbury's themselves.

FlorayG said:

I would be escalating this with the gift card people and asking to speak to a senior - the CS people on the 'phone are probably low paid and work from a script and actually don't KNOW how to help you

Tried that.  Without the long card number two different agents have refused to do anything other than suggest I call back if I find the long card number.  They said they have no complaints process or escalation route, unless you have a long card number to give them.

What I might do is get the relative a new card and use that long card number to see if we can get beyond the 'computer says no' barrier.

marcia_

 I just saw this on Sainsbury website. I would be making further complaints here 
https://help.sainsburys.co.uk/help/refunds-returns/adr-providers