Marks and Spencer Gift Card

Uganda_2

Marks and Spencer Gift Card

This is not really a rant, but I am having difficulty getting a satisfactory reply from M&S re a problem I had with their Gift Card and I wondered whether any other users had had the same problem.

I bought an item with my Gift Card and received a receipt for the credit remaining on the Card. The following day I used the Card again, but the credit balance had reduced by £4. I hadn't used the Card in the interim. When I rang the Gift Card Helpline they told me that a second debit had been put through two minutes after I had made my purchase the day before and it was at the Store Manager's discretion whether they would recredit my card. After spending my whole lunch hour explaining to four different people what had happened, the Manager gave me another card with a £5 credit on it.

Noone in the Store could explain why this had happened.

I emailed the Head Office with two queries, asking: -

a) why it had happened
b) what recourse I would have if the same thing happened again and this time the Store Manager did not believe I hadn't used the card twice.

After receiving what I would describe as two "fob off" emails, my query was passed to the "Escalation Manager" who concluded that the cashier must have reinput my card details after I had left the till. However, I'm not happy with this explanation for two reasons: the cashier wouldn't have had my card details once I'd left the till and I'm assuming that if someone else's purchase was debited from my card, what happened to the alternative method of payment they offered for their item?

I'm still waiting for a reply (even an acknowledgement would be nice).

I'm writing this both to warn other users to check their Gift Card balance and also to find out whether anyone else has had a similar problem (not necessarily with M&S) and whether anyone (maybe an M&S employee) can offer a reason for the double debit.

Thank you.

Sooler

Perhaps when the card is swiped the details are held in the till for a while which might have allowed the following customers purchase to have been put onto your card, either by accident or design.

M&S must be able to see at what till the cad was used the second time.

pamperedprincess

I work for M&S. Card details are not 'held' in the till - as soon as the transaction is completed the till clears ready for the next sale. In this case you can tell the transaction had completed because the till printed the receipt showing the remaining balance on the gift card.

rogue_element

You should go back to the store and if you really want to find out the problem caused, this is what you should do.

1)Phone up the gift card helpline, state your case again and ask for a transaction ID and time and till ID for the second time the card was used.

2)Visit the store and ask them to check the electronic journal giving them the time and the till ID/transaction ID.

This should enable them to print out exactly what transaction the extra £4 was debited on.

Just out of interest, how much was debited the first time from the gift card, when you used it properly and how much was left?

Uganda_2

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

My opinion is that it's up to M&S Customer Services to do the leg work for me especially as I've already spoken to the Gift Card helpline myself who weren't particularly helpful. I'm just fed up that what I think could be a problem for a lot of people, not just me, isn't being taken seriously by M&S who have told me that they're sure the same thing won't happen again, but can't actually tell me why it happened in the first place.

The first time the card was debited it was for £4.49 leaving a credit of £6.94. The following day when I tried to use it the balance had reduced to £1.98 and the Help Line told me that a debit of £4.96 had been put through two minutes after.

Thanks again

rogue_element

Well I think you need to suggest through email or phone what I said above to them, they probably won't realise exactly what you want if you don't. They will have a record of it on a transaction. Its possible the CA transferred the gift card credit onto another CG of their own and if so, they should also have a log of this on the till.

Have you tried emailing through marksandspencer.com I've found them to be quick and v.helpful when answering complaints.

Uganda_2

I've been emailing M&S through their website and it's their Customer Service Dept that hasn't come up with a valid reason for what happened. Now, despite asking for acknowledgements, they're not responding at all to my emails. Your suggestions are good though and I'll add them to yet another email.

rogue_element

Just to follow this up, can you be sure it was the same gift card they handed back to you? Do you have a previous receipt printout with the balance. I cannot see how they could debit it twice without physically having the card, unless the till op has a photographic memory and/or there is some other wider scam going on - CCTV operator faking GCs etc, which is unlikely.

Can you tell me exactly the balance before the transaction you did and after and then the balance when you came to use it the next time?

It seems strange that exactly £4 was debited because a transaction would rarely be exactly £4.

Uganda_2

It was definitely the same gift card as they all have identification numbers on the back. When I quoted this number to the help line people they told me that there had been two transactions, one for the item I bought and another two minutes later for £4.96 (not £4).

Incidentally, your opinion on how the cashier could input my card details again when I had already left the shop agrees with mine. I'm still waiting for M&S to answer that query. I've asked for contact details for their Chief Executive as I'm fed up now. Their Customer Service Department is daft because what started off as a query has now turned into a complaint because of their lack of response.