Don't buy gift vouchers
Discussion
Despite years of publicity and guidance from various people and Orgs saying not to, folk still continue to buy gift vouchers from retailers and resellers.
Kooble, formerly 5pm, have gone into administration and customers are out of pocket.
https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/gl...
Kooble, formerly 5pm, have gone into administration and customers are out of pocket.
https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/gl...
A few years ago our boss sold our company and gave everybody a love2shop voucher for £1000. Obviously I wanted to get shot of them as quickly as possible for this reason, but you would not believe how hard it was to get rid of them.
Curry's would only take one of them to put towards a mobile phone. In the end I had to swap them for John Lewis vouchers and used the majority of them to buy a mobile phone for my daughter.
I currently have a £50 voucher for Miller and Carter that I was given a year ago, they only last for two years.
As you say, never buy anybody a gift voucher, I have never understood why giving boring old money that can never expire and can be spent anywhere is seen as the inferior option.
Curry's would only take one of them to put towards a mobile phone. In the end I had to swap them for John Lewis vouchers and used the majority of them to buy a mobile phone for my daughter.
I currently have a £50 voucher for Miller and Carter that I was given a year ago, they only last for two years.
As you say, never buy anybody a gift voucher, I have never understood why giving boring old money that can never expire and can be spent anywhere is seen as the inferior option.
ThingsBehindTheSun said:
A few years ago our boss sold our company and gave everybody a love2shop voucher for £1000. Obviously I wanted to get shot of them as quickly as possible for this reason, but you would not believe how hard it was to get rid of them.
Curry's would only take one of them to put towards a mobile phone. In the end I had to swap them for John Lewis vouchers and used the majority of them to buy a mobile phone for my daughter.
I currently have a £50 voucher for Miller and Carter that I was given a year ago, they only last for two years.
As you say, never buy anybody a gift voucher, I have never understood why giving boring old money that can never expire and can be spent anywhere is seen as the inferior option.
Many years ago i had an insurance claim settled in love2shop vouchers and didnt really have any trouble using them.Curry's would only take one of them to put towards a mobile phone. In the end I had to swap them for John Lewis vouchers and used the majority of them to buy a mobile phone for my daughter.
I currently have a £50 voucher for Miller and Carter that I was given a year ago, they only last for two years.
As you say, never buy anybody a gift voucher, I have never understood why giving boring old money that can never expire and can be spent anywhere is seen as the inferior option.
ThingsBehindTheSun said:
As you say, never buy anybody a gift voucher, I have never understood why giving boring old money that can never expire and can be spent anywhere is seen as the inferior option.
I think we're conditioned to think that giving someone cash is uncaring as little effort has gone into it. Whereas limiting the recipient's choice with a voucher is the ultimate act of caring.Even if the retailer is still around, a decent % of vouchers go unspent too so all gravy for them.
The smart play is to swerve the issue by writing in the card to the recipient how much you hope they enjoy the £50 cash, place the card in the envelope and seal. Slice open envelope and retape closed. Post.
Recipient believes you care enough to give them £50.
You get to keep the £50.
Everyone believes the postman took the £50.
DonkeyApple said:
The smart play is to swerve the issue by writing in the card to the recipient how much you hope they enjoy the £50 cash, place the card in the envelope and seal. Slice open envelope and retape closed. Post.
Recipient believes you care enough to give them £50.
You get to keep the £50.
Everyone believes the postman took the £50.
Recipient believes you care enough to give them £50.
You get to keep the £50.
Everyone believes the postman took the £50.
Did you write for Viz?
DonkeyApple said:
The smart play is to swerve the issue by writing in the card to the recipient how much you hope they enjoy the £50 cash, place the card in the envelope and seal. Slice open envelope and retape closed. Post.
Recipient believes you care enough to give them £50.
You get to keep the £50.
Everyone believes the postman took the £50.
Recipient believes you care enough to give them £50.
You get to keep the £50.
Everyone believes the postman took the £50.
Retailers love them - as many don't ever get redeemed.
Starbucks were in the news this week - they have $1.77 BILLION in unredeemed gift cards. The interest alone......
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-bank-of-star...
Starbucks were in the news this week - they have $1.77 BILLION in unredeemed gift cards. The interest alone......
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-bank-of-star...
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
DonkeyApple said:
The smart play is to swerve the issue by writing in the card to the recipient how much you hope they enjoy the £50 cash, place the card in the envelope and seal. Slice open envelope and retape closed. Post.
Recipient believes you care enough to give them £50.
You get to keep the £50.
Everyone believes the postman took the £50.
Recipient believes you care enough to give them £50.
You get to keep the £50.
Everyone believes the postman took the £50.
Did you write for Viz?
and
Car bon said:
Retailers love them - as many don't ever get redeemed.
Starbucks were in the news this week - they have $1.77 BILLION in unredeemed gift cards. The interest alone......
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-bank-of-star...
We often get a gift card from someone we know at Xmas timeStarbucks were in the news this week - they have $1.77 BILLION in unredeemed gift cards. The interest alone......
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-bank-of-star...
The bloody thing is often expired by the time we receive it, I think they regift their Xmas gift from last year!
DonkeyApple said:
Or they have a relative that can get them expired vouchers for nowt, which they then gift on. 
I remember years ago my ex wife was given a Spa gift card. I listed it on eBay for 80% of it's face value and got a message asking when it expired."Expired?" I thought, I had no idea these things expired as I checked the back and realised it had already.
Absolute con.
The first year of our marriage, we were consumed by irrational anger towards Jamie Oliver that his restaurant empire seemingly collapsed the same day that many of our friends and families gifted us vouchers (of significant value) for the establishment. We very nearly went to Heathrow T2 on a date night until we found the last of the franchises didn't accept the vouchers....
We still fume every time he appears on the television
We still fume every time he appears on the television
My partner was buying a reasonably expensive ring and was offered 20% off the price in the sale.
You should have seen the salespersons face as I pulled out a pile of 20, £50 Love2Shop cards to put towards the cost of the ring. From the look on her face you would have thought I had dumped a dog s
t on the counter.
I got the impression that the discount would not be forthcoming if we used the vouchers.
You should have seen the salespersons face as I pulled out a pile of 20, £50 Love2Shop cards to put towards the cost of the ring. From the look on her face you would have thought I had dumped a dog s
t on the counter.I got the impression that the discount would not be forthcoming if we used the vouchers.
soad said:
Not had one for well over a decade. Most are digital now, easy to redeem online - just like Nectar points etc.
To be fair I get quite a lot of Kudos points at work which we can exchange for gifts or vouchers. I always convert mine to Tesco Vouchers, send them to my google wallet and I have never had a problem using them.But I go to Tesco every week, I have never been to Miller and Carter in my life and I have had a £50 voucher for a year now.
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