It will soon be Christmastime. Christmas is undoubtedly a hectic time, especially for shopping.
It is not always easy to find the time to buy gifts for our friends and loved ones. Gift vouchers are therefore very often resorted to. However, if we are not careful enough, those receiving our gifts may actually face problems. These can range from expiry dates that have lapsed to a voucher from a shop that has closed down.
Gift vouchers are appealing because those receiving them can choose their own gift. However, gift vouchers are still very different from cash, as these usually carry a number of limitations. These should be carefully checked out by reading the terms and conditions on the back of the voucher before we purchase one.
There are vouchers with no strings attached which can be used any time, on any product, and not limited to one shop. It is therefore advisable to always check the places where the voucher can be used before buying one. Obviously, the more shops covered by the voucher the more choice the receiver of the voucher has.
There are also different ways of how a voucher can be used. For instance, some vouchers have to be used at one go because no change is given.
Other vouchers may have the condition that if a product of a lesser value is chosen, another voucher will be issued with the difference in price.
Before purchasing a gift voucher we should pay special attention to whether or not it has an expiry date. Ideally there should be no such date, so that whoever receives it can use it whenever they want.
However, some vouchers do carry an expiry date and this can vary widely. Some shops only give a few months to redeem the voucher, while others offer a year or two. If asked, some shops are also willing to extend the expiry date printed on the voucher, but this should be requested before the voucher expires.
Ideally, however, vouchers should not be left too long in a wallet or under a magnet on the fridge. Besides risking ending up with an outdated voucher, there is also the possibility that the owner of the business may change and this could mean that unused vouchers become worthless.
The new owners would only be bound to honour sold vouchers if they had purchased the previous owner’s liabilities, but this does not happen very often. There is also the possibility that the trader may run out of business.
Another risk is that of losing the voucher. If this happens, there isn’t much one can do. The only exception would be if the gift voucher is made out in the name of the consumer and is marked ‘not transferable’. This means the trader is likely to have a record of the voucher and may be prepared to cancel the original and issue another one. Hence, my advice is to always keep vouchers somewhere safe.
When terms and conditions on the voucher are not honoured by the outlet that issued it, we can seek redress by submitting a claim with the Consumer and Competition Department. However, we should remember that legally there is nothing we can do once the voucher expires, or if we want to redeem the voucher for cash.
Gift vouchers do not work like cash. They represent goods to the face value of the voucher.
customer@timesofmalta.com
odette.vella@gov.mt
Ms Vella is senior information, officer, Consumer and Competition Department.