Q: I received a €40 voucher as a gift. The shop where the voucher was purchased from had run out of vouchers so instead of the voucher card, it issued a receipt stapled on a card.

I have a two-year-old who happened to find this receipt and tore it apart in such a way that it became unrecognisable.

I went to the seller who issued the voucher and explained what had happened. The seller told me that he does not have any guarantees that the voucher has not been used.

I kept insisting that I should be allowed to use the voucher but the seller is denying my request.

What are my rights?

A: Unfortunately, when a voucher is destroyed, it is like losing money. Since you cannot provide any evidence that the destroyed voucher was never used, legally, you do not have the right to claim a remedy from the seller.

Unless the seller is willing to let you choose something from the shop that is equivalent to the value of the destroyed voucher, legally you do not have any rights.