"The card doesn't work!!!"

[Dave1982]

I happened to be standing at one of the registers today to use the phone since the phone in my department isn't working properly (some idiot contractor screwed up the wiring to that extension), and the moment I hung up a woman appeared out of nowhere at that register (which was closed, with the sign up and the light off) and barked "The card doesn't work!"

Of course I had no idea what the hell she was talking about.

Me: Um....what card?

(I thought maybe she'd gotten an express card for the self-serve copiers and that was what she was having trouble with).

SC: How many of these do you sell?! This is the second one I got TODAY that hasn't worked!!!!

She reached into her pocket and came up with a $50 Visa gift card and a receipt for said gift card, from about half an hour prior, and slammed them down in front of me.

SC: I was just at [other store in plaza] and it didn't work!!!!


Alright, first of all, she seemed to be under the mistaken impression that I was the one who rung her out for that card, which was definitely not the case. So strike 1 for acting like i should've known what she was talking about.

Also....she paid cash for the thing, then immediately went to spend it next door? I can not begin to fathom the reasoning behind this. She paid an activation fee of $4.95 for that card. If she had the cash I don't understand why she didn't just go straight to the other store. Doing it this way was a waste of $5.

Me: Ok, hang on a second while I get the boss over here. *picks up phone*

SC: I DID pay for it!!!!!

Me (very neutrally, since she's quite irate already): I'm not saying you didn't, ma'am. I just need my manager for this sort of issue.

*pages for MOD; Focker arrives*

SC: This card doesn't work! They say it's not activated! If you can't tell me why I want my money back!!

Focker: I can't do that because gift cards aren't refundable. I'm gonna have to call this number on the card to find out what's going on.

SC: Fine! I'm going outside while you do that! *stomps off*

Me:

So Focker called the number. Turns out it takes up to an hour for these cards to activate, and that it'd be working within 30 minutes.


Eventually she wandered back in and Focker explained it to her. Amazingly, she accepted the explanation calmly and left without another word.

I'm guessing she had a bad case of the nicotine blues when she came in, and had gone outside to smoke a cigarette while we figured out the problem, thus explaining her sudden mood change.

But I'm still completely baffled as to why she'd spend $55 cash on a $50 visa gift card only to turn around and spend it immediately......

[UncleImpy]

Could have needed it for a place that didn't take cash. I can't think of many places outside of a gas station, but I'm sure there are SOME

[Dave1982]

The store she was using it at definitely takes cash.

[BowserKoopa1]

But I'm still completely baffled as to why she'd spend $55 cash on a $50 visa gift card only to turn around and spend it immediately......

Now don't tell me you forgot that some customers actually have brains the size of a raisin!

[flutes_and_fabric]

There are a few reasons I could think of as to why someone would purchase a gift card like that. The most obvious is to give as a gift to someone else, but as this woman was apparently using it for herself, this was not the reason. One of the main reasons to purchase a card for yourself is that it can be used with some online vendors, and as someone who has had her account hacked into, there are advantages to using a card which cannot be credited. A third reason is that many of the cards with an activation fee do come with special offers. Or maybe she just felt cool using a card rather than boring old cash. I personally can find no logic in paying 5 dollars to use $50.

[bainsidhe]

Some gas stations don't take cash? Really? Hmm, the things you learn each day.

[Seriously?]

It's not supposed to make sense - I try not to ascribe an overabundance of common sense and/or brains to SC's.

[MoonCat]

I buy these things to use online because I don't have a credit card, and I won't use my debit that way because it doesn't have the same protections as credit cards do. It always takes 24 hours for them to be usable, I've never heard of ones that only take an hour. I wish I could get those here.