Pre-emptive "I HATE Gift cards" thread for week of Dec. 26

[Dreamstalker]

Can you actually do that? I thought you could only get cash back as "change" if you bought something with the card.

IIRC, some states have gift card laws that say it can be 'cashed in'...or I could be confusing that with one where if the balance is $5 or under the merchant must give the customer the option of getting the balance in cash.

[simplyanother]

IIRC, some states have gift card laws that say it can be 'cashed in'...or I could be confusing that with one where if the balance is $5 or under the merchant must give the customer the option of getting the balance in cash.

I have noticed, on our new registers, a button that says "gift card cashout", yet, I've never had this thing explained to me, and don't know what to do with it.

I'm very curious.

[Tama]

Our Malmart ones had that 'gift card cash out' key...granted, these are the really old damn keyboards with keys falling off so maybe that was just way back when...

[Becks]

The bank I use cashes out gift cards.

Why's everybody looking at me like that?

Because you're spifftastic.

[AyreBiskits]

i got a gamestop gift card from my husband (he knows how much i love video games ) and cash this year (from other relatives). i thought i'd go get a game yesterday because we both had the day off. the line for the register was out the door. and naturally, they had a sign for the sale they were having, which i read and understood. and naturally, i overheard some potential SCs saying "well, pick one out, they have a sale on those games" (NOT a game on sale as stated on sign - SC didn't read it). i grabbed my husband and left right after that. i know there was going to be a SC sighting and i didn't want to stick around and see it. i'll just wait until the store has more games available.

and gift cards, i like to buy things that are over the amount on the card so i only use it once and get rid of it.

[Jay 2K Winger]

I received a nice batch of Yellow Tag gift cards for Xmas, and while I've already used part of one of them to buy Kung Fu Panda 2, the rest I plan to sit on and wait.

Because I may use the funds to help pay for a new laptop or something. Just need to decide what I want first. And I know it won't be enough to cover everything, but that's because I have that most uncommon of super-powers: common sense.

[Geek King]

If I can't find a more appropriate gift:

Cash for people I'm handing the card to, or check for those being mailed. The color is always right, always the right size, and never makes their butt look bigger.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Well I did get a whole load of gift card people yesterday and most ran smoothly, except for this guy...

Note: This story is a shining example of why I HATE Visa gift cards!!

Ok, so the guy's kid had a VISA gift card for $25. When I ran it through the register, a message came up that said "declined". Uh oh, I thought. So I called the number on the back to verify the balance and got a lovely message saying the card had not been activated properly.

And here's where the fun begins...

So I explain all this to the guy and his son (who was maybe 8). The kid gives me a look like I've just smashed his favourite toy to pieces and the father immediately flies into a rage telling me he "knows the money is on there" and *I* must have made a mistake. So I run the card again...same thing.

Guy gets more agitated, then asks for a manager. Manager shows up. Guy demands "compensation" because the damn gift card won't work. Manager tells him that our company did not sell the gift card nor do we service it in any way and there's no chance in hell he's getting anything from us besides a stern warning to calm down.

Then he left in a huff and accused us of trying to rip him off.

[PepperElf]

- Kids who get pissed off at me because they don't know well enough to add tax to their purchase and suddenly their gift card isn't QUITE enough to cover whatever is they are trying to buy.

it's not always kids. had a customer who was upset that his computer had over $30 in tax. he forgot he was shopping in a state with a 9.5% sales tax.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Oh and I forgot one more!

Another reason I hate these cards is because of all the hidden FEES tacked on to some of them.

I got into a huge verbal spat with a woman yesterday because her Mastercard Gift card showed a lower balance when scanned than what she had told me. The difference was around $3.50. I can about guaran-damn-tee you that's fee related and I told the woman as such. She wouldn't have it and accused me of "not running the card properly" or otherwise messing something up in the computer to make the balance read incorrectly.

She eventually left, but not before seething at me.

I just thought of another reason I hate these things:

If there's a mistake on a transaction and the gift card has to be refunded, the refund isn't always processed immediately, particularly in the case of the Visa/MC gift cards. Customers don't like to be told they may not be able to use the refunded gift card for a couple of days.

[Pagan]

and gift cards, i like to buy things that are over the amount on the card so i only use it once and get rid of it.

I do the same thing. Well, unless the GC is a big amount. I got a $20 AMEX GC to the mall for a Secret Santa gift. I am most definitely going to use it all in one go. Mainly because I remember what a PITA those things can be!

[Mr Hero]

Well I did get a whole load of gift card people yesterday and most ran smoothly, except for this guy...

Note: This story is a shining example of why I HATE Visa gift cards!!

Ok, so the guy's kid had a VISA gift card for $25. When I ran it through the register, a message came up that said "declined". Uh oh, I thought. So I called the number on the back to verify the balance and got a lovely message saying the card had not been activated properly.

And here's where the fun begins...

So I explain all this to the guy and his son (who was maybe 8). The kid gives me a look like I've just smashed his favourite toy to pieces and the father immediately flies into a rage telling me he "knows the money is on there" and *I* must have made a mistake. So I run the card again...same thing.

Guy gets more agitated, then asks for a manager. Manager shows up. Guy demands "compensation" because the damn gift card won't work. Manager tells him that our company did not sell the gift card nor do we service it in any way and there's no chance in hell he's getting anything from us besides a stern warning to calm down.

Then he left in a huff and accused us of trying to rip him off.

FFS, dude chill! Though this kind of thing is rare, it happens. I was once given a $100 Visa gift card for my birthday. I called the number to verify the amount, and it hadn't been activated yet. I called my mother and she got it all taken care of in a non-SC way with the store that sold it. I had money that same day. Some people just need to chill.

[Nijiero]

Ahh, now I feel kind of bad after reading this Thread, as my father and I may have inadvertantly contributed heavily to the GiftCard SC Population... we dispersed about $500 worth of gift cards among all my cousins this Christmas, and some of them are a little.. uhm... snotty and spoiled. I appologize for this, to ANYONE who gets one of them in their line at Walmart or hands them a bill at TGIF's, among other places. >.<

[telecom_goddess]

We did the gift card thing too. I got all three kids gift cards. The two older ones used them online The youngest one wanted to go shopping the day after christmas And so we did. But she was nice and none of those things mentioned in the original post happened cause I raised her right

[Catwoman2965]

Well I did get a whole load of gift card people yesterday and most ran smoothly, except for this guy...

Note: This story is a shining example of why I HATE Visa gift cards!!

Ok, so the guy's kid had a VISA gift card for $25. When I ran it through the register, a message came up that said "declined". Uh oh, I thought. So I called the number on the back to verify the balance and got a lovely message saying the card had not been activated properly.

And here's where the fun begins...

So I explain all this to the guy and his son (who was maybe 8). The kid gives me a look like I've just smashed his favourite toy to pieces and the father immediately flies into a rage telling me he "knows the money is on there" and *I* must have made a mistake. So I run the card again...same thing.

Guy gets more agitated, then asks for a manager. Manager shows up. Guy demands "compensation" because the damn gift card won't work. Manager tells him that our company did not sell the gift card nor do we service it in any way and there's no chance in hell he's getting anything from us besides a stern warning to calm down.

Then he left in a huff and accused us of trying to rip him off.

He obviously has no clue how these type of gift cards work! I feel bad for the kid, but dad certainly didn't help things any. Whenever I give a gc, i always keep the receipt and the activation one I'm giving, just in case. Never had an issue, but I'd hope that if someone had a problem iwth a gc I gave them, they'd let me know, so I could take care of it asap. I also only pay for them with Am Ex, as they are awesome if there's any kind of issue with anything.