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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to expect Waitrose/John Lewis to give me back my £500?

378 replies

Clazzer1 · 19/12/2017 21:43

I had my car stolen last night. This would be bad enough in itself but Inside my car was over £500 of Waitrose / John Lewis gift cards that have been stolen along with all my children's Christmas presents.

As I still had the receipt for these gift cards I was able to give JL the gift card numbers and they were able to confirm that nobody had used them and they were able to successfully block anyone from from using them in the future. Sounds good - so you think they would issue new gift cards to me - WRONG.

Waitrose/ John Lewis policy is to NOT refund or reissue gift cards. This means they have my money, they have stopped anybody from using the vouchers I bought, they have confirmed that NOTHING has been spent from these gift cards but they are now withholding this money and refusing to give it back or provide a replacement. I am totally shocked at this response from such a respectable retailer. They are no better than the thief that stole them in the first place.

These gift cards were the school collection money that the parents had collected for a gift for several teachers and teaching assistants To withhold this from us is a true disgrace. AIBU to expect a multi million pound retailer like Waitrose / John Lewis to do the right thing and provide a replacement?

OP posts:
Viviennemary · 19/12/2017 22:21

That is quite wrong. You should contact Trading Standards and complain about this policy. They have more or less stolen your money and a substantial amount at that. I didn't think this would be allowed. It's not the same as money. John Lewis from what I understand has cancelled the vouchers so they are now unusable. OP has handed over £500 to John Lewis. They are £500 richer and OP is £500 poorer. If nobody can spend them then it stays like that.

mrssunshinexxx · 19/12/2017 22:23

Go straight to the CEO I think u will get a very different outcome

mummmy2017 · 19/12/2017 22:23

Call the bank, the cards have been cancelled, so the contract you had with them has not been kept..

RestingGrinchFace · 19/12/2017 22:24

Can you get them to use the gift cards to buy new gift cards?

Thetreesareallgone · 19/12/2017 22:24

Yes, I would expect them to replace the gift cards once the originals were blocked. They've just made £500 out of you and the other parents!

Handy loophole for them, huh?

hendricksyousay · 19/12/2017 22:27

So go to John Lewis .. from what you have said it's not John Lewis saying they won't do it , it's Waitrose ... totally different !! !!!

BoldMcCoo · 19/12/2017 22:28

I don't think YABU at all. The cards are blocked and can't be used, therefore they should reissue them!

Original poster
Clazzer1 · 19/12/2017 22:29

Thanks everyone I really appreciate all the advice I've been so upset all day and hardly slept at all last night. I have had to re-purchase the gift cards as I feel I should take responsibility for the loss and this is the money from all the other mums. Tomorrow is last day of term so I have to have the teachers gifts for them. I was just so upset that Waitrose /John Lewis took this stance. I can really not afford to loose that amount of money and that is before replacing any of the Christmas presents that were also taken. I take full responsibility for leaving them in the car for one hour but how many other's have also done that around Christmas to ensure our LO's still believe in Father Christmas?

I will try to find out the email address of the CEO and send an email now.

OP posts:
fairgroundsnack · 19/12/2017 22:30

I think you have two lines of attack here. Firstly that JL have been unjustly enriched by taking your money, cancelling the gift cards and then refusing to reissue them. Secondly you have JL telling you they would reissue them when you called them and then Waitrose refusing to do so. I think that if you took them to the small claims court a judge would make very short shrift of them, despite what their terms and conditions say.

fairgroundsnack · 19/12/2017 22:31

Get onto them on Facebook and Twitter as well

Original poster
Clazzer1 · 19/12/2017 22:31

Oh update everyone - I have had a twitter response from Waitrose - the power of mumsnet. I am hoping they will take pity on me at Christmas. Please keep your fingers crossed for me

OP posts:
WitchesHatRim · 19/12/2017 22:32

JL the lady who I spoke to said they can block the cards as they are all electronic now (not the old paper vouchers)

Which is rubbish because I went with my DSis the other day to pick up JL vouchers from store that were purchased from her gift list at her recent wedding.

They were paper vouchers.

Viviennemary · 19/12/2017 22:35

I know how much MN loves the Daily Mail. But they have a slot on a Wednesday for people to write in who have been treated unfairly as you have in this instance. You could try them if other things don't work.

yumyumpoppycat · 19/12/2017 22:36

What a shame, esp the presents, I hope JL do help you with the gift cards clazzer Flowers

stickytoffeevodka · 19/12/2017 22:36

E-mail the CEO of John Lewis if you don't get any luck on twitter. That normally solves things in my experience.

But where I work, we would automatically replace the gift cards providing you had the receipts for them. In fact, if you lose the gift cards, you can redeem them in store/over the phone so long as you proof of purchase with you.

BewareOfDragons · 19/12/2017 22:37

I think that's really poor form by John Lewis/Waitrose. If they can truly stop the cards from being used, there's no reason not to refund your money/replace the cards.

One of the few stories I hope the DM picks up and splashes across the internet...

Sashkin · 19/12/2017 22:37

Witches, JL do both paper vouchers and cards. Sounds like the OP had cards - obviously nobody can cancel paper vouchers!

HopelesslydevotedtoGu · 19/12/2017 22:38

Really disappointing that Waitrose/ John Lewis are doing this, in the past I have always found them reasonable and customer focused. Now they have £500 of your money for nothing!

"Gift vouchers should be regarded as cash" is antiquated when gift vouchers are electronic, traceable and blockable.

OP I would definitely escalate this with a letter to the Chief Executive.

And write about it on Facebook or Twitter and ask all the school parents who contributed to share it. It isn't in keeping with their brand, they will hopefully back down.

mummymummums · 19/12/2017 22:39

I have had one issue with JL and one with Waitrose over the years. Their customer service was utterly dreadful. Until I posted on their Facebook pages - suddenly got reasonable and helpful people on the case.
Good on you for replacing them - I'd have done the same. I hope that JL sort this for you - sounds like they lose nothing by replacing them.

HuskyMcClusky · 19/12/2017 22:39

I think this is appalling service from JL/Waitrose. Completely unacceptable.

Good luck, OP. Flowers

MelonKnee · 19/12/2017 22:39

*but it is not cash, it is more like a debit card than cash. If your debit card is stolen you have protection you can call up and it is stopped much the same as the gift card.

I think this is an antiquated policy based on old technology that just does not fit with the technology available today.*

Absolutely! When vouchers were just bits of decorated paper, I get that they were treated like cash.

But now they're cards loaded digitally which can be tracked and blocked if necessary. Just like a debit card.

OP has incurred a loss of £500.

What loss has JL/Waitrose incurred? None that I can see. Made a tidy £500 profit actually.

They need an urgent review of their policy to reflect the reality of the technology they're using.

HuskyMcClusky · 19/12/2017 22:40

"Gift vouchers should be regarded as cash" is antiquated when gift vouchers are electronic, traceable and blockable.

Exactly.

Triskaidekaphilia · 19/12/2017 22:40

If there was nothing they could do to stop them being used then I understand them not being able to do anything. Seeing as they've managed to block them without any being spent, it seems very unfair that they can't reissue.

mathsfiend1 · 19/12/2017 22:41

Please update us on the thread when you have news - this cannot be correct - that JL keep your £500 for the cards - no one has used then and no one can use them and they will not transfer the value. Cannot be right.

BunloafAndCrumpets · 19/12/2017 22:45

I hope they resolve this OP and am so sorry you've had all this stress. I would expect more from them too.

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