One of the reasons why Op opted for the voucher was the voucher had additional value added to it. Lots of businesses did this - they asked customers to accept a voucher instead of a refund. This would aid their cash flow problems at the start of Covid. To sweeten the offer, an extra amount was added to the voucher. Maybe 10%? Op didn’t say.
With pretty much all these deals, there were conditions. These included that a refund couldn’t later be asked for (the refund was one of the original options) and there were time limits on the deal. So each customer had to weigh up how much they wanted ready cash that could be spent anywhere, how much they liked the look of some extra ‘free’ money on their voucher, and if they wanted to help the business. Lots of people chose refunds because they preferred the certainty of having g the cash in uncertain times and being able to spend it when they chose and where they chose. Others went for the voucher - often because they didn’t need the money right then, felt sorry for the business and also when they were sure they would spend it and benefit from the additional value. Of course all sensible people were careful to be clear on any restrictions upfront. These regularly included time scales and it being clear a cash refund would not be later available.
So yes, OP didn’t originally buy a voucher that has then expired. Originally she out down a deposit for a meal. At the point when the restaurants were unable to honour the booking due to Covid restrictions she had a choice of refund or essentially to buy a voucher with an added amount put on it. She chose the latter, so at that point, yes she did buy a voucher, with all the terms that were attached to it.
I feel pretty sure that retailers who did this and then had customers before the use-by date call them to say there was another lockdown and what could they do, would have been flexible. Some extended by 6 months, some actually offered a refund at that point although there was zero need to, some agreed with further conditions. But of course people had to ask and the sooner they did this, the more likely they we to get a flexible response.
The problem with what people are suggesting is that they seem to think there should be no restriction or limit. Some of people seem to think the restaurant should be infinitely flexible about this. What does this actually mean though…3 years? 5 years? Once you’re beyond a time limit, everything is arbitrary isn’t it. And on that basis, saying ‘no’ the longer after the expiry date, the more understandable it is.
Op didn’t get a Mother’s Day voucher back in 2020. She got a restaurant voucher. It had an expiry date which was close to Mother’s Day the following year. There were numerous options to use it before that. Probably taking a voucherwith a years expiry when you only wanted to attend on a very specific day wasn’t that wise. Op would have been better with the cash for flexibility. After all, who can say if all the family will be available for a Mother’s Day meal the following year or want to go to that location etc etc. But OP chose to tie herself into a specific and limited deal…it was probably the extra value which was added to it that made her choose to do so, as well as helping the business. But it was choice.
Customers cannot have limitless entitlement to change their mind or contravene the terms of deals they knowingly and willingly join up to. Businesses are not unreasonable for sticking to the terms of contracts. This was a whole year after the expiry.
Of course you can always ask. And you can be a bit disappointed. But the question then is, where do you point the finger for the disappointment you feel? Do you accept your own responsibility or blame someone else? Are you even able to take responsibility for your own actions and choices or are you someone who always thinks that others should take the responsibility for what you did? Some people are like that.
When Op made the call or sent the email, she knew that a likely outcome was what happened. It wasn’t really a surmise to her….because she knew she had messed up by not checking the date or calling before the voucher expired. She hoped for favour beyond what she was owed, but she didn’t get it. At that point you have to shrug and say ‘lesson learned’.
Businesses have done a lot of being flexible over the last couple of years. They’ve lost lots of money along the way and they’ve had to make judgement calls about refunds, cancellations, keeping customer loyalty etc etc. Some have run special offers for key workers, seen endless bookings made and cancelled and many have closed. It has been really tough. And so every business has to draw a line somewhere with this stuff. Doing this isn’t unreasonable. Sticking to the agreement that was made isn’t something that warrants an outpouring of social media criticism. It might not be what every other business would do, but that doesn’t make it unlawful and it doesn’t even make it unreasonable. It’s the choice of the business and they are fully within their rights to do this and it is reasonable for them to judge their own circumstances and probably each request individually.
Perhaps if OP wasn’t asking for Mother’s Day or had asked 3 months after the voucher expired, they would have been more flexible. Maybe not…and who knows the business difficulties or situation I’ve the last year. None of us know that ir if the receivers are about to come in and close that business down.
In this scenario all OP could do was ask and hope more favour was given to her than she was due. And on this occasion it wasn’t. She wanted something she wasn’t entitled to and was turned down. It happens and isn’t unreasonable and I think we have to accept that businesses can and have to make those choices sometimes, even when they do t advantage us and we don’t like them. Live and learn.