to think that if you sell M&S food, you should accept M&S gift vouchers?

[BrandonsMummy]

First part of the story is my own fault - I took DS for a long walk in the buggy with the intention of stopping somewhere to pick up some lunch but forgot to take my debit card and had no cash on me.

We had walked for absolutely ages before I realised, and by this point I was pretty hungry. Rummaging around in my purse I found a £10 M&S voucher which had been lurking there for months.

Knowing that there was an M&S simply food at a garage about half an hour away I decided to head in that direction as this would be quicker than walking home to get food.

So I got there and spent a while choosing which lovely goodies I was going to have for lunch. I was practically salivating in the queue at the thought of digging in to my lovely pasta salad (and large cream cake ) but when I handed over the items followed by my voucher, the guy at the till said "Sorry, we can't accept this."

I asked why not and he said it was because they were BP and not M&S. I replied that I would only be buying M&S products with the voucher, no petrol etc, and could he not double check with his manager. He said no point as he knew they definitely didn't take them.

So I had to walk all the way home with no lunch

So although it may be unreasonable to ask the world to take the blame for my forgetfulness, AIBU to think that garages should be able to accept the vouchers for M&S products???

By the way DS did not go hungry as his lunch still comes direct from mummy

ooops - didn't mean to ramble for quite that long!

yanbu, would have been a bit disappointed/annoyed in your situation

Rubbish!You'll need to go to a proper M&S tomorrow and spend your voucher on some nice eats. Hope you didn't keel over from starvation on the way home!

YABU - it wasn't M&S!

YANBU. I had a voucher for a service area once, Welocme Break I think, was on a long journey and wanted a coffe, so stopped a the petrol station bit to grab a quick coffee from the machine in there. I couldn't go into the proper service stn bit as the dds were asleep in the back, and I really didn't want to wake them and have to frag them out car, into shop, listen to 101 pleas for sweets/drinks/crisps/books/magazines/toys etc.

So anyway, I got my coffee, paid with my voucher and got back in the car, when the assistant came running out and told me they didn't accept the vouchers.

I was not impressed, I pointed out that it actually said 'Welcome Break' on the forecourt sign, not Shell or anything, the voucher just said' For use at Welcome Break' nothing about not being valid at petrol stns, she just kept repeating 'We don't accept these' and the women made me give my coffee back, after I'd started drinking it!

I mean, what a waste, they'd have to just pour it away, plus i'd left the building so pretty sure they couldn't really do that. Woman told me to go into main service area, and even when I pointed out the 2 sleeping children in the back, she just shrugged and said 'Sorry, not my problem. I need the coffee back'

Ooh getting really annoyed again just thinking about it.

Of course YABU.

Does it not say on the vouchers that they are for use in M&S stores?

no it says not

YABU
its a franchise

I thoughtI remembered that they are "redeemable in any M&S store",which a petrol station clearly is not.

slightlypeckish did yoy really hand the coffee back I'd of been tempted to carry on drinking it

Yeah I did. Bit stupid of me really, but was shocked they would even try, especially as they would just have chucked it out.

On a similar note, I tried to use my Starbucks card (yes, I know) at a Starbucks in Queen St Station (Glasgow) last week. They didn't take it because they are a franchise, but they gave me my coffee for nothing because I didn't have any change at all.

I have encountered this problem at a BP garage - very frustrating. I also discovered this week that you can't use M and S vouchers in the M & S Deli within the M & S Bluewater store, even though they are accepted elsewhere in the store.

YANBU - would never have occured to me that M&S vouchers couldn't be redeemd against eerrr -M&S food! I'd email Mr M&S and suggest they sort it - my sister gets loads of M&S vouchers as part of some reward scheme at work and as Simply Food places seem to be springing up all over the country surely it's going to become more of an issue.

But why would a garage take them?
Surely they have no way of redeeming them?

YABU it wasn't a M&S shop

MrsMuddle - glad Starbucks provide good service somewhere! I complained on their website as had such crap service (& coffee!) in there, today I got a letter of apology saying 'please accept the enclosed vouchers as a token of goodwill' - fine except nothing in the envelope!

But it wasn't just a BP, no? It was one of those M&S Simply Food places....

if it said M&S simply food on the sign (as it does at my local petrol station,) to me it looks like an M&S shop then IMO you are not being unreasonable to expect to pay with your M&S voucher

See I did the same - I went to the building with M&S splashed all over it and thought in my ignorance it was M&S as it said so outside.

But was told no we don't take M&S vouchers.

I will not be getting any M&S vouchers this year anyhow so will nto have to try to faff around finding the right place to blardy spend them

YABU. Although I would have been very cross.