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Saturday, 21 July 2012

Gift Card Saga


A friend came to visit me recently.  She offered a gift card as a token to acquire some baby gear – a gesture much appreciated. I kept it in my bedroom.  A week later I dialled the number on the card to verify its worth. The automated voice said that the balance was $5.00.  Yes. Five dollars.  That didn’t seem right. 
I went online and registered the card and yes, the balance was just that.  A fiver. However, I noticed on the online account statement that a purchase was made a few days earlier from an auto insurance company, for $145. I began to wonder who could have used the card that was in my possession to make the purchase.
I called the insurance company.  They verified the payment but said they cannot reveal the identity of the client (for legal reasons I imagine).  They advised me to call the gift card issuer, the bank, to file a claim of card misuse.  I did and they promised to send me a new card: the person who used the previous card now has my information and could use the remaining $5. They also promised to send me a form to fill, sign and make the claim.
The card came a few days later with the full amount ($150) and I filed the complain and mailed it to them.  To avoid another misuse of the card, I used the card to get baby gear online as fast as I could!

Lessons learnt: Register a gift card online as soon as you get it. Before first use, check its value to be on the safer side. Use the money as soon as possible. You too could be a victim.


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