I don’t have a definite answer, but my hunch is Cathy is out of luck. Toys R Us now owns the KB Toys brand. But when a company files for bankruptcy, it’s up to the court to decide which financial obligations are honored and that decision was made long ago. She bought it at a CVS pharmacy, which we don't have in Washington state. Cathy apparently missed that warning because she posted a comment last month asking if she could use hers. And really, you shouldn’t wait forever …Ī year ago, I issued a consumer alert that KB Toys gift cards were expiring because the 87-year-old company was liquidating its stores. Speaking of laws that don't allow expiration dates, there's a little exception in our law for artistic and cultural organizations, though, so use those quickly. That's a question for lawyers and courts. In other words, you should be allowed to redeem the cash value (or purchase price) of your Voucher up until the greater of: (1) the Voucher’s expiration date or (2) the minimum length of time allowed by applicable law for a Voucher to expire.”Īlthough Henry doesn't specifically ask this, I might as well add that I can't address the issue of redeeming a discounted certificate for an oil change, massage or fondue dinner for face value versus purchase price. “While the expiration date on the Voucher dictates the last date that you can use your Voucher at Merchant for the promotional offer stated on the Groupon, applicable law may provide that the Merchant is responsible for honoring the cash value that you paid for your Voucher for a period of time beyond the expiration date stated on the Voucher. (Anyone note a recurring theme here? Read the terms.) I found this: But I checked out the terms and conditions on Groupon’s Web site.
I’m a frequent shopper on discount coupon sites like Groupon, LivingSocial and, so Henry’s question made me curious. He recently asked, “How can Groupon offer expiring certificates? Their offers clearly aren't coming from VISA/Mastercard or a charitable or financial institution.” While we’re on the topic, let’s take Henry’s question. To that, I say the theater employee needs to figure out a way to open the cash register - with or without butter - and give the change to the customer. The theater employee said there was just no possible way. A news reporter recently asked me about the law after a movie-goer complained the theater refused to allow her to receive the remaining money on a gift card. It’s also worth noting that Washington’s gift card law allows you to cash out when the balance drops to $5 or less. Ditto for the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Piperlime. For example, Pottery Barn cards can be used at Williams-Sonoma or vice-versa. In case you’re interested, Ned, my birthday is in October.Īnd don’t forget that some gift cards can be used at more than one place because they’re owned by the same parent company. Since Washington’s law states that store gift cards can’t expire, Ned may want to just hold onto them until next Christmas, Mom's Day or Administrative Professionals’ Day (the politically correct term for that helpful person who answers your phone calls and fills your coffee cup places your grande vanilla latte order). (An estimated 68 percent of people regift holiday presents, according to a tequila importer, which I can only assume conducted such a survey to get its booze in the news.) Avoid auction sites, where some cards are counterfeit or stolen.įrankly, I find it easier to simply regift. KOMO’s Herb Weisbaum reports, “If you go this route, stick with a well-known company, such as Plastic Jungle, Gift Card Granny, Cardpool, GiftCards and GiftCardRescue.” I've never tried those sites, so I can't vouch for them.
So what do you do with those unwanted gift cards? A number of Web sites allow you to turn them into cash. I checked the Web site of the store Ned visited and found this clause among the policies, “Gift cards may not be returned, applied as payment on any account or redeemed for cash, except where required by law.” In most cases, the terms and conditions are printed on the back of the card. But most retailers have an “all sales are final” policy.
Is this true?”Īctually, it’s not true that Washington’s law prohibits gift card returns. Ned recently wrote All Consuming to ask, “I bought gift cards at at Christmas and tried to return them last week but was told state law prohibited gift card returns.