Overkill - comet complaint

[Amadan]

Folks not in the UK might not have heard of a company called Comet, basically they are one of the big electrical retailers and they are currently in administration.

The company announced a few days ago that it was going to administration, they more recently that it would not accept and gift cards or vouchers. People are worried about losing their jobs and with it their ability to support their families.

So one woman complaining that her gift voucher isn't being accepted seems a little callous.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-20191490

To be fair the money was given to her to help her disabled son but personally I think it's a bit much for the BBC to publish such things and complaining about the staff when there's clearly nothing they can do is totally unfair.

If the company has said no gift cards, that's exactly what it means. Presumably the tills wouldn't even allow them.

[PepperElf]

i assume all customers with gift cards have a means to get their issues addressed. Regardless of what special circumstance card they try playing to circumvent the system

[customersruinmylife]

Someone I know who works for Comet has told me that the customers WILL be able to use their vouchers, just not yet. They need to let the liquidators in to assess everything before they can start taking them again.

Of course, customers only hear the first part and go mental.

She says the amount of abuse she is getting at the minute is unreal.

[Amadan]

Hopefully not too many people are made redundant.

I used to work for DSGi/Dixons retail (Pcworld, currys etc) as a techguy and then later as a knowhow expert and the amount of gloating from our managers every time comet were announcing bad news was pathetic.

So glad to be out of that company, personally I'd never advise anyone to buy from DSGi, unless it was mega cheap, their customer service is far worse than what I experienced from comet.

I suspect people were taken in by the fact a lot of the Pcworld and currys are nicer stores.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

Are gift cards different in the UK than in the USA? In the USA, a gift card is typically someone gives the company money then gives their friend the card with the money loaded onto it. So if the company suddenly says they won't accept gift cards, that's theft.

I can understand vouchers (as that's different,) but how can they get away with not honoring gift cards which they've already got the money for?

[Amadan]

Gift cards are the same as vouchers, just an electronic form (or were in DSGi).

My understanding it wouldn't be classed as theft as the company is now in administration, more defaulting on a debt (think of gift cards as an interest free loan). If the company was to go bust I think you would have to try and recover the debt as everyone else, the problem is most people don't have enough on them to bother versus suppliers etc.

Seems comet have actually started taking them again though.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

Gift cards are the same as vouchers, just an electronic form (or were in DSGi).

My understanding it wouldn't be classed as theft as the company is now in administration, more defaulting on a debt (think of gift cards as an interest free loan). If the company was to go bust I think you would have to try and recover the debt as everyone else, the problem is most people don't have enough on them to bother versus suppliers etc.

Seems comet have actually started taking them again though.

Ahh okay, so gift cards are different there, got it. So it's a gift from the company to the person, rather than a gift from a person to another person.