This company, through their gift cards, are rip offs because:
1) In contacting the company, there is no email address available on their web site, and the voice response system does not offer an option to talk with a service representative. You have to select replace stolen card option to get to a live operator. (all AVR systems should be required to have a 'zero-out to operator' option).
2) The gift card notes on the front an expiration date (for example, mine says 10/10), but if the card is not used after five months, a $2.50 per month service charge is deducted from the balance. The service rep says that this is noted on the terms and conditions, but this was not divulged to me, and no terms and conditions were included in the cards when we received them from a third party distributor: grab gift cards, a Canadian company. An expiration date is an expiration date to - how do the lawyers say it - the reasonable person?
3) Here's the fun part - using the card is difficult which results in breakage income for the card company - I'd like to see this income detailed in their financial filings!
When I discovered #2, above, my balance was $92.50, I just wanted out so I went Amazon and tried to purchase a gift card there for $92.50 - it was denied for insufficient funds. Apparently, our credit card authorization system works by sending a small charge in advance of the purchase amount to "pre-authorize" the card. Since this happened, there were insufficient funds available: a transaction denial results.
The vanilla rep said that their cards don't work well with internet purchases. I'd like to see that in their marketing literature: "These gift cards don't work with Internet purchases." Another rep said they work best only at Department stores.
I tired again a few times at retail stores, explaining to the clerk their entire saga, so that they were sure to put in the precise amount I requested. I tried 92.50 - denied. I tried 90.00 - denied, I tried 80.00. Denied. The vanilla rep reported that these transactions showed as something like $155,110, etc. I'd like to know how this transaction synchronization works and who polices this.
I have a second $100 card and purchased a faucet from Watt Premier over the phone for $66.75. The remaining balance was $5.68 according to vanillagc. Watts confirmed that the charge was $66.75, and quickly emailed me a merchant receipt proving this. Vanilla said they would not accept this email receipt, and they said to wait a week for the faucet company to refund the money, which I did, and the refund was not made. Vanilla then said they would not contact the company to resolve this, I had to do this. If this were a "real" credit card company, they would do this and not make me do the running around. More breakage income for vanilla.
4) Another point with this is how do you fully spend the balance down on a gift card if there if always a pre-auth charge? Is it possible with this system? Electronic synchronization signals do not have to be actual dollar transactions - this system needs to be improved. There is great "breakage" rip off income here.
Each of the four or five reps at vanilla gift card were knowledgeable and patient folks, but none of them could answer any of these queries; nor would they allow me to speak with someone else in the company. I asked who the parent company was (I think it's incomm.com), and who the regulating body was, and was not given an answer.
These techniques machine the consumer to produce breakage income - a classic rip off producing 'passive income for these companies.
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