H.H. Gregg makes you pay for shipping with a promise to 100% reimburse this by mailing you a prepaid Visa card. I wondered, why don't they just offer free shipping in the first place?
When I got the card in the mail, I found out. It's a scam. The letter that accompanies the card says it can be used "anywhere that Visa cards are accepted" but this is not true; the card is almost impossible to use. If you try to use it in any financial institution it is automatically declined. If you try to use it in a restaurant, deli, flower shop, barber, taxi, beauty parlor, or anywhere else where *they* have decided you might leave a tip (a long list) the card is dinged for 20% more than you asked to put on it. If you try to use it to buy gas you can't buy gas at the pump. Many, many other such restrictions.
I tried to call their customer service about this. Can't be done. Like all credit/debit cards, there is a customer service number on the back of the card, but unlike any other card, when you call their number there is NO option that reaches a human being. So there is no way to inquire about this policy.
So then I called the store where I purchased the appliance, who would not do anything. "Not our department" they said. Then I said I wanted to return the appliance because of this situation but they refused to take it back. "It's too late to return it" they said. Funny about that, I just got the card yesterday. Do you guys delay sending out the card until it's too late to return the appliance, on purpose?
Finally I called the corporate headquarters main number in Indianapolis where eventually, after almost half an hour of hitting dead ends in their voice mail system, I was able to reach a customer service representative. To her credit, she tried hard to find a way around all the restrictions, so the card would be usable. But even she was unable to do so.
Their hope, I think, is that you get so frustrated with trying to use their card that you throw it away in disgust.in which case, of course, they get to keep your money. They are certainly right about one thing; I am definitely disgusted with H.H. Gregg. I'll never buy from these crooks again.
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