On 01-04-07 I purchased a $50.00 gift card from CompUSA in Long Beach, Calif. To give my brother for late Christmas present. I was assured it would be honored in the Monrovia, Calif. Store as well as any CompUSA stores.
It was only about 6 weeks later that my brother went to CompUSA and attempted to use his gift card. He was told he no longer use it in any store except Two. Both of these stores are over 115 miles away.
The Sales Manager in the Monrovia, Calif. Store gave him a number to place his order online and told him he could use the card that way.
We called and tried to place his order and use the gift card, but we once again were denied. They refused to honor the card, and advised us of the same two stores that the Monrovia store had told us.
We were told all but the Santa Barbara, and Bakersfield, Calif. Stores were closing, so even thought they are not closed yet, our gift card will not be honored at any store except those two.
This turned my Christmas present into not only being worthless to him, but costing him money trying to redeem it.
I can't help but think at least someone knew at the time these gift cards were being sold
and leading me to believe it would be honored in any open store, that they would refuse to do so.
This is fraud considering the fact that the stores are open and not yet closed, but I purchased the card with that condition and being refused to use it as agreed.
I work hard and like most people who barely make it from month to month, $50.00 is a great deal of money to me. I wanted to make it a special Christmas present and did not even have enough money until after Christmas, to buy the card.
I not only feel I was ripped off, but my brother is ripped off, and has lost money trying to get it honored. Christmas is a special time and should have fond memories, but CompUSA has made our memories to turn into thinking of how we got ripped off, and the feeling many people are made to suffer.
Work hard and then big companies take your money by lying. Since it would cost more money in gas to go where they tell us, and way more to fight them legally to get our money back, we are forced to accept defeat and take the loss.
I can't help but feel they knew this would be true, and wonder how much money they made on people purchasing gift cards for Christmas.
They had to have some idea based on other years, how many cards are not redeemed within the first 6 weeks. I don't know when they started refusing to honor, so it could be a great deal more.
This would be a nice sum of money the company gets to keep without giving any product in return. I hope anyone else who reads this, will send in your complaint. Maybe if it totals enough money, a lawyer will file a class action suit on our behalf.
Maybe they will have memories of a Christmas loss, instead of all the money they gained with ripping off people like us.
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