Thursday 8 November 2012

Vouchers

Deloitte, the administrators of collapsing Comet, are in a bit of a tiz over vouchers. First they said they wouldn't accept them, which kind of brings into question exactly what vouchers represent. Now they will accept personal ones but not corporate ones. The 'company' ones we are told are discounted, meaning the company buying them didn't pay full face value.

I'm not sure I can discern what that has got to do with anything, it was a commercial decision of a trading company. And it is at odds with their first idea that they should discount your vouchers completely! Also, I'm guessing that Deloitte will sell the stock off cheaply to get in what money they can quickly. No, I think what Deloitte are trying to say is that they have already had the money for the vouchers, if we renege on that deal we can sell the goods elsewhere we would otherwise have had to give to voucher holders. Which I think falls within the definition of theft.

If I have a voucher, relevant to a company stilling trading, under whatever conditions, in what way is it not an intention to permanently deprive, if I am denied the ability to trade the vouchers? So what are vouchers and why should we buy them? In short, they are a con and nobody should buy them.

And they have expiry dates. If you are a senior executive with a large retail company, please answer me this question; why do vouchers have use by dates? The cash I used to pay for them didn't have an expiry date. Again, I don't understand how anyone can sell you something which becomes worthless at a certain point.

Is this OK, for instance? Instead of buying vouchers, I actually buy a television. I take it home and put it in the spare room. But you know what, I don't use it for 12 months. Am I crazy or what? It doesn't matter though, I am entitled to do with it what I want. But, does the shop have the right to take it back after a year? Because that is what they effectively do, if I have the same value in vouchers and don't use them.

All I can say is don't buy vouchers, ever. But, if you do have Comet vouchers here is something to appraise Deloitte of; unless the terms of the contract are made clear at the point of sale, the Unfair Consumer Contract Act 1999 may well come into play. If you didn't know there was an expiry date, or if there was, when it expires, then the contract is voided. Deloitte should give you your money back - not goods to the value of, -your money.

See, usually when you go to a till in a shop and say 'can I have a £20 gift card' they ring it up, you pay and then you get the card/voucher, on which the terms are printed. Too late! The law requires you to be informed ahead of the sale.

On a related note, it is nice to see Dixons making a noise about their employing as many Comet staff as they can. Very generous of them. Except, with Christmas coming they wanted extra staff anyway and were going to employ pretty much anyone who showed a reasonable intention of turning up for work on at least most days. Now they can grab some people who are already working in an almost identical environment.

It doesn't change the fact that it is good for worried Comet staff, but it is self interest on Dixons' part  and they could have been a little more honest about it and still got the kudos. Just a thought.

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