So, as some of you know, have had some health misfortune in the household (C-word and not the fun one), so we're receiving tons of stuff from far-flung friends. It's kind of over the top, but in at least a couple of instances, have encountered some shady crap. So, I wanted to get your stories too, because the more I ask around, the more this seems to be common. Maybe this is like super common knowledge, but it's still depressing. Here's the TL;DR: You give someone an e-gift certificate or gift basket. The person's e-certificate is somehow gimpy, doesn't deliver it's full value, or the gift basket is full of past-expiration cheese or dead flowers. What recipient is going to complain to the friend or family member about the e-gift? Like, "thanks for the condolences, but you should really get your money back, LOL." So, the crap goes un-reported and companies have every incentive to deliver crap or scam people. 1. Friend o mine gives us a Caviar/Doordash $100 certificate -- noyce! We use it order Chinese delivery after one of our long medical afternoons, and that's great. I think... I've got two more easy meals like that on the e-certificate. But NOPE; each time I go back to that e-card, it doesn't work, says "promotion ended." Being B-Bob, I actually get on the horn for a couple of hours with their "customer service" in India, and it's clearly rigged to get me to go away, (duh). She keeps saying "give me a moment," spending 3-4 minutes away, always surprised I'm still there. I'm just working away on other projects with her on speaker phone. Eventually she says, "yes, there is a technical problem. We will elevate this and get back to you within 24-48 hours." Never happens. 2. Another friend got us a certificate through a more general e-gift certificate chain.... or they thought they did! They asked, "did you ever get my blah blah blah," and we're all like tempted to say "um, yes? thanks?" But we tell them nope. They do some digging, and their "receipt" is just an announcement that they have initiated a process. Then a follow-up email to them three days later looked like a "thanks for your business, here's how to buy more crap" type of email that we're all accustomed to, right? But the fine print says they have to call a number to further verify their credit card over the phone, elsewise their card will be charged but the funds won't be delivered! Think of all the chumps out there using this service. (I'll get the company's name and edit it back in here.) 3. Don't even get me started on rotted food in baskets and totally dead, dried out boquets. "Like, sorry about your dying organs, lulz. Here's some dead flowers." Who has time for this when you've got some **** going on? And that's built into the damned business model too. End of boomer-type rant, and I'm not even a boomer yet. But this current predicament is going to age me into one pretty rapidly. And I thought ending my stint at the Texans would make me feel younger too. LOL, oh well. #yeabusinessinnovation #baddaybrian #leavingitallonthefield
Honestly the next time I talk to the e-gift gifter I would casually mention "Hey, again, thanks for your gift! One thing that was weird was when I used it the balance was not the full amount. Just letting you know if you get more e-gift cards from that source/place again". That way either they are aware and don't use that place anymore or that they are aware that you're onto them for using your giftcard lol.
Do e-gift certificates not work like gift cards? That $100 door dash cert...can you not check how much you have/had on it at any point in time? I've never received one of these, nor given one, so I have no idea.
it's like its little account # no longer exists. maybe they gave fine print to my friend saying "good for one order only" so bilked him of $65. (?)
Wow, that's no fun for any party involved. Except for the scammers. off topic: Hope the unfun C-word is getting its ass kicked right now, though.
I would ask them where they got the gift card (e.g. was it through Caviar, Doordash or a third party site that buys and resells gift cards) because if it's through a reseller website the companies like Doordash can actually cancel the gift card and its balance without notice.
B-Bob, You are overthinking this. As a thank you, just simply re-e-gift the grifted e-gift back to the grifter who originally e-gifted it to you. It will solve all sorts of issues all at the same time. Remember, he who grifts last grifts best. *sorry for the fun response; here's to the health of you and yours
I'm not sure the answer to any of this but I think whoever is sending gifts would NOT want you wasting your time on the phone with customer service for hours. If I were you I'd tell the gifter something like "Hey really appreciate it but for some reason doesn't work, just letting you know don't want your money to be wasted." Leave it at that, they can get ear ****ed by Sanjay trying to get a refund or replacement, etc. I'm sure they'd prefer that, or to just waste their money, then to add stress for you.
This is pretty interesting. I've run into it on a few occasions with some lower-value gift cards. I thought maybe my wife used them and just gave them back to me, which she has done before because she doesn't know how much are on them.
At&t has free phone promos and then you gotta spend 30 hours on phone with customer service to get the money back. You earn it in time spent jumping through hoops
Thx y'all, but... one in two Americans, Brian. Every household eventually, Brian. On the serious, we high-fived our good luck and salad days for all these many years. No regrets, and we knew things would turn.
That's pretty smart. thank you. Maybe i just focus on the gift cards because the real problems seem more impossible... but still.
I’m the type of person who doesn’t like watching movies or hearing stories unless it’s a happy ending ... yet I got born into this life, what **** luck? Hoping the best for your family, may the sun shine bright as long as it can for all of us (except for like Tilman he can get fcked).
Hey e'erbuddy, this was the winner winner, e-chicken dinner* -- now the third party is sending me to Caviar and vice versa. It's an airtight scam (for my friend's money). * = not available in all areas, employees of the following 247 companies cannot collect the e-chicken, and e-chicken must be collected only on Tuesdays between 2:30 - 3:05 a.m. please refer questions to live robo-chicken-chat.
