Key Takeaways:
- To express his gratitude to clients and employees, an auto dealer in Ontario purchases gift cards, but he just learned that many of the ones he has been handing out as gifts had no value.
- To avoid being deceived, you should inspect gift cards for signs of manipulation and look for proof of tampering.
An auto dealer in Ontario buys gift cards to convey his thanks to clients and staff, but he just discovered that many of the ones he has been giving out as gifts have no value.
“I have a stack of useless gift cards here,” Domenic Italiano of Oakville, Ont., said. “These are only the ones that I know of.”
Italiano had been purchasing gift cards at a nearby Petro Canada station, but when he saw that several of the cards he had purchased had no balances, he went to the petrol station to complain.
“The shop manager is aware of it, and Petro Canada is aware of it,” Italiano added, “but no one appears to be doing anything about it.”
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Gift cards are a multibillion-dollar industry. While the great majority of them are issued and received without incident, there are an increasing number of instances when lawfully purchased gift cards are worthless.
Italiano claimed he attempted for almost six months without luck to reimburse the empty gift cards before contacting CTV News Toronto.
“I realize that difficulties and concerns emerge, but for it to happen so frequently, I can only think how many tales like mine are out there,” Italiano added.
Because thieves use various methods to empty gift cards, you should scrutinize them and search for evidence of tampering to prevent being duped. Avoid buying gift cards on display and instead buy them behind the counter, and retain your receipts as evidence of purchase in case there is a problem.
When CTV News Toronto contacted Petro Canada, Jessica Depencier, a representative for its parent firm Suncor, stated in a statement, “We complete an investigation in any case of reported fraud.”
If fraud is discovered, we will make certain that the consumer receives the entire amount of the purchase. We urge that anybody who has a problem with a gift card contacts our customer service department so that we may perform an inquiry.”
Italianao was given a refund of $800 for his empty gift cards and an additional $100 for his trouble when CTV News Toronto contacted Petro Canada, which was fantastic news for him.
“I recommend they employ a thief to figure out where the problem is and where the loopholes are,” Italiano suggested.
Another issue with gift cards is that they’re a favorite payment method for criminals, so if you’re ever approached by phone, text, or e-mail and requested to pay with gift cards, it’s probably a hoax.
Source: CTV News
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