One for all - please dont buy as gifts for anyone

cnolan

One for all have a wide range of nasty terms and conditions that essentially fleece the holder of the card.

firstly a 2€ charge on purchase, ok its not too much but give your brother/sister/nephew/niece/dog/cat a 52€ voucher to a store they like rather than a 50€ one for all if you want to spend 52€ on a voucher.
better still give cash ( but apparently that is not a thoughtful gift:))

the one for all card you got last xmas has a face value and an expiry date. maybe november 2018 or something like that.

But if you don't use the voucher within 12 months of purchase there is a 1.45€ fee per month if you havent used it in the past month. so if you didnt spend it at all from now to expiry you lose 17.4€ a year on your balance ( after first 12 months).

some people like myself buy something and then leave the card and buy something else to use the residual balance at a later date.

I always check the expiry date and expected to still have my balance on the card( that I got in december 2013) when I went to use it last. but low and behold the baxtards took 1.45 a month from me.


I shouldnt have to go into how vouchers are a win win win for retailers, from money in advance, people often spending over the face value of the voucher and sometimes people losing the card or never spending it.

OneforAll doesnt need this fee to make a profit from the vouchers.


don't buy the card as a gift please. or at least ensure your loved ones dont get caught out like I did.


"Inactive Balance Charge

5.3 A monthly inactive balance charge of €1.45 (or the credit balance on the Card, if lower) will be charged after the Card has been in issue for 12 months. This charge will start to be applied from the following month and will continue until such times as the balance on the card is zero and this agreement is terminated.

"

http://www.one4all.ie/terms-conditions

read all the charges there if you want. and spend your oneforalls now while you still can.

I dont really have anything positive to say about An post and bank of ireland ( the 2 partners in crime on this service) except that an post runs the best and worst postal service in ireland ( in my opinion a lot of money is stolen from birthday cards that pass through an post, but there is nothing we can do about it, ( well obviously dont send cash, but some older people still send cash as a gift))
prize bonds from an post again offer a disgustingly low rate of return ( on average considering the prizes paid out) . dont buy them either and you cant cash them at face value for for 3 months after purchase.

if you havent moved current accounts from bank of ireland do it and do it now. if you receive 1500 a month as wages or something into your ptsb account you dont pay fees. ( i think withdrawing and depositing 300 5 times in a month counts either, or 1 € 1500 times etc)

skelligs

If you got the card in Dec 2013, then there will be no deductions until December 2014.

BTW - Its not a win win for retailers. Its a lose lose. They charge commissions up to 15% to retailers. Retailers only get paid when a purchase has been made (less the commission) and certainly don't get any "balance" that is not spent.

As for the initial €2 charge. This is what the issuing post office gets and covers cost of technology and staff to process the gift card. I doubt if post office staff would work for free and remember most post offices are "agents" and depend on commissions such as 5% on postage stamps and 3% on national lottery tickets and €1 fees for processing other payments.

Whilst many small retailers won't accept the card due to the high commissions charged, there are loads of large retailers that will accept it, so its quite easy to spend within 12 months.

Cards from shopping centres have similar charges and I think 3% reducing balance charge after 12 months. Remember many specific shop only voucher expire completely after 12 months, so the card versions are far far better than the traditional paper vouchers.

Jo Conway

That sure raises a lot of questions on buying these vouchers.

thanks for the info.

keithclancy

Vouchers are bad value and unprotected from the Business going bust.

Wow .. that's new ..... not :pac:

gebbel

So can I just be clear on this, T&C's state:

A fee of €2 per Card will be payable on every purchase on a One4all.

I have €230 on a one4all card I received. Am I charged €2 each time I make a purchase on it? The wording above is a little vague to me.

JuliusCaesar

Yes, I was given one of these, promptly mislaid it (I accept that this is my own fault ), discovered there was little money left on it. I complained to them and they put the money back on - nice of them, they're under no obligation to do so.

My difficulty is that I have to go on line to see how much is left - I can't just ask the retailler at the till to take the balance off, and I'll make up the rest in cash. If the thing I want to buy is €15 and I've only €11.50 left on the card, I could make up the shortfall of €3.50 with cash. But having spent the card in a few places, and bought other things and wandered around town, I've lost track. So I know I've a low balance left, I'm inclined to leave it. And that's the bonus for One4All.



No, I won't be buying any after my experience of having been given one.

gebbel

gebbel wrote: »

So can I just be clear on this, T&C's state:



I have €230 on a one4all card I received. Am I charged €2 each time I make a purchase on it? The wording above is a little vague to me.

No, you don't pay anything.

If you were buying me a one 4 all card, you pay €2 for the pleasure, pretty much. It's a charge for the person who initially actually buys the card itself. It's not added on to any purchases made using the card.

mel.b

I have been given One 4 all cards for my last few birthdays and i like it. However my family is in Australia so makes life easier...don't have to worry about cost of postage of something bigger, it getting lost in the post etc & mum can order it online. I use them to purchase big things...last one i put towards a washing machine and the one i have now will be going towards a dishwasher.

pissednbroke

Yes, I was given one of these, promptly mislaid it (I accept that this is my own fault ), discovered there was little money left on it. I complained to them and they put the money back on - nice of them, they're under no obligation to do so.

My difficulty is that I have to go on line to see how much is left - I can't just ask the retailler at the till to take the balance off, and I'll make up the rest in cash. If the thing I want to buy is €15 and I've only €11.50 left on the card, I could make up the shortfall of €3.50 with cash. But having spent the card in a few places, and bought other things and wandered around town, I've lost track. So I know I've a low balance left, I'm inclined to leave it. And that's the bonus for One4All.



No, I won't be buying any after my experience of having been given one.

Just on your point in bold there is a facility on the one 4 all website that you can use to donate your low balance to charity, I think the charity is the Jack and Jill foundation. Better than letting one 4 all have it!!

No Pants

I never understood the point of those cards. They're just for people too snobby to give cash. I dislike receiving them.

hfallada

Personally I dont see how a generic voucher like one-for-all is any more thoughtful than cash. But the fact one-for-all will always exist is a benefit. You could buy a voucher for a restaurant and there is the strong possibility that the restaurant will go out of business. But one-for-all wont.

galwayjohn89

One benefit for the one4all cards and centre cards is if they're lost they can be reissued unlike cash. Also if used within 12 months no fees for a lot of them ( I know one4all charge €2) I've never had a voucher for more then 6 months without spending it.

skelligs

Vuzuggu wrote: »

One benefit for the one4all cards and centre cards is if they're lost they can be reissued unlike cash. Also if used within 12 months no fees for a lot of them ( I know one4all charge €2) I've never had a voucher for more then 6 months without spending it.

only if you report it and they are able to cancel it before someone uses the balance.

as for why they are popular - companies can give them to staff as a bonus up to a limit per year.

and finally, they are owned by An Post, which is state guaranteed, so at least you know they won't go bust.

rubadub

skelligs wrote: »

companies can give them to staff as a bonus up to a limit per year.

Thats why I like them, I don't like vouchers but would take it over the same bonus minus the tax.

I think the limit is €250, but I think they can pull tricks, like buy them for every person on the books and give some people 2.

Shakespeare's Sister

I'm not seeing the issues tbh. It's standard for a company to have T&C - it's up to the customer to make themselves aware of them.
I think these vouchers are great - they are accepted in so many places, and really, leaving it lying around and forgetting about it is the customer's fault. They are like cash so you'll surely use them fairly quickly.
I don't see the point in giving people a present of cash - they may as well just take money out of the ATM. And they'll probably just end up frittering it away on groceries/petrol (which is fine, but takes the gift angle out of it). It's nothing to do with being "snobby".
With a voucher, you'll more than likely use it to get yourself something nice.

cnolan

Magaggie wrote: »

I'm not seeing the issues tbh. It's standard for a company to have T&C - it's up to the customer to make themselves aware of them.
I think these vouchers are great - they are accepted in so many places, and really, leaving it lying around and forgetting about it is the customer's fault. They are like cash so you'll surely use them fairly quickly.
I don't see the point in giving people a present of cash - they may as well just take money out of the ATM. And they'll probably just end up frittering it away on groceries/petrol (which is fine, but takes the gift angle out of it). It's nothing to do with being "snobby".
With a voucher, you'll more than likely use it to get yourself something nice.

For me I'd stick to getting them a nice restaurant voucher or one for a specific shop they go to.
Of course it is the p[urchasers duty to know the terms and conditions but they are dodgy terms and punish people who get them as gifts

Bosley1421

skelligs wrote: »

BTW - Its not a win win for retailers. Its a lose lose. They charge commissions up to 15% to retailers. Retailers only get paid when a purchase has been made (less the commission) and certainly don't get any "balance" that is not spent.

Yes, a store I managed paid 9% commission before VAT charges on all One4All purchases. You do not make any money at all on small items so it's only large shops and department stores who can reasonably afford to accept them.

I have seen people get really irate in small shops when they try to pay only to discover it's not accepted.

Lady Chatterton

My sister was recently given €400 in One4all vouchers for her birthday and she decided to use the voucher to pay for a weekend hotel break. She chose a hotel listed in the One4all directory but when she presented the card at checkout, the hotel informed her that they no longer accept One4all cards and have withdrawn from the scheme. I had a similar experience in a toy store, they were also listed but when I went into the store they had a sign up to say that they were no longer accepting them.

I'd advise people to check with stores ahead of making a large purchase, especially if its something like a hotel break. My sister was lucky that she could pay for the break by credit card but it could be very distressing if you couldn't.

jim-mcdee

Another advantage of the one for all - great for wedding gifts. Do like one of our guests did, give a one for all €50 as a gift and write to value of €200 on the card. You cant do that with cash. Meanwhile it is months later before the couple discover the card has not as much on it as they thought, in which case they will think they must have spent it anyway.

ohnonotgmail

jim-mcdee wrote: »

Another advantage of the one for all - great for wedding gifts. Do like one of our guests did, give a one for all €50 as a gift and write to value of €200 on the card. You cant do that with cash. Meanwhile it is months later before the couple discover the card has not as much on it as they thought, in which case they will think they must have spent it anyway.

what an absolutely horrible thing to do.

intheclouds

jim-mcdee wrote: »

Another advantage of the one for all - great for wedding gifts. Do like one of our guests did, give a one for all €50 as a gift and write to value of €200 on the card. You cant do that with cash. Meanwhile it is months later before the couple discover the card has not as much on it as they thought, in which case they will think they must have spent it anyway.

Perhaps the guest paid for a 200 card but was only given a 50 card and the seller was at fault. It's not like the guest could check the balance.

My first thought wouldn't be that my guest had ripped me off, but that a mistake was made and they were unaware.

Into The Blue

jim-mcdee wrote: »

Another advantage of the one for all - great for wedding gifts. Do like one of our guests did, give a one for all €50 as a gift and write to value of €200 on the card. You cant do that with cash. Meanwhile it is months later before the couple discover the card has not as much on it as they thought, in which case they will think they must have spent it anyway.

Am i the only one who thought that was hilarious?!

ScouseMouse

I love one for all cards. People get them as tax efficient bonuses at christmas and then stick them on adverts to get the cash for them.

I do very well out of buying them up.

Shannon757

Into The Blue wrote: »

Am i the only one who thought that was hilarious?!

Nope.:D Seems like a great idea.

jim-mcdee

intheclouds wrote: »

Perhaps the guest paid for a 200 card but was only given a 50 card and the seller was at fault. It's not like the guest could check the balance.

My first thought wouldn't be that my guest had ripped me off, but that a mistake was made and they were unaware.

I want to think you are right. Everyone who gets duped like this will want to believe 'an honest mistake'. And how many will avoid the awkwardness of finding the truth by saying nothing? Like I say, the perfect wedding gift.

runawaybishop

jim-mcdee wrote: »

Another advantage of the one for all - great for wedding gifts. Do like one of our guests did, give a one for all €50 as a gift and write to value of €200 on the card. You cant do that with cash. Meanwhile it is months later before the couple discover the card has not as much on it as they thought, in which case they will think they must have spent it anyway.

it takes about 6 seconds to check the balance of the card and view any transactions on it.

jim-mcdee

runawaybishop wrote: »

it takes about 6 seconds to check the balance of the card and view any transactions on it.

And???

Shannon757

runawaybishop wrote: »

it takes about 6 seconds to check the balance of the card and view any transactions on it.

Six seconds they don't have.

runawaybishop

jim-mcdee wrote: »

And???

Sorry, thought it was glaringly obvious

jim-mcdee wrote: »

in which case they will think they must have spent it anyway.

They can easily see that they didnt spend it.

jim-mcdee

runawaybishop wrote: »

Sorry, thought it was glaringly obvious



They can easily see that they didnt spend it.

That point was made already. And you then wonder if they paid and the cashier didn't credit the full amount etc etc

Amalgam

ScouseMouse wrote: »

I love one for all cards. People get them as tax efficient bonuses at christmas and then stick them on adverts to get the cash for them.

I do very well out of buying them up.

ScouseMouse, I wasn't aware of that, ugh, I'd rather get cash, tbh..

Michael Dawson, the originator of One 4 All vouchers, was interviewed on, 'The Business', RTE Radio 1, on the 19th of December, 2015.

To be fair to Richard Curran, the programme host, he pushed Michael Dawson about the fees and the interview went a bit chilly towards the middle!

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(opens the specific interview in a browser RTE audio streamer)

http://www.rte.ie/radio/utils/radioplayer/rteradioweb.html#!rii=9%3A20901110%3A172%3A19-12-2015%3A

Link to 'The Business' overview page:

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/the-business/

A weekly look at the world of business and personal finance with Richard Curran

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