No availability for a voucher

Blanchy90

Hi I bought a voucher for a spa in February, its valid until the end of May. I tried to call loads last week and couldn't get through, I left a message and they never called back.

Finally got through yesterday and they said they are not accepting any more vouchers as they have no availability.

They said to contact the company that sold the voucher and 'they'll sort it out'

Well I called the company and they said they will only refund within 14 days of purchase.

They have offered 80% of the value back against a different voucher.

What are my rights here? I checked the terms and conditions and it does not say subject to availability

JohnC.

Did they ever get around to passing that bill from late last year about extending expiry dates?

Ah, never mind, I found it and it's apparently still making its way through the Oireachtas.

spurious

That's very poor form. They have already been paid and although I'm sure the business doesn't get the full value of the voucher, surely a good part of it is to generate repeat business from those who initially come on a voucher?

I wonder could you ask the Consumer Association of Ireland to contact the spa to check what the story is?

That might change their mind.

JimsAlterEgo

I would try a chargeback on the basis of service not provided, the company needs to have budgeted for all the vouchers sold

Sleeper12

Blanchy90 wrote:

What are my rights here? I checked the terms and conditions and it does not say subject to availability

Your contract is with the company that sold the voucher. There will be terms and conditions. Usually one of these is that you book the appointment within so many days of buying the voucher. This is their get out of jail free card.

I gave up on these discount vouchers years ago. When they work well they are good value but when they go pear shaped they are a disaster. I'd rather pay the full price & deal directly with the company I want the service from.

Blanchy90

Sleeper12 wrote: »

Your contract is with the company that sold the voucher. There will be terms and conditions. Usually one of these is that you book the appointment within so many days of buying the voucher. This is their get out of jail free card.

I gave up on these discount vouchers years ago. When they work well they are good value but when they go pear shaped they are a disaster. I'd rather pay the full price & deal directly with the company I want the service from.

There are actually very few terms and conditions given on the voucher and it doesn't say anything about booking within a certain date

Richie M

Review Promise

1. Cash refund within 14 days for unredeemed/unused vouchers unless stated otherwise in the offer terms and conditions
We will honour your statutory right to a full cash refund within 14 days of your purchase. There are of course exceptions where a voucher is deemed "Used" or "Redeemed", or is part of a Ticketed event.

A voucher has been "Used" when it is marked 'REDEEMED' in 'My Vouchers'

Vouchers are automatically marked as redeemed / used when:

A BOOKING has been made and CONFIRMED by a seller.
You have presented it and therefore redeemed it to receive a service.
Delivery details have been sent to the Order Supplier/Seller.
The voucher is a ticket to an event e.g. a concert or sporting event

2. 80% credit for unredeemed/unused vouchers unless stated otherwise in the offer terms and conditions - claim within 6 months of expiry - use to save from 5% to 15% on future offer purchases

Once a voucher expires, a member can apply for a 80% credit in Points unless the vouchers terms and conditions specifically states otherwise. A member has 6 months after the voucher has expired to submit the refund request.

To apply for the 80% credit, log into your account, click "My Vouchers" and then "Not Used." You will see a button beside your voucher that will allow you to apply for the credit. Click the button to claim your credit.

It may take up to 14 days for the Points to appear in your Account.

When purchasing a product (providing you have enough Points in your account) you will be given the option to pay for 5 percent of the cost of the voucher using your Points.

When purchasing anything else, providing you have enough Points in your account, you will be given the option to pay for 5, 10 or 15 percent of the cost of the voucher using your Points.

If you do not see an option to use Points, you do not have enough points in your account to use on the offer you have selected.

You cannot use Points and a discount code on the same purchase.

All other Refund Requests
As a general rule it is not possible to request a refund outside the parameters already outlined. However, there are a few exceptions that will be decided on an individual case by case basis. We do have the option to refund (in part or in full) as a "Discount Code". This is effectively a Credit Note.

3. We only work with the best sellers

Of course there's always a learning curve! Most of our sellers have worked with us for many years and are reputable, trustworthy businesses. We do add new sellers regularly and monitor their service levels carefully. We also remove sellers based on poor service or any other negative feedback from our members.

4. Although your contract is with the seller, Pigsback.com is on your side, with the highest standards of customer care.

Here's the technical bit: Your voucher is purchased from us but as soon as you redeem that voucher for a service or product with the seller, you create a contract with them.

What this means:
In the first instance, if you have any queries in relation to the delivery of the product or service you have bought, you should address the seller directly. Their contact details are on the voucher.

As a fall-back, where the seller has NOT met the Terms & Conditions of the offer (e.g. late delivery or service not matching the offer) please inform us at helpdesk at pigsback dot com and we will take it up with the seller on your behalf.

5. We're Irish and committed to Irish jobs

Pigsback was established in 2000 in Ireland by a team of Irish people and operates under the company name Empathy Marketing Limited. Pigsback.com is based in Parkwest, Business Park, Dublin and currently provides direct employment for approximately 30 people. Pigsback indirectly supports hundreds of Irish jobs in the hospitality, leisure and retail sectors in particular. So by supporting us, you are supporting Irish jobs. We are also proud to partner with the Marie Keating Foundation.

Guy:Incognito

JohnC. wrote: »

Did they ever get around to passing that bill from late last year about extending expiry dates?

Ah, never mind, I found it and it's apparently still making its way through the Oireachtas.

I assume this is a groupon type situation rather than just buying a cash equivalent voucher for a shop though?

It would have been purchased on the basis of a specific timeframe.

Duffryman

Blanchy90 wrote: »

I checked the terms and conditions and it does not say subject to availability

You sure about this?

Just had a quick look at Pigsback myself, under the 'Hotel Spas' tab. There are 23 offers showing right now. I clicked into seven or eight of them at random, and in every one of them, under the heading 'Fine Print', it says either 'Booking subject to availability' or 'Subject to availability and set allocation per day'.

I'd expect to see the same thing in all the others if I clicked into them too, and I expect it was on the listing for the one you bought at the time you bought it.

Have no interest in hotel spas myself, but also had a look at some other stuff that I would be interested in, like a kayaking experience, a helicopter flight, and paintballing. They all say ‘subject to availability’ too.
Looks like you just missed out by not booking earlier.

charlietheminxx

Duffryman wrote: »

Looks like you just missed out by not booking earlier.

She couldn't book earlier, they weren't answering the phone.

OP this happened to me a couple of times, and I've always gotten a full refund from the voucher company. Email them with a list of times/days you phoned to try to make contact for an appointment and ask for a full refund as it is not by choice you have not redeemed the voucher (which remains valid and has been refused by the business they have partnered up with).

If people just accept the 20% hit, these lads are getting paid to take your money and waste your time.

Duffryman

charlietheminxx wrote: »

She couldn't book earlier, they weren't answering the phone.

She bought the voucher in February. So she could have booked it in February. Or March. Or April.

Blanchy90

Its actually my wife who was going through this.

She emailed again and got a full refund.

Duffryman

Well, that's good news. Glad it worked out for you.

Sleeper12

Blanchy90 wrote: »

Its actually my wife who was going through this.

She emailed again and got a full refund.

Happy days:)