Christmas shoppers should be wary of vouchers – Mitchell

Fine Gael TD for Dublin South, Olivia Mitchell, has today (Wednesday) warned Christmas shoppers to be wary when purchasing gift vouchers, highlighting the absence of legislation governing vouchers.

“Most people purchasing gift vouchers are scarcely aware that they have an expiry date, often as short as one year.  Unfortunately many recipients aren’t conscious of the expiry date either, and the result is that many businesses simply pocket the value of the voucher.

“People need to be aware that a voucher is not money.

“It’s impossible to know the extent of the value of unredeemed vouchers but it probably runs to millions of euro.  It is of course at this time of year when people are busiest that most vouchers are sold, but it is worth remembering to check if there is an expiry date and for how long the voucher is valid. Even quite reputable firms’ vouchers are seldom valid for more than two years.

“There seems to be no valid reason why there should be any expiry date, and certainly not a short one, for vouchers purchased from big reputable firms like Marks and Spencer.

“It is one thing to lose the value of a voucher if the business goes into liquidation but it is hard to accept that a voucher purchased from a thriving business could be worth €100 today and nothing tomorrow.

“Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD has confirmed to me in a Parliamentary Question (see below) that legislation to regulate expiry dates and other aspects of vouchers is being examined. In the meantime