Gift Certificate Expirations Same as Stealing
By George Anderson
The Lancaster Eagle Gazette says the practice of placing expiration dates on gift certificates “is tantamount to theft.”
The paper made this charge in an editorial supporting a proposed law by Ohio state senator Robert Spada that would put an end to expiration dates on gift certificates and cards.
The Ohio Council of Retail Merchants estimates 96 percent of all gift certificates sold in the state are redeemed. Lora Miller, governmental affairs director for the group says “many companies will honor their cards even after they expire just to keep customers happy.”
Ms. Miller argues that it would be “an accounting nightmare to keep these on the books forever” and ultimately, “this bill creates more problems than it seeks to address.”
Moderator’s Comment: Where do you stand on this story?
Retailers are in the business of keeping customers happy.
If not, they will find themselves out of business. This proposed law makes sense
theoretically. In reality, it has little to no practical value.
[George
Anderson – Moderator]