14 January 2017
Time for a New Year’s good turn – drop gift card expiry dates

Labour is calling for major retailers to do the right thing and put an end to the rort of gift card expiry dates, says Labour’s Consumer Affairs spokesperson Michael Wood.

“Gift cards are purchased in good faith and there is simply no good reason for their value to be written off after an arbitrary length of time.

“When a retailer sells a gift card they receive the benefit of immediate cashflow, and very often will receive additional sales when the gift card is redeemed. It’s a good deal for the retailer, but a bum deal for busy people.

“Many Kiwis who received a gift card for Christmas will forget to use it, until one day they find its value has disappeared overnight.

“Labour is supporting the Consumer NZ campaign to “Drop the Dates”. After the campaign was launched last year, Countdown, Kathmandu, and Noel Leemings agreed to get rid of gift card expiry dates.

“Good on these major retailers. It shows that other retailers can and should show a bit of fairness towards their customers by also dropping the dates.

“Kiwi consumers deserve a fair go, and at the start of 2017, it’s time for the retailers who rely on their custom and loyalty to return the favour.

“I’ll be writing to major retailers to ask them to re-consider the issue. I look forward to congratulating those who come forward and do the right thing by their customers,” says Mr Wood.

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