Warning about Joann Gift Cards

[LaurieE]

Last month my daughter and grandson gave me a gift card to Joann"s for my birthday (please forgive the double quotes, my keyboard is acting strangely and won"t let me us the apostrophe). This was a really great gift because money can be added to the card for Christmas, Mother"s Day, etc. and money can be added to it online. Plus the card can be used for online purchases at Joann"s website.

 

Two weeks after receiving the card, I went to use it. It came up as Not Activated. I questioned the cashier about it. She obviously was trying to get me out of the store and she said that I had to call the 800 number which I did. The man at the 800 number said the card was not in their system because it wasn"t activated and I had to go back to the store.

 

I called the store and spoke with the Associate whose number was on the receipt which happened to be the store"s general manager. She took all the information and said she would call corporate and get back with me. That was 2 weeks ago and she never called me back.

 

Last night, my daughter and I were in Joann"s and I went to use the gift card. Again the card was rejected for not being activated. I went ballistic and immediately said I wanted the manager. My daughter is telling the cashier that she wants her money back. The cashier says he can"t do that because the store would have no way of knowing if any of the money had been spent.

 

We had to point out to this obviously stupid cashier that the register said Not Activated. Not 0 balance.

 

The manager finally comes over. She tries swiping the card and gets the same message and has no idea what to do or how to override the system. I had already decided that I was not leaving that store until the issue was resolved. I was truly expecting the police to walk in any minute. Nobody knows where the list is with the phone numbers of the managers. Well after 30 minutes they finally get a hold of someone and I get to speak with a higher up. I explain the story all over again. She was surprised that the General Manager never called me back and apparently wasn"t very happy about that.

 

Meanwhile, my daughter is getting upset because she wants to know where did the money go that she paid to purchase to the card. It was finally decided that they would issue me another card. That card worked.

 

When we compared the two receipts, the second receipt clearly showed Gift Card and a number. The first receipt did not.

 

The lesson here: if you buy a gift card for someone at Joann"s (or suggest a family member give you one), look at the receipt very carefully and make sure it says gift card and it has the gift card number on it. Otherwise the card will not work.

[texasredhead]

I have had this happen to me at Subway, Arby's, and other resturaunts too. You have to look at the receipt and see that it is activated and it is a good idea to send the receipt to the person with the card so you can prove it was paid for. I had to send 2 Arby's cards to the head office to get my money back for a card that was not activated properly and my daughter couldn't use in her town. This happens with gift cards, be aware!

[cjansen]

I agree this is probably a cashier mistake and not a corporate mistake. but it should have be resolved faster and easier. I hate it when no one is willing to make a decision.

[pinkroses]

I have had trouble with their site 2 times.

I never got back some of the money I spent there

I am leary now about ordering from them.

I had problems talking to the people on line too.

[Tinamah]

My son got a Walmart card once that wasn't activated. Keep those reciepts.

[cdgayer]

Why on earth would it take soooo long to decide to give you another card? That should have been done within the first 5 minutes. Sometimes, customer service stinks.

[LaurieE]

That's what should have been done when I first had a problem with the card. The General Manager was only interested in getting me out of the store. Why didn't the store's General Manager know what to do?

 

My daughter, who used to work for Macy's, explained to me that if they don't scan the cards into the store's inventory, the cards won't activate at the register.

 

Thank goodness Gainesville has 2 Joann stores because we're not going back to that one.

[frogsrock]

another reason why id rather be given cash...

 

i hate gift cards

[CraftyShannon]

I am so glad my brother....who doesn't know what to buy me.....just gives me money and says "I know you'll use it on your craft stuff". He normally relies on gift cards, but he doesn't know what craft stores I go to, so I get cash instead.

[They Call Me Bean]

I totally agree about receiving cash instead. My mom won't do it though. She says it's tacky, but I'd rather get cash than a giftcard that comes with a headache. And,, while on this subject... does it annoy anyone else that you have to go inside and fight with the crowd to get a card to get cheaper gas???

[happy stitcher]

. And,, while on this subject... does it annoy anyone else that you have to go inside and fight with the crowd to get a card to get cheaper gas???

 

 

YES!:hiME!!! It annoys ME! I hate that!

[Suebee42]

I've had this happen with an iTunes gift card, too.

 

Moral of the story: Always check ANY gift card.

[MaryPat]

I ...while on this subject... does it annoy anyone else that you have to go inside and fight with the crowd to get a card to get cheaper gas???

 

I'm dense today. What do you mean by fight a crowd to get cheaper gas?

[Nilliem]

Mary Pat, if I am correct, some gas stations have cards to get gas cheaper on certain days, but only if you go inside to pay and have your card.

[JCB]

I was given a Joann's Gift card for my Birthday. The first time I went to use it, the cashier didn't have a clue how to ring it in. She called for help over their PA system... no one came. She finally had to leave to go back to wherever the manager was. Meanwhile, she was the only cashier and the line was getting longer and longer... and the people didn't look happy. The manager finally came and put the correct code into the register and rang me out, but it took a good 20 mins. until I got checked out.

 

Joan

[They Call Me Bean]

Our Wal-Mart, along with Sam's Club, Ingles and Kroger, have gas stations in their parking lots.. If you go inside and buy a gift card and use it at the pump,, your gas is 3 cents cheaper.. Its a tactic to get you in the door,,, I get why they do it, but it is SO annoying!

 

It's almost as bad as the 'store discount cards' of which I have about 400 on my keychain...Whatever happened to a normal sale. Now you have to have their 'card' to get the sale price. It's all a big pain in the butt. Like I said, I get it.. they want to track who buys what and when so they have a basis for their marketing. It makes total business sense... but it's still irritating.

[MaryPat]

Mary Pat, if I am correct, some gas stations have cards to get gas cheaper on certain days, but only if you go inside to pay and have your card.

 

Hmm this has totally passed me by!

 

My daughter lives in England and shops at Tesco. Tesco gives them 5¢ per liter off somehow.

[CraftyShannon]

It's almost as bad as the 'store discount cards' of which I have about 400 on my keychain...Whatever happened to a normal sale. Now you have to have their 'card' to get the sale price. It's all a big pain in the butt. Like I said, I get it.. they want to track who buys what and when so they have a basis for their marketing. It makes total business sense... but it's still irritating.

 

Those discount cards bug me beyong belief. It is even more annoying that the stores have taken out so many name brand foods, so you have to buy their brands. Some foods don't matter, others you can tell a big difference in the taste or quality. Even more fun, they raise the price of their food to what the brand names used to be (making name brands sky high so you have to buy their brands), only to have "sales" you have to use the discounts for to get what should be the real prices.

 

If you don't want to fool with the card, you can ask the person behind you in line if they will let you scan their card. However, at least at one store where I go to, they don't annouce this, but all the cashiers have a card they will scan for you if you don't have your own.

[Gran]

Thanks for the warning. Keeping track of receipts, aargh. I'm with the "please don't give me any gift cards" folks. I'm sorry this happened to you.

[Gran]

Thanks for the warning. Keeping track of receipts, aargh. I'm with the "please don't give me any gift cards" folks. I'm sorry this happened to you.

[Jadzia]

I worked at Joann's for a Christmas season.

I was not happy with how i was trained. I was taught how to ring up and give cash then left alone. I made so many mistakes :blushthe first few weeks.

[froggy]

Gift cards can be a pain in the neck. Sometimes if you don't use them with in a certain time they begin to take money off of the card too!

[Tampa Doll]

Every year I get a Joann's gift card from my BIL & SIL in New Jersey. I have not had any trouble with them. We usually get a gift card from the kids to a restaurant.

I have no trouble spending the Joann's, that takes about a week after I get it.

The restaurant one, well, lets just say, we finally spent last years yesterday.

I would prefer to have one from www.elmore-pisgah.com, but can't tell someone what to buy.

[Carolina]

My son got a Walmart card once that wasn't activated. Keep those reciepts.

 

Thanks for this information. When I buy groceries I usually have the cashier put money on my card to buy gas with. Thank God I have my receipt, will be sure to keep them from now on.

[yellowrose]

I would rather receive cash and then I can go and do what I want. Gift cards can easily be lost and forgotten. Some stores will reduce the dollar amount of the card as time goes by.