how would you handle this

[caedmyn]

Deleted for privacy

Edited February 12, 2020 by caedmyn

[City Mouse]

The fact the card was used does not mean that someone had to be in your house to physically steal the number. My daughter had a Walmart gift card that was used by someone out of state. Walmart was able to tell where the items were purchase and refunded her the money.

 

Edited February 9, 2020 by City Mouse

[beaners]

Without knowing when it was used, is there any way of knowing it wasn't someone from Kohls?

[caedmyn]

The guy at Kohls support said they had no way to track when a card was used, only that it had been used.  And the pin code was visible/had been scratched off, so it seems very likely that someone with physical access to the card used it.

[Annie G]

11 minutes ago, caedmyn said:

The guy at Kohls support said they had no way to track when a card was used, only that it had been used.  And the pin code was visible/had been scratched off, so it seems very likely that someone with physical access to the card used it.

I have heard that some people scratch the PIN number off at the store, take a pic of the card, and then put it back on the shelf for someone to buy. Then they later try to use the card....often successfully. 

[caedmyn]

2 minutes ago, Annie G said:

I have heard that some people scratch the PIN number off at the store, take a pic of the card, and then put it back on the shelf for someone to buy. Then they later try to use the card....often successfully. 

It was a merchandise return card, not a gift card, so it would have been behind he counter and not available to the general public.  Which doesn't preclude an employee messing with it I suppose.

[Dicentra]

I "liked" the above post not because I like the scam 😞 but I just recently read an article about this and that's likely what happened if the pin code was visible and no one in your family had scratched it off.

[Annie G]

2 minutes ago, caedmyn said:

It was a merchandise return card, not a gift card, so it would have been behind he counter and not available to the general public.  Which doesn't preclude an employee messing with it I suppose.

Oh sorry- I didn’t catch that detail.    

[itsheresomewhere]

Merchandise cards are often reused.   More than likely, it wasn’t loaded right by the cashier.

[Harriet Vane]

I would absolutely not go around confronting "the most likely" person about stealing. All you will accomplish is to hurt and alienate people. You have absolutely no evidence at all that any of these people stole the number, and there is plenty of reason to think it is possible the store messed up in some way. It is unfortunate that you are out the money, but you have no way of knowing what really happened, so the best course is to give those around you truly the benefit of the doubt and leave well enough alone.

[DesertBlossom]

Yeah, definitely wouldn't be accusing anyone without proof. I am really surprised Kohls can't give you more information about when it was used.  I'd call back and try to speak with someone higher up, especially if the card had a significant amount of money on it.

[DesertBlossom]

Does your mom still have the return receipt? Maybe with that and the empty card they could get a little farther and find more info?

[jen3kids]

43 minutes ago, DesertBlossom said:

Yeah, definitely wouldn't be accusing anyone without proof. I am really surprised Kohls can't give you more information about when it was used.  I'd call back and try to speak with someone higher up, especially if the card had a significant amount of money on it.

 

I would try this as well.  

[EKS]

I'd just let it go.

[Dainty]

My guess is the  money never got applied as well.  Out of curiosity, Id lay another one out and around to see what happens this time.

[Tap]

I would assume it wasn't applied correctly or that the number was stolen from the store. Unless you have had other things go missing, I wouldn't assume it was from the house.  I absolutely would not confront anyone, even in a very innocent tone. It will cause hard feelings and could potentially cost you friends. 

If your mom has the receipt, I would go to Kohls and talk to them about the fact that the balance may have not been applied. 

I once got an empty gift card. Whether by accident or theft, the clerk gave me the card and there was no balance applied to it. I now make sure to check and save the activation slips to have some kind of proof. Otherwise, the cardholder is just out of luck.

[LucyStoner]

3 hours ago, happysmileylady said:

OR...

When your mom returned the item, the cashier messed up and never credited the gift card properly.  Honestly, if the company can't verify any purchases, my thought is that that is the most likely problem.

this is my thinking as well!  People mess up.  

[May]

I’d let it go. I can’t imagine accusing people of theft unless I had absolute proof. I take it as the store made a mistake. DH once won a Starbucks gift card at work. It supposedly had $50 on it. When I went to use it, balance was $0. I called, nothing could be done etc.. I just let it go.

[teachermom2834]

Deleted at request of OP

Edited February 12, 2020 by teachermom2834

[barnwife]

If I am understanding correctly, you have absolutely no proof that someone took it versus the store making a mistake. I...cannot imagine confronting someone about this and accusing them of stealing in such a case.

I know that if someone did that to me, it would definitely...cast a shadow over any relationship we have. Therefore, gently, I think you just need to let this go.

[almondbutterandjelly]

Yes, your fight is with Kohls, not some random person who was in your house.  I will almost guarantee you that either they screwed up or someone stole the number in Kohls at some time prior.  I'll bet if you all had checked the balance as soon as you got the card, it would have been $0.  Your mom can fight this with them if she wants.  You go up the chain and don't take no for an answer.

[J-rap]

It would never have occurred to me that someone stole it.  I'd assume it was never put on the card correctly in the first place.

Does your mother have the receipt?  I'd go to the store, explain the problem, and request that the money be re-applied.  If the gift was originally put on a credit card, you could even bring your mother's credit card statement at least as proof of the original transaction.  It'll be your word against theirs, but I'd assume that if you met with the right person/high enough person, they'd honor your request.

[marbel]

In my experience you can almost never go wrong assuming incompetence over malice.  And from what I've heard about Kohl's over the years... their incompetence is my guess.

[mmasc]

Oh, definitely another vote here that this was Kohl’s fault. Definitely. 

[Carrie12345]

Treat it like you would if you had left the cash equivalent on the counter for as long.  Accuse whomever you’re willing to lose along with the money.  Or keep your relationships and swallow the loss, and then be more careful about leaving money out.

And it probably was a Kohl’s error.  I hate those return cards and try to use them on the same trip, just in case.

[gardenmom5]

I had my ID stolen by a store employee when I opened an account.  it could well have been someone from the store, not someone physically in your house.

eta: and yeah- that's assuming the money was correctly put on the card in the first place.

Edited February 9, 2020 by gardenmom5

[gardenmom5]

15 hours ago, caedmyn said:

The guy at Kohls support said they had no way to track when a card was used, only that it had been used.  And the pin code was visible/had been scratched off, so it seems very likely that someone with physical access to the card used it.

most of the store return/gift cards I've had dont' have the "scratch-off" feature.   did your mother verify it was intact when it was given to her?

[Valley Girl]

Just echoing what others have said. I'd ask your mom to see the original receipt for the purchase and the receipt for the return. A couple of things come to mind:

1. See if the refund was actually applied to the merchandise card. It's possible, especially if things were busy, the clerk might have mixed up the card she was scanning for your mom with a used one that was on the register or the counter. That does NOT mean it was deliberate. If there's a number for the merchandise card on the receipt, see if it matches the one you have.

2. If your mom did not have the original receipt and did not pay with debit or credit card that could be used to look up the purchase, was the refund actually a corporate refund, meaning a check was going to be sent to her from the company? Could the clerk (especially if new) have thought he/she also had to scan a card?

 

[plansrme]

3 hours ago, marbel said:

In my experience you can almost never go wrong assuming incompetence over malice.  And from what I've heard about Kohl's over the years... their incompetence is my guess.

I was going to say almost exactly this.  If you'd spent much time shopping at Kohl's, you would know what marbel and I are talking about--it is a mess.  I'm sure their retail employees are no more or less competent than those at any other department store, but something about the way Kohl's runs its stores provokes errors.  It's why I don't shop there any more.   Really, your clue ought to be that they can't tell you where the card was used.  In this day and age, i don't think that should be very hard!

[Ali in OR]

There was just an article about this in our newspaper. I would tend to think someone stole the number at the store. It's a popular scam, especially around the holidays.

[caedmyn]

We finally figured out what happened.  The store credited my MIL's cc (she was the original purchaser) even though they told my mom that it was returned to a merchandise card and gave her a merchandise card with the total on it.  I guess either the cashier had no idea what they were doing, or they hit the wrong button and didn't want to admit it and so gave my mom the merchandise card knowing it had actually been returned to the credit card.  Apparently Kohl's reputation for incompetence is well-earned!  Anyway, my MIL said she'd send DD a check for the amount so it worked out in the end.

[TravelingChris]

On 2/9/2020 at 11:44 AM, plansrme said:

I was going to say almost exactly this.  If you'd spent much time shopping at Kohl's, you would know what marbel and I are talking about--it is a mess.  I'm sure their retail employees are no more or less competent than those at any other department store, but something about the way Kohl's runs its stores provokes errors.  It's why I don't shop there any more.   Really, your clue ought to be that they can't tell you where the card was used.  In this day and age, i don't think that should be very hard!

I don['t either because I have had such problems at the local Kohls.  I do shop Kohls online and never have had problems.