LESSON: This blog is going to teach you a valuable lesson about American Express Gift Cards and how they need to be registered in your name if you are to use them to buy merchandise online or over the phone.
It was only 6 years ago that I remember telling hubby I hated gift cards as presents because they are so impersonal however, flash forward a few years and I couldn't be more in love with them! I especially love gathering them all up and planning out exactly what I am going to buy and making a big shopping trip out of my cards. Makes me feel like I am rich for a day. To me, gift cards are like "free money." Unlike cash which can easily go into a bank acocunt or spent on crap you didn't intend to use it on, once you get a gift card you are beholden to spend it or lose the value. So for me, getting a gift card is like the one time I can truly treat myself and buy myself something I have always wanted. And you people know I love looking at catalogues so I usually don't lack for wanted items.
Catalogues are like big candy stores for me. I look through them with big dreams to buy all the wonderful things I see but the reality is, I am lucky if I sit down and purchase just one of those items. For all my lofty dreaming my conscience is even bigger and the little "good angel" that sits on my shoulder is always telling me "Do you really need that?" Which leads to me not purchasing all my "wants." That is why when I get a gift card it is so much fun because I can actually buy alot of the things I see in catalogues with no guilty conscience.
As it was just my birthday last week, I am once again, the happy recipient of a handful of gift cards. As I have been busy registering and planning our wee baby's nursery it was my very intent to take said gift cards and apply them to all the wonderful items I have been eyeing for the past month. Most of the things I wanted for the nursery are at Pottery Barn Kids store. I love all Pottery Barn stores but I rarely buy stuff there at full price as it's so darn expensive, so I usually wait until I have a gift card, have my work bonus or a beloved item I just can't get out of my mind, goes on sale.
Armed with a whole new batch of gift cards, I excitedly sat down to purchase several items on my wishlist for the baby's room. I had selected quite a few items over the course of the month and this was my chance to order what my heart desired. My cart had about 8 items in it. I was all ready to check out when I was asked to input my credit card info. So I input the gift card credit card info with the result of it not appearing to go through. I attempt it again and then again for a third time. That is when the Pottery Barn Kids site locks me out of the system....meaning it wouldn't let me buy anything under my name. I was so pissed as ooooh... did I ever need to buy these cute, pink turtle crib sheets that were on sale for $8.99!!!
So I wait a day and try again the next morning and again, it wont' let me buy anything online so I call PBK and explain the whole thing to a person who tries to look up my order from the previous day in case it went through. When she says an order can't be found she tries to run my gift card through again for the items I told her I wanted and she comes back to tell me my gift card has been declined for insuffiecient funds. Which was bewildering to me since it was never used.
After hanging up with PBK (as I wasn't going to use my money as it was only my intent to use my "free money" on the items)I call the American Express Gift Card number and explain the whole thing again to this new guy. He tells me I have an order pending from PBK. I of course explain PBK said they had no such order and that is when this man says I have to wait 10 days for the funds to be put back on the card. Sarcastically, I say, "So basically American Express has just taken a few hundred of my dollars and is holding them hostage for 10 days! Not to mention, my beloved items that are on sale are about to be taken by someone else because THEIR card doesn't work!"
While the man blabbers on about the rules and regulations of the GC my head can't stop thinking about the 10 days!!! At the end of 10 days my pink turtle bed sheets will be gone! I sarcastically asked American Express guy why my card didn't work online when they advertise that is does? The guy says, "Oh, well you have to register the card in your name before you can make online or telephone purchases." "Well, no where does it say that in the literature I remarked." Knowing I am never going to win with these corporate yahoos and their rules, I agree to register my cards as my whole intent is to buy things online for my kid's nursery.
So I get my 3 cards registered and call back Pottery Barn to buy my stuff and have to tell the whole story to someone new. I put in my order with the new lady and go to pay and that is when she says "oh mamam, we only can take one gift card at a time." "What!" I scream. The lady goes on to say, "Well you can go to a store and place an online order and use 3 cards." That is when I told her my foot is sprained and going to a store is the last thing I will be doing.
So then she tries to call a local store for me but it's too early and they are not open on the west coast yet. Sensing I am going to explode, the lady then says, "Well let me find a store on the east coast." By that time I had been on the phone for an hour so I tell her, "Thank you for your offer but the world is apparently telling me not to order right now and I hang up (in utter frustartion that nothing is goign right." Sad I wasn't going to get my turtle sheets I went away bitter. I guess I could have just ordered the turtle sheets on my own credit card but that wasn't the point gosh darn it!!!!
So today, after days of simmering down, I call Pottery Barn Kids and I place an order for a few items (not all that I had planned to get) and FINALLY my order on my gift card goes through!!! So finally, I will get my turtle sheets!!!! Can you say Amen?
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