The course of action you should take in this situation will depend on a few factors.
When you purchase gift cards or vouchers for experiences from a trader, you are bound by the terms and conditions that are made or known at the point of purchase.
If the expiry date conditions weren’t clear at the time of sale, and you can prove this, you may be able to convince the retailer to extend the dates for free.
If terms & conditions were not highlighted
If the conditions were not brought to your attention when you bought the gift voucher – for example if they were hidden in packaging or on a part of the trader’s website that is difficult to access, then you could potentially argue that the terms are contrary to the requirements of good faith.
To meet these ‘good faith’ requirements, the terms should be designed, negotiated, and entered into with you in a fair and open manner.
If the expiry date was advised at point of sale
If the expiry date was advised at the time the voucher was bought, then these dates are allowed and legally, will stand.
You may be able to appeal to the trader’s good nature and ask the retailer to extend the gift voucher but should note that this may incur a fee. You should be able to reach out to them using contact details on the trader’s website.
The team at consumeradvice.scot can offer advice and information on a range of consumer-related matters.
For more information on consumer rights, complaints and more, visit www.consumeradvice.scot, where you can speak to the team through webchat, or call them on 0808 164 6000, Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.