ComplaintsforThe Underground Vault

• Initial Complaint

  04/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased a $1,500.00 gift certificate for my daughter's 15th wedding anniversary on June 11, 2021. It was to be used to purchase a used sofa with 2 reclining chairs. Around January 22.2023 my daughter was texting back and forth with Maria D**** over buying a sofa that she asked Maria to put on hold. The next day my daughter told Ms. D**** that she couldn't locate the certificate and was afraid that it had been thrown out while cleaning. Meanwhile, my daughter asked me if I had the original receipt that I was given when I bought the certificate. A few weeks later I did in fact found it and gave it to my daughter. She in turn sent a copy of it to Ms. D**** to prove that a certificate had been purchased but Ms. D**** stated that she needed the certificate for there to be a valid purchase of the sofa. She continued to state that the actual receipt of purchase didn't prove what it had been purchased for and that it could have been used to purchase $1,500.00 of product, instead of a gift certificate. On February 9, 2022, my daughter, ******** ********* texted Ms. D**** again that the receipt of the gift certificate had been found and that she had assumed that Ms. D**** had recognized that she had a $1,500.00 credit for her store because she had been keeping the reclining sofa set on hold for her. She admitted that she has lost the original certificate but the receipt would prove that a gift certificate had been purchased. Ms. D**** asked again if ******** had the certificate. If she did, Ms. D**** would redeem it. ******** replied, nope. Ms. D**** has not attempted to resolve this issue with my daughter when I ask ******** about the receipt. I mailed a letter to Ms. D****, with a Certificate of Mailing on March 11, 2023 requesting that she look into this matter and to replace the missing gift certificate with a replacement. She has not responded to my letter.

  Business response

  04/18/2023

  We would be happy to redeem the gift certificate if she can provide us with said gift certificate. We have had much correspondence over this issue. I promptly and courteously explained that the certificate must be present for redemption. That is store policy as it is with many other gift certificates you purchase from any other store. If you loose your gift certificate that is not my error it is the customers. I have texted and explained as well as fielded phone calls over this issue. I have provided the utmost prompt and helpful customer service. The customer does not seem to understand that it is their responsibility to keep up with their gift certificates. This type of policy is in place for thousands of companies. No gift certificate no product. They put it in place so it cannot be used multiply or copied etc. I am very sorry they are unhappy with this policy but it is there for a reason. 

  Customer response

  04/18/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I do not accept the business's response as a resolution to my complaint because:

  1.)  The store clerk did not provide any rules & regulations regarding the purchases of Gift Certificates at the time that I purchased it. 

  2.)  I have provided a receipt filled out and signed by the store clerk, Ms. D****'s son that states the purchase of a "gift voucher" in the amount of $1,500.00.               (See attachment, third page and zoom it bigger.)

  3.)  Ms. D****'s must have some records of the certificates that her business sells and if she was really trying to be helpful, would research her records to see if        a certificate made out to ******** ********* on June 11, 2021, was used for a purchase in her store.  The fact that she insists to see the actual gift certificate        after she has been told that it was lost is terrible customer service.  This continued answer to me seem to be an example of borderline theft.

  4.)  I have visited Ms. D****'s store approximately 5 times before buying this certificate and have never noticed anything posted about any rules or regulations          regarding any purchases.  Clearly the store policies are not made known until after an issue arises. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** ******

  Business response

  04/19/2023

  This policy is a well known policy throughout the industry but just furniture industry but retail as a whole. No gift certificate means no redemption. This measure ensures no duplication, no theft of product by someone else using it among the list of reasons it is in place. 
  

  I am sorry her daughter did not take better care of her certificate. I have never had a problem with anyone with certificates. This is a first that I am dealing with this type of matter. 
  

  I have no commuted theft of any kind. If she presents the certificate I would be happy to redeem it. 

  Customer response

  04/19/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I do not accept the business's response as a resolution to my complaint because: 

  !.)  Ms. D**** has not tried to resolve this issue beyond her repeated claim that if the original certificate is not available, there is nothing that she has to about it legally.  This is not a helpful response, nor does it promote good customer relations.  As I have said, there are no policies, rules or regulations posted in her place of business that addresses the purchase of gift certificates, never mind any other purchases.  A lay person like myself, is not aware of her policies and $1.500.00 is a sizable amount of money.  She could research the gift certificates that have been redeemed, especially since she has mentioned that they are not used very often.  She could make a post and place it by her register so if any certificate with the name ******** ********* on it could be rejected.  A notice along those lines should not impact her terribly and she would retain a good customer as my daughter is a repeat customer.

  2.)  I do not believe that The Underground Vault's gift certificates are numbered, and this causes a problem if one is lost.  A numbered certificate could be voided   and would alleviate any lost original gift certificate issues.

  3.)  I will be filing a complaint with NH's Department of Justice if Ms. D**** is unwilling to try and settle this issue with me.

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** ******

  Business response

  04/25/2023

  Good Morning *** **,
  
  When thinking of a resolution to this situation it took much deliberation to discover what opportunities we could offer as resolution. I know that reading a long excerpt in the emotional state of mind you may find yourself exhausted in is great, so I will lead by providing you the relief of knowing that we will be honoring the initial transaction of $1500 of in store credit that was purchased as a gift certificate. What has unfolded has illuminated to me a way to improve our process so that other clients like you can be assured. 
  
  While at the time of writing this, our policies reflected an inefficient  system.  One where we relied on client's to produce the necessary certification to tender the gift credit they had previously purchased. While we do keep receipts of gift certificate purchases, the verification we require was strict. Moving forward we have made adjustments to our process. We have added redundancy so that in the event clients are departed of their certificate we will have a verification procedure for authentication. This will ensure future events can be resolved in these outstanding circumstances so we can better care for our clients.
  
  I want to personally thank you for the opportunity to identify an area our process can provide better service to those we take care for. We feel that this opportunity alone was valuable, and while we were not able to verify whether the funds were used in our system without the certification present, we are willing to honor the initial transaction in full as a token of our appreciation for being a positive force of change and for the voice you've used to improve the lives of other consumers.
  

  
  

  Customer response

  05/03/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  

  I also want to thank Maria D**** for her response to this issue.  Changing her Gift Certificate process will enhance and help grow her business.  Both my daughter and I wish her much success and we happily look forward to visiting her store in the future.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** ******

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩