...it's up to the company to ask the bankruptcy court to allow it to continue accepting gift cards. If they don't ask, you're out of luck. So spend them quickly if you get them, and before you buy them, maybe check the financial pages to see if the company is headed for Chapter 11. Aha, you say, I'll just buy one of those ones backed by VISA or the like. Not so fast. If they're backed by a bank or credit card company, they can have all sorts of hidden fees and various ways for them to quietly depreciate in value.

The Gift Card Comes Wrapped in Growing Risk [NYT] (Photo: paper house)

Two come to mind: Brookstone and American Apparel.

Brookstone's return policy is simple:

If a product purchased at Brookstone does not meet your expectations, you may return it with receipt within 30 days of purchase for a refund, merchandise credit or exchange. We will not accept any returns without a receipt.

Sounds fair, until you consider that there aren't any provisions for gifts. Without the receipt, you're stuck holding a potentially unwanted gift. Even if you bring the unopened mint-condition item to the store, point to the exact same item on the shelf, and ask to perform an exchange, they will refuse. You have only one option: ask the gift-giver for the receipt, an obviously impossible request no half-decent person would make.

American Apparel can't even settle on a return policy. If you buy from their online store, they offer a full refund, but if you visit their brick and mortar locations, you can only receive store credit. So if you do your friend a favor and pick up a few shirts, and it turns out you were sold the wrong ones, you're entirely out of luck and stuck with an unwanted store credit.

Is either policy unique? No. We know there are companies with vastly more farcical policies we want to hear about them. Fill the comments with the worst return policies you've seen. And no, "all sales final" doesn't count.

EU to expand e-shoppers' rights [BBC]
(Photo: theogeo)

Hayden writes:

I recently went to Michael's in Hemet, California to make a last minute birthday present for my mother. I didn't have money on me at the time and the bank was closed so I had to use 4 dollars in quarters to buy a wood plaque. When I went to check out, an older woman told me "It's story policy not to accept change."

Is it really legal for a store to not accept change? It's still legal tender, and it's not as if I was paying in pennies; it was quarters and I was counting them out for the cashier.

I was in a hurry so I had to borrow money from my younger sister to buy it, which was pretty embarrassing.

Michael's is about 10 miles farther from my house than Joanne's, but needless to say I'm not going back. At least Joanne's accepts legal money.

It's not like this in other countries. Watch here as a pair of Marines try to shock an unsuspecting Japanese waitress by paying for their whole meal with nothing but change:

(Photo: seawallrunner)

I was wondering if you could give some advice or suggestions. My wife (Ashley) and I got married on April 19th. She had a bridal shower in the middle of March in Saratoga, New York (our Hometown). Like every other bridal shower in the history of modern America, she received 2 coffee grinders and 2 blenders. We did not have a registry but knew that they came from [Macy's]. We did not have gift receipts so we received store credit. They did their typical deal of taking Driver's License information and issued a easy exchange gift card. The only thing out of the ordinary was it took her a very long time to do the transaction. It was a card for about $120 when it was done.

Fast forward to this month. We went to use the card to get some sheets that were on sale but was told that the card was "invalid" at the register. Not zero balance but the actual card was invalid. She assured us that it was an easy fix and to call corporate. Between March and July we misplaced the register receipt from the return. Ashley called corporate that following workday and was told that the card was invalid that we could return to the store and register that the return was done and they could fix it even with out the receipt. We then called the Macy's store and a manager confirmed corporate's story about it being an easy fix.

On Sunday July 20th we went to Macy's. We went to the register and they employee was very nice and brought us over to the executive office where we met Nick and Rebecca (actual names). From the moment we were introduced they both were extremely rude.

We explained our situation to them and they once again confirmed that card was invalid and concluded that the card was improperly scanned when we made the return. They said that unless we knew the exact date that we returned the items it would be impossible for them to fix the problem. We said that we are not sure because it was 4 months ago but we knew which employee did the return. Nick said that it wouldn't matter because they don't save employee schedules and it is all online and they don't know them and without the date we were out of luck. I explained it was a weekday in late March and that is only 10 days to look at but he refused to listen.

Ashley asked why did they take all of our info when returned it and they said that the only person that has access to that is in some security office and that would be a dead end. Then we asked if they could do an item returned check since we remembered what they were. Nick said that unless we knew the exact color of the items to get the exact UPC numbers this would also be pointless. We went to look for the items only to find they were not longer stocked at the store. Nick once again said that since the items are no longer here we are once again out of luck and they had NO way to look up UPC numbers. A very helpful Wedding Registry Employee said that she could look up UPC numbers using the bridal registry. We found the coffee grinder and Rebecca called some office and was told that that model of grinder was never returned in March.

Nick told us in a very agitated manner that there was nothing else they could do and the ONLY way to fix it was to call my Aunt and get a copy of the purchase receipt and then maybe they could fix it. He said "make up a story" to why you needed it. We explained that that was mildly rude and they basically walked away from us.

My gut feeling was that the transaction was never completed properly when we returned the items. That is why the card was invalid and the UPC search came up empty. If that is the case no amount of searching will find the transaction. We are not even overly concerned about the money as it was only 120$ and a gift. We were much more upset and shocked about the way Nick and Rebecca treated us. They were very rude and condescending the whole time and frequently change their story as to what they were able to do and were caught in several lies and had to backpedal. They never once apologized for the situation or tried to fix the problem without us prompting them on suggestions. I wanted to email someone in Macy's corporate but I was unable to find an email outside of the standard "Contact Us" on the website. We also looked over your website but came up empty handed. Any direction would be great.

We'd love to help you launch an EECB about this issue, but, sadly, we don't have much in the way of Macy's executive customer service info. Of course, you can always follow the instructions located here. We're pretty sure their emaill address format is firstname.lastname@macys.com.

Anyone got better info to share? tips@consumerist.com

(Photo: smcgee )

My wife-to-be and I had registered at Target for our wedding, knowing that consumers have had a bad experiences returning items off their registry without a receipt. Well, we got ourselves married (yay!) and lo and behold, we had present duplicates, including a set of blenders that lacked a gift receipt.

We went in and exchanged the duplicates that we could, and complained (loudly) about the blender that we couldn't. What we didn't expect was for the rep we were working with to pull us aside and tell us to come back in a few days and we should be able to return it off of the registry.

I went in this morning, and it did! They have re-added the Gift Purchase Log, and you are able to return items off of that without a receipt if you let them scan your ID. The rep I was working with this morning was unaware of the change, but the manager set her straight right away!

Victory for the consumer!

We are pleased to hear that this silly policy has been fixed.

(Photo: crawfishpie )

Zachary Prell shirt: $165
"Prell spun his experience on Wall Street into the smart fitting business of shirts. And what he came up with looks as good under a three-piece suit as it does with a pair of slacks - thanks to a slim fit, contrasting stripe down the side, and spread collar that works opened or closed."

The Art of Shaving kit: $100
"Rather than splurge on an old-fashioned hot-towel shave at a pricey men's spa, give the do-it-yourselfer the tools he needs for a perfect shave from home.
The Art of Shaving's full size kit with pre-shave oil, shaving cream, badger hair brush and after-shave balm promises optimal results (read: no ingrown hairs or razor burn)."

Krups BeerTender: $299
"The sleek countertop machine fits Heineken's compact 5-liter draught kegs and is engineered to ensure that each serving pours a perfect pub-style draft. Beer is kept fresh for up to 30 days while a volume indicator shows how much is left in the keg so you never have to worry about tapping out. And with free shipping, your wallet won't get tapped out either."

Tivoli Model One radio: $119
"Even though it looks retro, the technologically advanced Tivoli is compatible with iPods and other MP3 players. Sound too good to be true? Enter the code DAD20 at checkout and take 20% off. "

A day of driving: $1,495
"You could go from zero to happy Father's Day in under 4 seconds by putting dad on the list for a brand new 2009 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, which starts at $203,000. But, for about $1,500, drivers can drive five such supercars along the wide open country roads of French Lick Indiana. As an extra gift, dads get crystal car keepsakes and a picture with their favorite car, which might just replace the family portrait he got last year."

Last-minute Father's Day deals [CNN Money]

She writes:

As a long time fan of Target, I am absolutely disappointed about their new "return" policy. I couldn't wait for the day to get married, and with regards to this letter, couldn't wait to open a Target wedding registry of my own! Only to find out Target has become completely untrusting of their customers and treat us as if we're thieves! We sent our wedding guests almost exclusively to our Target registry, which malfunctioned, and now we have duplicate sets of gifts that we cannot return.

When we attempted to return them, and showed how the gift registry malfunctioned, they insisted that it was our guests' responsibility to attach a gift receipt & accepted no fault. Of course, since our guests were purchasing from a wedding registry they trusted, none of the guests attached a receipt. Not to mention it looks pretty tacky to tape on a receipt to an expensive, nicely wrapped gift. So the manager suggested we go back to our guests and ask for a receipt so that we can return their gift. We felt that would be very rude to do to our guests, and just do not feel comfortable disappointing people like that, especially after they spent so much money on a gift they thought we would love. The manager also told us "that's the point of a registry, to get what you want" - Of course! But that doesn't mean we need two croquet sets, two coffee makers or two wine racks! We felt we were being very reasonable, we didn't even want cash back; we would gladly accept store credit.

To top things off, I received a wok in the mail that became damaged during shipment. It came wrapped in target paper, included target shipping paperwork, and all we wanted was to exchange it for a non-damaged wok or receive store credit. They still proceeded to tell us that we needed a gift receipt, and refused to return it for us until we talked to upper management. The whole process took over 30 minutes!

We have received over $1000 in gifts from our Target registry, and if we would have known about this absurd return policy, we would have stayed with Bed Bath & Beyond and Macy's, both of which have no problem with satisfying their registry customers. I do wedding photography for a living and talk with brides on a daily basis, I'm warning everyone to stay clear of Target's wedding registry. I hope Target realizes quick what they are doing to some of their biggest fans.

Target, it's a sad day for you when people feel more welcome at Walmart than your store.

Ex-Customer of Vero Beach Target,
Chrissy

Cash gifts are the best - On every new year or birthday, Chinese children usually get cash gifts that they end up saving. This sounds pretty sad, but I remember being quite excited about visiting all the relatives and receiving red envelopes with cash in them. Red envelopes are the standard gift for any celebration, and they are considered the best gifts because the recipient can do anything with the money. In America it seems that cash is a less common gift because it is considered to be less thoughtful. Instead, cash is converted to gift cards or useless trinkets that are probably less appreciated by the recipient.

Cash is a thoughtful gift! Bring on the red envelopes. I think people should start giving each other rolls of quarters. You can do your laundry or punch an attacker. Your choice.

Chinese Money Habits - How My Culture Influences My Attitudes Toward Money [Wise Bread]
(Photo:Fast Fords)

Dear Sur La Table Customer Service Management,

Hello, my name is Rachel. I am a student in my mid twenties from Cleveland, Ohio, and I would very much like to give feedback on my Sur La Table online shopping experience.

First of all, I want to say that I am not a regular shopper at your store. Quite frankly, as a lower-class college student who works part time as an accountant and office manager at a non-profit and lives on a very low-budget- nearly fixed income, it would be rare for me to be able to afford the gorgeous items that your store offers. I usually walk into your store and spend nearly an hour gazing at (and drooling over) the luscious array of cookware and bake ware, consciously taking note of items I can ask my parents for on the occasion that I receive Christmas or birthday gifts.

Keeping this in mind, you can imagine how excited I was to receive a $100 Sur La Table gift certificate for Christmas. In fact, I came home Christmas night and spent at least two hours picking out exactly what I wanted, and even allowing myself to spend almost all of the money I received for Christmas on the remainder of my order. I felt guilty for doing so, but was entranced by the variety of fabulous options I had. I was sooo excited to receive my order.

I was extra excited when one of the ten items I had ordered arrived just two days later! I figured since your company boasts to have such immaculate customer service, that you may have sent items as soon as they became available so your customers would receive them faster. Excellent! However, the next day (12/29), I go to buy groceries with my bank card, only to find that I would be overdrawn if I did so. How could this be? The math just didn't add up.

Lo and behold, your company with immaculate customer service charged $165.15 to my bank account. Funny, as I had placed my order using a $100 gift certificate, and knew that I should only be charged around $65 for my order. I called your call center the next day, and was told that it was an error on your behalf, and a check would be issued to me shortly. I asked why the money couldn't just be placed back onto my credit card. I was told that the accounting for gift cards was different, so this was not a possibility. As an accountant myself, I understood and sympathized with your situation, said that I'd hope the check would be sent out within a few days. I was assured it would be. I was also told that my order had been sent days ago, and should arrive the next day, if it didn't come later that same day.

A week later, when zero out of my nine other items arrived, as well as no refund check in sight, I started to worry. I sent a query electronically through your website, and two days later, there was still no reply. I decided I would call your phone center, yet again. This time, I was told that it was, in deed, an accident on your behalf once again, and somehow, only one of my items got shipped. I was told that you were indeed, very, very sorry, and that my items would be sent expeditiously. I suggested that overnight shipping would be a good idea, and the customer service rep said that she would "rush" my order. I again inquired about the refund check and was told that it was "in processing" and would get to me in a few days.

Well guess what I did get a few days later (1/15/08)? My check? NO. My 9 MIA items? NO. I got another charge to my bank account for $31.89. What the hell was this charge for? I still hadn't received my items, nor did I order any more items, so basically I knew I was paying for a third customer service blunder. Now I was in the hole to the tune of $200 for an order that was supposed to cost me $65.

Now maybe this kind of shit isn't a big deal to your regulars- people who have disposable income to blow on $800 espresso machines and tea that costs $25 per box, but it's a big deal to me, a woman who can't even afford a daily coffee from Starbucks and keeps a box of Celestial Seasonings bags in her desk that she purchased from Dollar General. $135 is three weeks worth of groceries for me, or my electric, heat, and car insurance bill. You get my drift.

So, of course, I call your customer service line again. This time, I spoke with a manager named Judy, and was told that the $31.89 charge on my account was a mistake that occurred when my order was reprocessed, and would promptly be returned (which it was: a not-so-prompt FIVE days later) and PROMISED that my check, that was still "in processing," would be written out that SAME WEEK and OVERNIGHTED to me, just as my nine-item replacement order that I still hadn't received supposedly was. I said I was okay with this, but really upset that the situation wasn't handled more expeditiously. I felt lucky when the rest of my nine items from my original order placed on Christmas finally arrived the next day- an unacceptable 21 days after I had initially ordered them.

That brings us to the present. Today is February 4th, and it is has been 42 days since your company STOLE $100 out of my bank account. I thought that emailing the details of the situation to you would be a better idea than having to yet again, drone on and on to a customer service representative about this situation one more time, only to receive useless and untrue information in return. I am absolutely DEMANDING my money back immediately, or will be more than happy to proceed to contact my bank, credit card company that represents my bank account, Washington state's Better Business Bureau, as well as BBBonline about this situation.

I look forward to your prompt response as well as an appropriate resolution for this completely ludicrous situation. I also look forward to taking my future petty business, which your company obviously does not value, to my local Williams and Sonoma.

Dismayed, disappointed, and shaking my pointer finger at you,

Rachel

The laws differ from state to state, and companies tend not to report on gift card income, so it's hard to get an accurate idea of what happens to all those forgotten or abandoned cards. New York state is trying to push other states to support a "uniform federal solution" that would let all states grab a slice of the gift card pie—which certainly can't impress businesses, who must report gift card amounts as liabilities until they're spent or expired.

Who gets to keep that money depends on where the retailer locates its card division. Some states, including Delaware and New York, demand unspent balances be sent to them after periods ranging from two to five years. (If the card is used after that point, the retailer generally honors it but can apply to the state for a reimbursement.) Other states, including Florida and Virginia, allow retailers to hang on to the money. In those cases, after periods ranging from 18 months to seven years, the retailer can move the money from the balance sheet directly into operating income.

I mailed the package on November 27, 2007 via USPS Priority Click-N-Ship from Salt Lake City to Great Neck, NY. It contained heirloom Christmas ornaments and 25-30 year old hand knit Christmas stockings that I was sending to my daughter, as we were spending Christmas at her home this year. Although the package was insured, these items are not really replaceable, so I was very distraught throughout the whole ordeal. The total postage was around $19.

Priority Mail between here and there consistently takes only 2 days, which is exactly what the USPS.com web site says as well if you price the postage. After a week I feared it was lost and started calling, and calling, and calling... Over the next 4 weeks, I made at least 50 phone calls, talked to 18 different USPS employees, including several supervisors (some as many as six times) in Salt Lake City, Denver, Jersey City, NJ, and Great Neck, NY. My package was finally delivered on January 2, 2008 to Great Neck. Here are the search results from the online "Track & Confirm" link, which detail my package's bizarre journey:

Label/Receipt Number: XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX
Detailed Results:

Delivered, January 02, 2008, 1:24 pm, GREAT NECK, NY 11021
Arrival at Unit, January 02, 2008, 8:13 am, GREAT NECK, NY 11021
Processed, December 31, 2007, 10:33 pm, KEARNY, NJ 07032
Processed, December 29, 2007, 3:27 pm, JERSEY CITY, NJ 07097
Processed, December 21, 2007, 9:39 pm, DENVER, CO 80217
Processed, December 16, 2007, 6:46 pm, JERSEY CITY, NJ 07097
Processed, December 07, 2007, 6:44 am, DENVER, CO 80217
Processed, December 02, 2007, 12:02 am, JERSEY CITY, NJ 07097
Electronic Shipping Info Received, November 27, 2007

What happened? I am still trying to find out. The first error occurred in Salt Lake City, where the package was sorted visually by an actual person. My package was put with the bulk mail, which is processed at totally different facilities than the Priority mail. Then, every time it was scanned in Jersey City, it was sent to Denver. No one can explain why this happened. I got the number for the Jersey City bulk mail center and started calling them on December 7, when I saw that it was sent to Denver. No one could explain why it was sent to Denver. What is most baffling to me is that I was told that the scanners do not recognize packages as "Priority", despite the fact the package was prepared online and the barcodes are full of more than enough information to figure out the package is Priority mail! Apparently the postal service does not use their own informational databases to error check their package sorting. If it is incorrectly sorted at the beginning, good luck ever fixing it!

When I explained the the package contained irreplaceable items intended for Christmas, Phil and Richie in Jersey City assured me that they would "flag" the package so it would be manually removed when they got it again. That did not happen, and they sent it to Denver again! By now I was so frustrated that I was in tears. I was calling the Denver bulk mail center and the Jersey City center nearly every day. Lillian, a supervisor in Jersey City, said they had notes all over the facility to look for the package. Finally Phil found it on Saturday, December 29th, called me, and later delivered it to the nearby Priority Mail center.

Both Phil and Lillian claimed that an old UPS label on the bottom of the box was the cause of the problem, but it was not only half torn off, but also blacked out with marker. I am reasonably sure the barcode was not readable by scanner. Besides, Phil admitted the packages are scanned only once at each facility. Since my package was entered into the tracking database every time it was processed, it was obviously scanned correctly and the mutilated UPS label was not the problem. They simply refused to accept any kind of responsibility for their repeated errors.

Every person I talked to in consumer affairs during this ordeal told me I was entitled to a refund, which I certainly agreed with. After the package was finally delivered, I called, explained the situation, and requested a refund. I was told I did not qualify for a refund, because they do not guarantee any delivery except Express Mail! Despite the fact ALL of the literature for Priority Mail says "2 to 3 days", apparently 5 weeks seems like a reasonable timeframe to them. I had to do even more calling, escalating, and fax my copy of the label (even though their own tracking database clearly shows all of the errors they made) to get my refund. After all this, they would only refund me by giving me $19 in stamps, despite the fact I had paid for the label with my credit card on their own web site. As if I ever want to send anything with the USPS again! I contacted my credit card company to initiate a chargeback.

I have learned a few things from this experience:

• 1. If you really want any accountability, guaranteed delivery times, or solid tracking, don't use USPS.
• 2. Be sure to plaster Priority Mail labels all over your boxes to make sure they are sorted correctly.
• 3. Just use FedEx, UPS, or someone else!

In the end, it still seems no one has any idea why it was sent back and forth between Jersey City and Denver in the first place, and they don't really care enough to debug their system so it doesn't happen again.

Thanks for reading!

(Photo: The Library of Congress)

Let's hope mom doesn't read the Chicago Tribune. The Trib also talked to Lizzie Post, who disapproves of "ungifting."

Etiquette expert Lizzie Post, the great-great-granddaughter of manners maven Emily Post, shudders at the growing popularity of reselling gifts. The practice is not acceptable under any circumstances, she said.

"It's worse than regifting," she said. "You're not even taking the gift and giving it to someone else. You're cashing in on it."

Post suggests keeping an unneeded gift in a show of appreciation toward the person who cared enough to give it. If that's not possible, she recommends donating it to charity or offering it to a friend — so long as one identifies it as an unwanted present and doesn't try to pass it off as a firsthand item.

"What's the purpose of a gift?" she asked. "It's the thought behind it. Reselling a gift is greedy. It really is."

Beyond regifting, now it's ungifting [Chicago Tribune]
(Photo:silent e)

He writes:

I love dealing with UPS. The package comes when they say it will, and the regular deliveryman knows when, and when not, to leave a package when nobody's home. I hate dealing with FedEx. They claim they came when they didn't and leave packages at the door without even knocking when we are home. For Christmas, I ordered a pair of skis for my wife and told the shipper to insist on a signature. TrackingUpdates@fedex.com sent me a shipment notification that clearly said "Must Obtain Signature DO NOT LEAVE AT DOOR."

The tracking page said that the delivery would be on 12/26. No problem, since I ordered too late to get it in time for Christmas. We changed our plans to stay up in the Adirondacks for the long Christmas weekend only because of the heavy Sunday rain that wiped out the great skiing conditions that existed just a day before. I went to work Monday, Christmas Eve, checked the tracking page, and found out that they were now delivering the skis that day. I called my wife and told her to hustle home to be there for the package.

I later checked the tracking page before she got home and found that they had delivered it with the notation " Left at front door. Package delivered to recipient address - release authorized." I submitted a complaint online: "Despite specific instructions from the shipper: 'Must Obtain Signature DO NOT LEAVE AT DOOR,' the package was left at the door based on 'Signature Release on file.' [please note — that's B.S.] I HEREBY REVOKE ANY AND ALL SIGNATURE RELEASES THAT YOU HAVE ON FILE."

Their reply was: "Our records indicate that your shipper is not requiring FedEx to acquire a signature to complete this delivery. Our drivers often can deliver packages even when no one is available to sign for them." I e-mailed them again and suggested that they re-read my e-mail and the specific instructions from the shipper.

Then I got this reply: "FedEx authorized release of residential packages without a release agreement on file to expedite deliveries because of possible weather/volume issues and to ensure packages were delivered in time for the holiday. FedEx reserves the right to release packages at residential locations without obtaining a signature."

In other words, FedEx doesn't care what instructions are given by the shipper — they reserve the right to do whatever they want with the package — like leaving it outside so various undesirables can happen by and help themselves to your stuff. By the way, the toe piece on one of the ski bindings was damaged. Thanks, FedEx.

I no longer will do business with any merchant that will not give me the option of shipping with some company other than FedEx.

Thanks for listening

Frank

A recent survey by Consumer Reports found that many gift cards go unredeemed. In fact, 27 percent of respondents had not yet used gift cards they received last year. Tower Group, a research and advisory firm in Needham, Mass., found that $7.8 billion in gift card value will go unused this year. Last year, the firm's study showed that $8 billion had been left unspent.

Most survey respondents said they didn't have time to use their cards. Others said they couldn't find anything they liked or forgot they even had the cards.

Retailers' Return Policies: The 2007 Fine Print [Mouseprint]
Tips for hassle-free gift returns [All Consuming]
(Photo: stephentrepreneur)

"They're actually more environmentally friendly since they have a small carbon footprint per ounce of wine. And then there's the bling factor," Dr. Colman tells us.

Hey we're all for bling. Dr. Colman has chosen five magnums that are all under $100 and would make great gifts for the treehugger or rap mogul on your list.

Give the gift of big, green wine [Dr. Vino]

Their winner in the list-off is Maxim:

The superfluous T&A is more of a lure for some readers than others. But Maxim surprises with its witty and varied gift ideas, which are frequently accompanied by well-written snippets of prose. And as long as you're not a vegetarian, you can't help but love a guide that mentions python filets at $40 a pound.

"Smoking Mittens or Felt Fedora?" [Slate]
(Photo: Getty)

"We feel blessed that the toys are now in the hands of thousands of children, teaching them the word of God. We knew that the toys would make great Christmas gifts, but to see them sell so well before the Christmas buying season begins proves that parents want alternatives in the toy aisle," says Livingston.

It may also prove that goth kids still buy gag gifts, but we don't want to hurt Mr. Livingston's feelings or anything.

Talking Jesus nearly vanishes [Dallas Morning News]

What about privacy? "Leverage's backers say they won't compromise users' privacy. Retailers won't be able to contact users directly or gain access to their personal information." So, your data may be no more or less secure than at any other online service, but they're saying up front that you won't be contacted by third party businesses.

"Online registry helps people buy, track gift cards" [Dallas Morning News]

RELATED
www.leveragecard.com

Searle, a chain of high-end boutiques in New York, is phoning husbands and grandmothers to tell them about the $478 silk dresses and $298 velvet scarves their loved ones have put on their "Dear Searle" lists. Bluemercury, a chain of 26 beauty boutiques, is inviting customers in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Princeton, N.J., among other places, to provide names of relatives and friends the store can call to suggest gifts.

Online retailer Net-a-Porter.com, which sells women's designer clothes and accessories, has gone a step further, offering videos that are emailed to husbands and boyfriends, telling them what the sender wants. First, the sender fills out a questionnaire, in which they pick from a list of pet names for the recipient, ranging from "Honey Bunny" to "Hot Stuff" to "Boo Boo." They can also select descriptors of the potential gift-giver, such as "macho" or "commanding."

Then an email is sent to the designated recipient, featuring a flirtatious blond woman called "Santa's Helper." She advises the viewer that "It's time we had a serious talk, Honey Bunny" (or whatever the selected endearment). The helper says the sender is "lucky, isn't she, to have a man like you?" and highlights a gift the sender has picked out, sometimes providing a link to her wish list. "Let's face it," the virtual helper says, "if she's happy, you're happy."

Hey, Honey Bunny, Stores Know What Your Wife Wants [WSJ]

We've only read 4 of the included titles (Hey, we mostly shop at used book stores!), and, since the non-fiction title How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read by Pierre Bayard is not among them, we'll just shut up.

100 Notable Books of 2007 [NYT via Kottke]
(Illustration:Greg Clarke)

What they do is write down or take cameraphone pix of the gift cards in the stores before they are sold to customers. They periodically check in online to see if the cards have been sold and activated. Once they see the card is live, they order a bunch of stuff online with the stolen gift card numbers. By requiring the gift card be physically present, retailers, not just Home Depot, are hoping to prevent fraud. Takeaway: before buying loved ones gift cards this season, check to see if the cards can only be used in the flesh, and then make sure they live near a retail location.

PREVIOUSLY: HomeDepot.com Does Not Accept Home Depot Gift Cards

RELATED: Gift Cards Are New Source of Scams

(Photo: IHP)

My wife gave me $500 (5x$100) worth of gift cards as an anniversary present. When I went to use them at homedepot.com, there was no where to enter them in. I called their customer service (spoke with Selena) and was told the news about how they are not accepted as payment.

The local (20 miles away) store wont order the items in that I was looking at because they are listed as "online only"

We're now out $500, or at least we are obligated to spend $500 a retail Home Depot we would now rather spend at the local competitors or Lowes. Just thought others should be aware.

Thanks

-Ben

This Gift Card may not be applied toward Tool Rental deposits and/or purchases made outside of a store. This includes, but is not limited to, online purchases, phone sales, Depot Direct charges or any payment made at your home.

This Gift Card has no implied warranties and is not a credit card or debit card.

This Gift Card will not be redeemed or exchanged for cash, check or credit. It may not be used for payment on any credit or loan account.

Gift Card FAQ
(Photo:c0reyann)

Other must-have toys for girls are all just as doll-centric: Bratz dolls, "generic dolls," Dora the Explorer, and Disney Princess round out the top five. Boys want video games, the Wii, and the Xbox 360.

GIRLS:

10. American Girl
9. Elmo
8. Webkinz
7. Nintendo Wii
6. Disney Hannah Montana
5. Disney Princess
4. Dora the Explorer
3. Dolls (generic)
2. Bratz
1. Barbie

BOYS

10. Remote Controlled Vehicles
9. Elmo
8. Xbox 360
7. Thomas the Tank Engine
6. LEGOs
5. Spider-Man
4. Cars (generic)
3. Nintendo Wii
2. Video Games
1. Transformers

Ignore the list and try to find something that's not so mainstream, we dare ya.

"Barbie rules girls' wish-lists but boys go high-tech" [Reuters]

1. Actually look at the price tag before you buy each and every thing for the rest of the year.

2. Avoid items marketed for the season. Their example: red and green candles work fine—you don't need "Christmas" candles.

3. Don't overspend on food. The concept of multi-day leftovers is as integral a part of Thanksgiving and Christmas as presents or family, but you're not actually required to make so much food that more is left over than eaten.

4. Buy fewer gifts.

5. Buy cheaper gifts. We think the "buy cheap!" approach is smart, but the other half of this suggestion is "the gift wrapping is more important, so wrap them up beautifully," but that only works if you make sure you don't pay a fortune on gift wrap.

6. Make compromises with family and friends. "If you have a large family why not openly set limits on who buys gifts for whom or how many can be purchased?"

We don't like this last one; this writer can speak from experience about the topic because his family follows a similar "compromise" strategy every year. The problem is that it takes a lot of the fun out of gift giving by layering a set of external rules on what should be a selfless, personal activity. We like "buy cheaper gifts" better.

"Tis The Season To Be FRUGAL" [allfinancialmatters]
(Photo: Getty)

Thank you for contacting us regarding our Warranty policy as it pertains to the condition of your PLAYSTATION 3 console.

After consultation with legal counsel, SCEA has determined that the photographs of your console as returned to our service center are neither confidential nor private. Consequently, we may lawfully release these photographs to you. Because the photographs are not confidential, we may also release them to media who inquire about your recent internet postings concerning the console.

Regards,

Cindie Smith
Sr. Manager Technical Support, eService & Security
Sony Computer Entertainment America
Consumer Services Department

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

PREVIOUSLY: Sony CSR: What? No! Dust Doesn't Void Your PS3 Warranty!
Dust Voids PS3 Warranty

Ive: I'm calling just to pretty much clarify the PS3's warranty, if there's any clause in the warranty that makes it so that if the PS3 is too dusty that the warranty is void.

CSR: No.

Ive: No?

CSR: No. The only way that it, um, voided is if it was neglected, um, abused, dropped or anything like, modificated like if you opened it up, modification, if you didn't have your receipt, um, any power failures like mother nature or anything like that then that actually does void the warranty. Other than that any defective PS3s or anything like that is still, um, still under the warranty.

Notice how Ive uses Ron Burley's trick to stay out of trouble for recording the call. If Sony wants this to end well, they should reach out to Ive, apologize, and offer to repair his dusty PS3 for free.

PREVIOUSLY: Dust Voids PS3 Warranty
(Photo: lunarworks)

I have kept my 60gb PS3 in Its entertainment center since its purchase. It is known within the PS3 community that the thing is a HUGE dust magnet. I took good care of it, I have about 10 Blu-ray discs (did NOT come free with my PS3), 5 games, 5 controllers, 2 42" Bravia LCD's 1 50" Bravia 3lcd Rear projection TV, A Vaio desktop, Vaio laptop, I've even got a psp and location free TV. One day I turn it on and put in a disc and it doesn't show up, then it wont eject, finally I get it to eject and I try a blu-ray, nothing, CDs, nothing.

I call Customer support who originally tell me that they can do anything because I don't have the original sales receipt, (it was a GIFT!!!), I stayed on the phone for hours explaining to them that I don't have thee receipt as it was a gift from my parents. Finally I got a rep who said that it was strange that earlier reps hadn't let me go through with the exchange as if it was a gift it was policy not to require a receipt. He sent me a box, I boxed up my console and sent it in.

5 days later I have no updates on the PS3, I call in to check on it, The first rep I speak to says that it was received without a receipt, and was delayed but he was going to note that it was a gift and get the replacement sent out to me.

6 hours later I get a call from Neil saying that unfortunately they have opened the case and taken pictures of the inside and outside of the case and that it was too dirty to be eligible for replacement. I paused for a good 8 seconds, because my PS3 had not moved from the entertainment center that it sat in more than 8 months I had wiped it off before sending it out, THE WHOLE POINT of the PS3 Is that it is part of your entertainment center! I Told him that was crazy and that it was a known problem that the PS3 collected mass loads of dust. That their product hasn't even been out for 1 year and he's telling me I'm out of warranty because there is too much dust in it!? I told him that someone needed to double check because I really took care of my PS3 and there was no way it was so dirty that they wouldn't replace it. He said he would and he would find out about getting pictures.

The next day I got a call from the same guy, Saying he couldn't get pictures, and there was no way they could replace the console unless I paid 150$ out-of-warranty replacement fee. I dais I needed to speak to his supervisor and it took him a while but he eventually transferred me to yet another person who just told me from the pictures they saw of the outside of the PS3, the memory ports and the USB ports, that there was dust inside of these ports, and that there was no way they would replace such a dusty console.

I then asked for HER supervisor, who was a very rude woman named Daria Woo Ext # 55682. She basically told me if I wanted the pictures of the PS3 That they were property of SCEA, And that I would have to SUBPOENA the pictures! I told her that this was ridiculous! That in order to take the same pictures that they did I would have to open my case, and void my warranty! I asked her if I could record what she was saying and she immediately snapped a NO, And asked for what purpose, I told her it was so I could educate the entire world on the ethics of the PS3 repair center. She told me my only options were to have the PS3 sent back, pay 150$ for a replacement, or leave it there for 10 days until it gets sent back. I told her to leave it because I was going to write a few emails so that this situation could actually get resolved. She told me any email I wrote or number I called would get me transferred to her department and that she would not help. I asked her exactly what part of the warranty stated that if a unit is too dusty it cannot be replaced.

She told me that it was under "acts of god, customer abuse" section when I had clearly told her that it sat in my entertainment center acting as a blu-ray playing, folding@home computing, media center and that obviously the amount of dust inside the console is caused by a design flaw and not my quite dust-less room.

I don't get it! Sony is including Folding@home with their consoles, The auto-start feature makes it so its running almost all the time, OF COURSE ITS GOING TO BE FILLED WITH DUST! A few reps said that the reason they couldn't replace it was because it looked as if it had about 2 years worth of dust in it rather than 8 months..... The console hasn't even been out a year so obviously that is less than a years worth of dust.

I love the PS3, I'm a Sony fanboy, I have a copy of Heavenly Sword Un-Played because I'm waiting for the replacement to come back, For them to say they wont replace it because it is such a damn dust magnet is absolutely ridiculous. IM NOT paying 150$ for someone to use an air compressor to dust off my PS3 re-test it and send it back. MAYBE Sony should let their customers know that excessive dust voids the warranty, so that people can start selling air filter set's for it, and air-sealed boxes for the PS3 to sit in.

(Photo: lunarworks)

First, fire up the spreadsheet and list everyone you can think of that you might want to give a gift to.

"Beside each person on your list, categorize them as an A, B, or C recipient. The A-list includes the people you must buy a gift for, such as parents, significant others, and children. The Bs are other close family and friends and the Cs are friends, colleagues and those who merit a gift for their hard work helping you in one form or another. Everyone else goes on the holiday card list."

Spending is one area where we should all strive to be below average, especially if our income is below average or money is tight. Clearly, the amount you decide to spend should be representative of your income. One percent of your annual income is a good upper limit to set on holiday gift spending because there will be other costs such as travel during this time that will further strain your budget. For example, a family with an annual income of $60,000 should limit their gift budget to $600.

Funny, he doesn't mention anything about saving money by re-gifting. Maybe he equates that with kiting checks or something.

"Personal Finance 101 with H. Swint Friday" [The Caller-Times]

You might recognize most, if not all, of their suggestions—places like PriceGrabber, Pronto, Froogle, and FatWallet—but hey, looking is free, so why not check it out before your big gift shopping sprees begin?

"Amazing Holiday Deals Online" [Kiplinger's]
(Photo: Getty)

Highmark is quite proud of their new invention. They clearly feel that not only is it in good taste, which it isn't, but that there's never been anything else like it on the planet, which there has:

"Ultimately, we think this product may go national," said Kim Bellard, Highmark's vice president of e-marketing and consumer relations. He expects other insurers will be interested in using the "intellectual technology," which Highmark hopes to patent.

"Highmark offers the ultimate get-well card" [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette] (thanks to Uri!)

RELATED
www.givewell.com
(Image: Givewell)

Nationally, gift-giving budgets are down 2.5 percent, to $569, according to the survey of 14,135 consumers conducted between Sept. 24 and Oct. 4. Deloitte said New Englanders spent a lot more in 2006 compared with consumers nationally, making this year's pullback bigger.

Consumers everywhere are feeling the pinch with a slumping housing sector and a volatile stock market. And the soaring price of crude oil could give New Englanders their highest winter heating bills ever.

Making a holiday list, trimming it twice [Boston Globe]
(Photo: Chris&AmyCate)

Over at Zen Habits, Leo has made a list of 30 cheap but nice ways to say thank you to someone.

Here are a few:

Jams and jellies.
Good bread (home-made works great).
Books (my favorite).
A blank recipe book ... write some of your favorite recipes on the first few pages.
A keepsake DVD with a video of special moments, edited (and captioned) by you. A slideshow presentation with music burned on a DVD works too.
Create your own art (and put it on nice stationary or in a frame). By "art", I mean a sketch, painting, poem, short story, whatever.
Scented candles.

30 Frugal Gift Ideas to Show You Appreciate Someone [ZenHabits]
(Photo:poopfaceproductions)