The Target gift card Robert Brown ordered for his grandson is missing in action, and the store isn’t saying when it will send the scrip. Can anyone help him find it?
Question
I have a problem with Target that I’m hoping you can help me with. I have been waiting for an electronic gift card to be sent to my grandson for the last three weeks. I’ve made two phone calls and sent an email to Target, but they will not tell me when the card will arrive. I think there’s a serious problem.
Can you give me a name and phone number of a senior executive in customer service at Target? Or better yet, could you help me get that gift card? Thank you. — Robert Brown, Grand Haven, Mich.
Answer
You ordered a Target e-GiftCard for your grandson, which is a basic gift card minus the plastic. You can find the terms and conditions of the card on it’s site, which are pretty interesting, even if you’re just an average customer. Among the zingers: Regardless of the stated cash value of the card, it has a cash value is 1/10 of one cent.
I’d love to see someone try to redeem that!
I mention the terms because nowhere in them does Target guarantee it will sent a purchased e-GiftCard to a customer within a set amount of time. It could just pocket your money and send your grandson the certificate when he graduates from high school. Not that it would, but it could. (Related: Help, my target gift card is zeroed out.)
Calling Target was a good first step, and following up with an email was even better. You need a paper trail because you may have to prove that you’ve done your best to fix a problem later on. The correspondence will prove it. Only it records your phone calls — for “quality assurance” purposes, I’m sure.
Target’s advertising promises its e-GiftCard’s are a “faster” way of purchasing store credit, but not for you or your grandson. It’s unclear what caused the delay. It might have been a glitch in Target’s system or it’s possible that you gave the company an incorrect email address. Target wouldn’t say.
If emails sent through the Target website aren’t doing the trick, you might want to appeal this to an executive. (Here’s how to contact the CEO directly.)
I contacted Target on your behalf and it issued a new gift card six hours later.
