Call Kurtis: The Spa Won't Let Me Use My Gift Certificate
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Despite California's law that says gift cards don't expire, a college grad learned she could not use her $75 gift certificate to a Sacramento spa she's enjoyed. Katy Thomas says when she called to make an appointment at the Inn and Spa at Parkside, the owner said they wouldn't honor it.
"I was a little dumbfounded he could just say it's worthless," she recalls the thinking.
The man on the phone said he wasn't responsible for gift certificates sold below November of 2013 when he bought the business. Katy's friends gave her the gift in August of 2013.
"I was shocked. I was literally like what? This is a gift certificate, someone actually paid dollars for it," she said.
CBS13 wanted to know if she was really out that $75. Consumer Attorney Stuart Tally says it all depends on the term of a sale. A new owner only has to accept old gift certificates, if he or she bought the old owner's liabilities. Tally says it may take suing the new and old owners to flush out the terms of the sales agreement.
"One of them is going to be responsible," he said.
We reached out to Kyle Kreun, the new owner of The Inn and Spa at Parkside who told CBS13 he did not buy the liability when he bought the business. He says he's been put in the predicament of honoring the old gift certificates and lose money or face losing customers and bad reviews for not accepting them. Kreun did say it would be tough to track down the old owners because they were a hedge fund.
After we got involved, Kreun said, I'm sorry she got caught up in this. It would be dumb for me as a new business not to take care of her."
He agreed to honor the full value of Katy's certificate and said he'd even throw in a plate of chocolate covered strawberries the day of her massage. Katy plans to go in this weekend and says they will keep her as a customer.
"They're putting their best foot forward, trying to establish a business people will want to go to," Katy said.
My advice is never to let gift certificates collect dust. Use them as soon as you can.
