Good Guys Gift Card - Buyer Beware

subwoofer on 09/12/2022 - 16:27
Last edited 13/12/2022 - 11:44 by 1 other user

Hi guys

Just sharing my experience with the good guys as case of buyer beware.

I attempted to buy a phone through the GG website using a discounted gift card. I kept getting an error saying gift cards can't be accepted at this time.

I called the number on their website and someone placed the order on my behalf. Silly me read out the card number and the pin and was advised an email will be received shortly with the order details.

That was a month ago, I tried everything calls, web chat, emails and I was completely ignored.

If you try calling and opting to speak to a CS rep , they would ask for your mobile then hang up on you sending you a link to webchat. If you get someone they promise a callback and no one will call.

When webchating it's impossible to speak to person, as soon as you mention gift card, the robot response is THEY'RE non refundable and it goes into a loop.

What's more rogue than the rep who stole my money is the good guys business model. Ignore the customer and they will go away,

I gave up trying to get a refund and lucky for me it was only $221

Electrical & Electronics Gift Card

Related Stores

The Good Guys
The Good Guys

Comments

  • pharkurnell on 09/12/2022 - 16:37
    +16

    Ignore the customer and they will go away,
    I gave up

    So it worked

    • subwoofer on 09/12/2022 - 16:49

      It did but I'm sure if this is the norm they won't last long because Australians will compromise on many things except good customer service

      • pegaxs on 09/12/2022 - 17:14
        +14

        if this is the norm they won't last long

        You cant be serious? They will be around long after you are worm food.

        Australians will compromise on many things except good customer service

        Hahaha… That's all Australians do, bitch, moan and complain and go right back to using that same service. This forum is literally awash with threads like yours and the next 5% off sale day and $3 gift card from ShitBack and you'll forget they ever wronged you, like the good consumer cuck you are.

        And for every "I had a bad experience at ….." there are 10 other people who wont shop anywhere else. I know so many people that buy ALL their shit from Hardly Normals even though there are better and cheaper places to get their shit from.

        • subwoofer on 09/12/2022 - 17:21
          +3

          I can't speak for other people, but I won't be spending a dollar with them anymore no matter how low their prices are.

      • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 09/12/2022 - 19:19
        -6

        lmao Boomers still use Telstra and Bigpond en masse despite having the shittest customer service in the industry the last 2 decades.

        • Mcuser on 09/12/2022 - 21:20

          Obviously you’ve never left the city limits lol

        • BigBirdy on 10/12/2022 - 09:24
          +4

          Not all boomers, but I know plenty who refuse to consider any telco other than Telstra, despite the queues, poor service, excessive prices, outages, and a network that is on par (sometimes better, sometimes worse) with their competition. Note, I'm in regional Qld. I've worked for Telstra, and they had the worst corporate culture I've ever dealt with, arrogant and inward focussed, definitely not customer focussed.

          • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 10/12/2022 - 10:57
            -1

            @BigBirdy: As conclusive evidence that Boomers looove Telstra, I've had a Boomer PM me to argue about my Telstra post lmfao

  • OMGJL on 09/12/2022 - 16:39

    ACCC?

    • subwoofer on 09/12/2022 - 16:45
      +1

      The problem is I don't have an order number or an email receipt, I requested to look up the card number and said they can't. I requested the call recording as I have a time stamp but didn't get a response.

      • OMGJL on 09/12/2022 - 16:50
        +3

        I think it would be reasonable to ask them where/when/what was this gift card used for in writing?

        don't explain your situation , or ask for a refund (just yet).

        Just say I am not sure how much got left on this GC, and i want to know what was it used for.

        • subwoofer on 09/12/2022 - 16:57

          I did in writing via their complaint form, there was an option to write to them via snail mail, that I haven't dne.

      • TheMills on 09/12/2022 - 18:34
        +2

        Why don’t you check the gift card statements and see where the money was spent.

        If it was spent on the GoodGuys online, you can use the transaction date/time to ask them for the order details or refund if no order is found.

        • subwoofer on 09/12/2022 - 18:40

          The gift card was a GG gift card, it can only be spent there, I called rewards employee gateway and they can only confirm the card was used with $0 balance

          • TheMills on 09/12/2022 - 18:54
            +1

            @subwoofer: Well, you need to insist and ask for the date/time when it was redeemed and share the details along with the date time u had a chat for creating sales order on phone with the GoodGuys customer care and ask them to forward this to their loss prevention team for investigation.

            There must be a rat in there support team and continuously complains like this can help them to spot it.

            Be gentle in you tone while drafting the email to make them feel that you suffered loss/fraud.

            • subwoofer on 09/12/2022 - 18:58
              +1

              @TheMills: Thanks mate makes sense but the only issue all emails are getting ignored

          • ColtNoir on 11/12/2022 - 08:56

            @subwoofer: It took 30 seconds to google ‘good guys gift card balance’

            Use this and they usually say time/date etc

            https://thegoodguysgiftcards.viisolutions.com.au/

            I feel like we’re missing parts if the story as it shouldn’t be this hard. Worst case go into a store and ask for the manager or go to fair trading.

            • subwoofer on 11/12/2022 - 15:47
              +2

              @ColtNoir: Thanks man I tried the link you provided and it said the card was redeemed at the tempe store which is one bit of information I didn't know, Ill contact the tempe store and if nothing comes out of it Ill lodge a fair trading complaint.

    • AndyC1 on 09/12/2022 - 17:09
      +5

      YOU need to lookup what the ACCC do as this will NOT help in the short/medium time frame and needs multiple people (hundreds) to make a different and will take years if you ever get the ACCC to do anything.

      Lodge a complaint, but do not assume anything will be done by the federal government.

      • pegaxs on 09/12/2022 - 17:17
        +4

        I love it when disgruntled customers use this "I'll go to the ACCC on this…". My reply is always… "ok, no problem champ, I'll still be here when they turn up, or just give them our phone number and ask to be put through to me…"

        • oranglama on 09/12/2022 - 18:59

          Lol exactly the response I got from the companies I had problem with, but then they sorted the problem out without me having to contact them again. I consider that a win, but in my case, they were definitely in the wrong.

  • AndyC1 on 09/12/2022 - 16:53
    +1

    Did you make a formal complaint via the GG formal complaint process documented some were on their web site? If not DO IT.

    Phone call complaint may be logged like Optus phone complaint as a problem and goes no where.. Okay down the toilet…

    • subwoofer on 09/12/2022 - 16:55
      +1

      I did, all I got was an SMS acknowledgement, that was last Friday.

      • AndyC1 on 09/12/2022 - 17:07
        +2

        Good to hear you did the right thing, but the response sucks as they should have called you by now on the mobile…. I hate bots……

        Time to make a complaint to the NSW Dept of Fair trading and see how you go. You will need to look up their web site to see how to do it.

        • subwoofer on 09/12/2022 - 17:17
          +2

          I will actually have nothing to lose, it may help future buyers who may fall into the same trap

  • OutOfTime on 09/12/2022 - 17:00
    +4

    I have another experience from 3 months ago as well. TGG stole my money as well.

    I made an order online using a concierge voucher as partial payment. When I payed, the website gave a red error message and the order was never processed, BUT The Good Guys still took the PayPal payment. Because there is no order in their system, the Good Guys won’t help after stealing my money. 3 months later and still haven’t received the money back…

    I found 5 exact examples of this within a period of the last week as well on review sites, 3 months after I brought it up. I can't believe there are so many examples of this specific issue and TGG are getting away with it. No one can get help…

    I’ve made over 5 phone calls, and it’s usually a 40 minute wait to get ‘transferred’ to a different person that then never answers, or get sent on an endless loop.

    I completely agree:

    What's more rogue than the rep who stole my money is the good guys business model. Ignore the customer and they will go away,
    I gave up trying to get a refund

    At this point I have also given up because their customer service makes it impossible to get help, and instore they want help either.

    I’ve been thinking of posting this in the forums to hear Ozbargain’s famous legal advice. Wondering if there is anyone else with a similar situation?

    • yippy on 09/12/2022 - 17:10
      +9

      Can't you just dispute it via paypal?

      • OutOfTime on 09/12/2022 - 19:47
        +1

        I did months ago.

        PayPal advised I needed to request the refund from the Good Guys in writing before requesting their assistance. I emailed TGG in November and still haven heard back months later so I can’t do anything.

        As OP said, the Good Guys are:

        next to impossible to get hold of, to emails that get ignored.

        And they won't help in store because in-store staff don't help with online orders.

        • dcep on 10/12/2022 - 00:53

          Was your paypal transaction funded by credit card or bank account ?

          Do a chargeback if so. But if it's over 3 months then probably OutOfTime .

        • catbarf on 12/12/2022 - 15:58

          So you have requested for TGG to refund in writing. Cant you go back to Paypal and say they arent responding?

          • OutOfTime on 12/12/2022 - 17:49
            +1

            @catbarf: I'm going to try, so thanks for the suggestion.

    • subwoofer on 09/12/2022 - 17:15
      +2

      Sorry to hear that mate, one thing I was sure of this wasn't an isolated case. When calling you usually get one person who isn't willing to help. What I found with GG is consistent bad service coupled with systemic attempts to discourage you from contacting them, whether by chat where you find yourself talking to a robot in a loop or real people that are next to impossible to get hold of, to emails that get ignored. I say systemic because nobody is held accountable. The red flag for me was refusing to accept gift cards on their website, then what is the point of selling them?

    • AndyC1 on 09/12/2022 - 17:16
      +1

      Did you make a speak with PP about goods not received and therefore you want a refund?

    • 17833 on 09/12/2022 - 17:21
      +5

      Hi, same thing happened to me about a month ago, I made and paid for an online click and collect order, the money was taken from my credit card but the order wasn't processed. I was able to get my money back though by showing them my credit card statement with the payment taken out.

      • subwoofer on 09/12/2022 - 18:42

        Fortunately Credit card transactions are easy to track and if worse come to worst you can do a chargeback, gift cards are like cash

      • OutOfTime on 09/12/2022 - 23:30

        Thanks for letting me know your experience with this issue. I'm really glad to hear you got your money back. Out of curiosity, was it in-store, or through online support you showed them?

        • 17833 on 13/12/2022 - 11:38
          +1

          Hi @OutOfTime sorry missed your comment. It was through online support, a phone call and then email with credit card charge shown.

    • Stone Monkey on 09/12/2022 - 18:40
      +2

      If I was in your position I would contact PayPal to try and get a refund or the payment reversed because you didn't receive any goods from the Good Guys.

      If PayPal doesn't help get your money back then I would then make a complaint to AFCA.

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 09/12/2022 - 19:21
    +1

    That was a month ago, I tried everything calls, web chat, emails and I was completely ignored.

    You tried everything? Why didn't you go into a store and speak with a human?

    • subwoofer on 09/12/2022 - 19:34
      +5

      I did today, their response was if it's not placed at their store, they can't look it up and gave the same customer service number I called previously, I asked if they can call them on my behalf and of course they refused

    • Mcuser on 09/12/2022 - 21:24
      -8

      Same reason people won’t make or answer a call, don’t like confrontation, woke new generation.

      • cookie2 on 09/12/2022 - 22:04
        +1

        The OP did go into the store.

  • harshbdmmaster718 on 09/12/2022 - 20:51
    +4

    So… The Bad Guys??

    Can't believe someone hasn't made this joke already lol.

  • avoidfullprice on 09/12/2022 - 22:31

    What's more rogue than the rep who stole my money is the good guys business model.

    I will reach this conclusion after doing what you did.

    Can i asked when you placed the order, what was the method of delivery? Store pick up or deliver to home?

    • subwoofer on 10/12/2022 - 10:33

      It was supposed to be delivered

  • outlander on 09/12/2022 - 23:32
    +2

    Yep the Good Guys have gone down the gurglar. Trying to get through to someone in customer support is harder than centrelink, and thats saying a lot. I've had bad customer service, but usually persistence gets you a result. Wait long enough, call and email enough times, and eventually you get something close to what you were promised. But with the good guys, there's nobody there. Phone lines that go nowhere. You wait for hours, and then talk to a person who literally seems only employed to tell you that they can't do anything.

    Best you can do is go on facebook and twitter, and leave comments there. It won't result in a fix but at least its a way to get it off your chest

  • TilacVIP on 10/12/2022 - 08:13
    +4

    The dreaded Gift card experience rears it's ugly head again.

    Gift cards, yeah….. nah!!

  • stingeyaf on 10/12/2022 - 08:25

    Yeh I ordered a switch online using mastercard, said it errored out and tried again. Checked my account, I was double charged for it. Called them, they confirmed and they would arrange the refund within around 1 week?! . Luckily I'm not really affected by the wait but the double charge wasn't my fault, what about the strugglers out there that only have a certain amount of funds in their account.

    • reactor-au on 10/12/2022 - 12:03

      I feel for the strugglers ordering Nintendo, they are no match for ps5 or xsx

      But at least they aren't real strugglers who can't afford even a Nintendo

  • subwoofer on 28/12/2022 - 13:05
    +2

    Just a final update, @Flight88 provided a link to check the balance via the vii website. I previously checked the balance via the employee rewards website which only shows the balance. This link shows a transaction type information along with the store used which was Tempe. I called the Tempe store and the guy I spoke to said he'll give me a callback, of course he didn't call back.

    I called a second time, and I got a manager which looked up the order via my phone number and found the order. Apparently, the order couldn't be fulfilled so it was just lingering there, and nobody bothered to inform me or process a refund. So, the good news the employee placed the order, but it still exposed how the good guy's dysfunctional system works:

    • They offer gift cards that cannot be used online most of the time instead referring you to call customer service or visit a store

    • When I called customer service, I got rerouted to what seems to be online/phone sales, but it turned out to be Tempe store. Why Tempe? I have no idea I live nowhere near that area.

    • When an order is placed at a particular store it's invisible to other stores and even "customer service" national number. If you don't know which store placed the order, it is lost as nobody can look it up except that store.

    • Customer service just ignores al your emails and calls and make no attempt to rectify the problem.

    • In hindsight the GG should not ask for gift card numbers over the phone because they're easy to get stolen and I shouldn't have handed the gift card info.

    • The store re-issued a gift card and didn't offer any apology as if it's business as usual for them.

    The only downside I have a gift card that I must spend there and I don't want to have anything to do with these clowns anymore. I'll wait for a niece/nephew birthday and give it to them but no before warning to use the Gift card at a store in person.

    Thanks for all the posters above.

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