Coles gift card offers

[Chicken]

Looks like these mastercards are no longer sniip’able - “declined by issuer”. Keen to hear if there’s a workaround.

I encountered a similar issue when trying to add a card to Sniip (declined with 3DS authentication error). Reported to Sniip and they are investigating.
Same card was similarly rejected for council payment but was fine for local water authority payment.
Will post when i get an update from Sniip

Same here. Sent a screenshot to Sniip via e-mail.

Not only that, one of the cards I just opened had the 3rd and 4rd groups of the card numbers scratched off, and CCV also scratched off. The packaging looks perfectly OK.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Same here. Sent a screenshot to Sniip via e-mail.

Not only that, one of the cards I just opened had the 3rd and 4rd groups of the card numbers scratched off, and CCV also scratched off. The packaging looks perfectly OK.

What store? Or at least what area?

It might help others avoid stores the scammers have targeted.

 

[Chicken]

What store? Or at least what area?

North west Sydney

However, the packaging is perfect, so I don't think it's someone going into the store and mucking with them, I would say there are dodgy activities in the manufacturing facility.

 

[Happy Dude]

You get the bonus points for cards that fail to activate. The staff's pain is your score! Try to get the refund to another credit card for a 'lil cherry on top.

@Chicken: Had the balanced been reduced at all on the tampered-with cards? Hopefully you got them cancelled in time....

 

[lilkid28]

North west Sydney

However, the packaging is perfect, so I don't think it's someone going into the store and mucking with them, I would say there are dodgy activities in the manufacturing facility.

Did you cut open the packaging before paying or pay first then opened the packaging (and obtain a refund after) ?

 

[Happy Dude]

Seems to have been some unseasonably warm weather in my Coles. Cards melted and disappeared. Thankfully several located inside the cabinet when I inspected this morning.

Y'all might need to get a bit more creative with your hiding spots. Although I hid two lots yesterday, and when I returned this morning on the way to work, it took 5 mins to remember where I put one of them! I needn't have bothered though, there was still plenty on the display/rack anyway.

 

[Chicken]

You get the bonus points for cards that fail to activate. The staff's pain is your score! Try to get the refund to another credit card for a 'lil cherry on top.

But that means I would be paying my strata and ATO with no points and heaps of surcharge. I am using these to wash expenses thru, I'm not just after the 2000 points.

@Chicken: Had the balanced been reduced at all on the tampered-with cards? Hopefully you got them cancelled in time....

Can't tell, because the card number and CVV are already scratched off as you can see, I don't know what they are.

Did you cut open the packaging before paying or pay first then opened the packaging (and obtain a refund after) ?

The packaging was perfect when I bought them in the shop, I didn't open the packaging to check in store. Also, once you have opened the packaging, the barcode would be out of alignment, and would not be able to be scanned by the cash register?

I only found out after I got home. I opened a ticket on MyBalanceNow web site. Guess I would have to wait for 3 months like last time?

 

[ramamba]

Reported to Sniip and they are investigating.

Same here. Sent a screenshot to Sniip via e-mail.

I have a feeling that’s not on Sniip, but on the issuer side, i.e. Heritage bank stepping up the security. Happy to be proven wrong though.

 

[VantageXL]

Also, once you have opened the packaging, the barcode would be out of alignment, and would not be able to be scanned by the cash register?

You should scan the gift card first and then open it up. This morning I did just that and the very first card I scanned had been tampered with (digits 9-12 scratched off along with the security code on the back). However, since I hadn't yet paid I was easily able to try again with another card.

 

[Chicken]

You should scan the gift card first and then open it up.
since I hadn't yet paid I was easily able to try again with another card

Good planning!
I would have to bring a pair of scissors with me thou, I can't open these with bare hands.

 

[Happy Dude]

That's really interesting @VantageXL! No tampering to the packaging evident, I assume?

As @Chicken suggests, I reckon that's happening at production. You could still swipe that card in-store, assuming the balance hadn't been drained, but not if the security code is scratched off too though. I guess it buys the shonks heaps of time to use cards before you can.

Did not need more reasons to avoid these cards!!

 

[VantageXL]

No tampering to the packaging evident, I assume?

None whatsoever.

You could still swipe that card in-store

They usually wipe the magstripe so the cards are useless when swiped.

 

[SOPOOR]

Same here in north west Sydney. Bought 10, 2 failed. Went to service desk, and there was a man at the cash register trying to buy some and they also failed. The staff put my 2 failed cards into a box, and that box was already holding plenty of cards.



It is a lot of pain for the staff, and it wasn't 90 seconds. The staff did a refund for those 2, they got a stapler to staple the receipt with those 2 failed, then re-process the 2 replacement. It is not something they do day in day out, and it required staff to manually key $257 into the POS during refund process, it is a much slower process. It took a lot more than 5 minutes to activate the 2 replacements.

Not defending the decision to pull everything off the shelf, I have worked in retail for a long time and I would not have made that call; but I can understand why, especially when there are fewer and fewer staffs being put on in these large retailers.

There is also the risk , of the manager saying " sorry youll have to contact the card company"

And then its the next 2 weeks of being bounced up and back between them

 

[Chicken]

There is also the risk , of the manager saying " sorry youll have to contact the card company"

And then its the next 2 weeks of being bounced up and back between them

Sorry, not sure what you mean.

If you mean if the card is dodgy when I open it at home, then I have already opened a ticket on MyBalanceNow web site, just like what I did 4 months ago. This is just the way it is.

If you mean we check when we pay, then no, because "VantageXL" is saying, check the card first, before you pay, so if the staff won't void the transaction, you could simply walk out of the store without paying.

 

[SOPOOR]

Sorry, not sure what you mean.

If you mean if the card is dodgy when I open it at home, then I have already opened a ticket on MyBalanceNow web site, just like what I did 4 months ago. This is just the way it is.

If you mean we check when we pay, then no, because "VantageXL" is saying, check the card first, before you pay, so if the staff won't void the transaction, you could simply walk out of the store without paying.

If the card is faulty/scammed,
The store manager can just say "not our problem, talk to the card company", and then you go the card company. They can also say "talk to coles",
You'll eventually get it sorted but it might be an absolute %$&/ fest,
Has happened to me before

 

[Chicken]

The store manager can just say "not our problem, talk to the card company", and then you go the card company. They can also say "talk to coles",
You'll eventually get it sorted but it might be an absolute %$&/ fest,

I have never had this problem with this particular gift card. Like I said, I simply opened a ticket last time on their web site, and it took them 3 months to close the ticket and send me a new card, hence total took 3.5 months.

I would never ask Coles to deal with this. Having worked in retail for nearly a decade, then over a decade working in FMCG, I have a good feel on how these things work, and I am also pretty good with 'following the process'. I don't get emotional, I simply follow the process. I have seen people making random calls, calling every customer service line they could find, complaining everywhere, then get frustrated, I don't do any of these stuffs.

 

[Rich]

I have never had this problem with this particular gift card. Like I said, I simply opened a ticket last time on their web site, and it took them 3 months to close the ticket and send me a new card, hence total took 3.5 months.

I would never ask Coles to deal with this. Having worked in retail for nearly a decade, then over a decade working in FMCG, I have a good feel on how these things work, and I am also pretty good with 'following the process'. I don't get emotional, I simply follow the process. I have seen people making random calls, calling every customer service line they could find, complaining everywhere, then get frustrated, I don't do any of these stuffs.

OTOH, if you buy a product that is faulty or not fit for purpose, you have a right to get a refund from the retailer you purchased it from.
I had to insist on this at The Good Guys once for a faulty Apple phone. They obviously didn't want to deal with Apple and lied that I had to, but I set them straight.

 

[SOPOOR]

I have never had this problem with this particular gift card. Like I said, I simply opened a ticket last time on their web site, and it took them 3 months to close the ticket and send me a new card, hence total took 3.5 months.
I would never asked Coles to deal with this. Having worked in retail for nearly a decade, then over another decade working in FMCG, I have a good feel on how these things work, and I am also pretty good with 'following the process'. I don't get emotional, I simply follow the process.

I have had minimal.problems with the Coles cards. But heard of the increasing issues recently. But I had massive issues with the TCN cards last year. 2 out of 3 batches of $2500 odd got cleaned out.
And I took a break for a few months and stupidly bought another batch, which also got compromised.

Im much more careful now.

 

[Chicken]

OTOH, if you buy a product that is faulty or not fit for purpose, you have a right to get a refund from the retailer you purchased it from.

That's what the law says, but that's not how the process works with these things. There is theory, and there is reality.

The Coles employee has no access to the card system, they have no way to confirm that you didn't use up the money, for example, whereas people in Incomm are able to. Just to highlight one part of this 'order to cash process'.

Hence like I said, I always work to the established business process.

I don't mind waiting for 3 months for the process in InComm to complete, so I guess that's a benefit for them.

And I took a break for a few months and stupidly bought another batch, which also got compromised.
Im much more careful now.

Sorry to hear that. TCN been on the news too.

 

[ols]

Back to back offers @Coles with the x20 points on $100 GCs from today.

I like the Luxury Escape GC's, so nice wad of points next couple weeks.

Moo,
It's 2,000 points per card not the 20 x points offer this time around.
Got rates , so was hoping for the better offer myself.