Gift Vouchers When Should they Expire?

[blossom]

I put a year's date on mine at the moment but am considering making it three or six months. Mainly because a lot of vouchers are sold at Christmas time and I'm finding people are keeping them till the next Christmas which obviously is a really busy time anyway and effectively booking in a new set for someone who is using a gift voucher is not bringing in any revenue, and taking up the space of somebody new.

 

[minime1]

i normally give 6 months, and my xmas gift vouchers expire on the 31st of May, i think from this thread im going to reduce it to 3 months.

 

[pure]

For all the Christmas vouchers I sold I put an expiry date of 29th Feb on them. The way I see it is if they use them then I have a new client and a potential regular, if they don't then I have still made money.

Although I am as guilty as any for being given vouchers and never using them.

 

[rouge]

Mine have a three month expiry date. I also put in the terms and conditions that 'this will only be extended under exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the therapist'.

 

[Chameleon]

Well,after reading these posts,i am changing mine from 6 months to 3 months...i feel like this,as only today i had some one not show for thier massage,which was a voucher....and it had expired in October....yes October....it stareted last september,i had a call from a lady to arrange a treatment for the following week,but i was going on holiday for a couple of weeks and told her this....so she arranged it for the end of september,the voucher was due to expire beginning October.

She then had to cancel due to High blood pressure,a conta indication massage, a no no,and i explained i would only let it extend a few more weeks....anyway she calls just before christmas,stating although she has been ill can she redeem it....me,like a fool,agreed,and booked her in for a saturday....she didnt turn up,so if she does call,it is too late,i had to cancel clients for that,and lost out...so i have learnt,that,an expiry date is that,and that is the end of it...So i will be changing it to 3 months....i am sick and tired of clients having vouchers for nearly 6 months,and then expecting you to fit them in "at the last moment"....enough is enough...right rant over,and i have found this thread really intersting:green::lol:

 

[soriminah]

shouldnt the police be informed?

I didn't think of it at the time. I'd just got out of hospital and was woken by the phone so I wasn't thinking clearly. I asked her her gave it to her and told her that person hadn't purchased a voucher off me so it wasn't valid. When I started to think about it I should have contacted the police but I didn't have her phone number so I didn't bother.

 

[Lucia Etch]

What bites here in California, is we cannot put an expiration on gift/cards or gift certificates.
But, I can charge a per use fee.
Im pretty sure its up to $5 per use if not fully used, each time it is used.
I only sell gift certs to my regular clients/friends and family of.
Oh, and if the client books an appointment and no-shows I subtract the amount of the service. I have this posted.

 

[tor]

I used to have 1 year on my Vouchers, but in December 07 i changeed this to 6 months how the vouchers would be used up fairly quickly, i have alot of vouchers that have not been used and are well out of Date so i will not be giving Grace to these customers id give a week or two if it was just out of date but other than that not my problem.

 

[Klassy Klaws]

I put 2 months on mine but if I know they have one and forget to take it I am happy to give them the discount or what ever.
I can do this as I don't sell many vouchers:lol:

I also give my regulars a voucher for Christmas offering 10% off any treatment during Jan this just encourages them to came back.
With new clients I also give them a 10% discount voucher it has a 2 month limit on it this seems to work and gets them back in.

I will try anything to get clients through the door

 

[nicjill]

My vouchers have a 6 month limit on them. I also number them and keep records in a carbon-copy invoice book. That way there's one copy for the customer, one for me. Each time I do a voucher I take a name for the recipient and write it on the copy I keep, that way, if it gets lost I can still redeem the voucher. I don't allow extra time on vouchers unless the client has been ill/lost a relative, something like that. Then I will allow a little extra time as this can't be helped. I have had a few vouchers that haven't come back within the time but to be honest that is the client's fault, not mine. I think 6 months is more than enough time for anyone. As we are talking about treatment vouchers, I think 3 months is fine, as long as you are slightly more flexible with clients who are ill.

 

[Blue Rose]

I allow 6 months on my vouchers, unless it's a raffle prize, then it's only 3 months.

I've now started putting the money to one side instead of banking it straightaway, which is great if you have a busy week of gv's. Instead of getting that sinking gift voucher treatment feeling and no money going in the bank, I just transfer the money from one money tin to another.

 

[MaisyMouse]

I give my clients six months but still they come after then so I honour them as I guess that I have the money so should really. However I get a lot of vouchers that are never used and I counted up that in two years I have over £400 that have never been used, one was for £50! I always ask who the voucher is for and write it next to the ammount as the number of people who loose them and then it magically appears later with someone else. This way I can score them off when used!!! Some people have no shame, even regulars!!!!:lol::lol:

 

[e-beauty]

at a salon i used to work at, the VO was vaild for a year, but we used to tell the clients it was vaild for 3months.

i do mine for 3months but tell the clients its vaild for 2months.

:hug: