CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. (WTEN) — A couple weeks after Hair and Body Essentials in Clifton Park suddenly closed, many customers are still left with questions about what to do with their outstanding gift cards. Luckily, there are some options, but a local lawyer shared that there no guarantees you can get your money back.
Gift cards can often be a convenient gift for your loved one’s on special occasions like Christmas or birthdays. Plus, usually, the cards last a long time after you purchase them.
”In New York, it has to last for at least nine years, so you’re protected pretty much with the length of the gift card,” said Greg Rinckey.
However, what happens when you buy a gift card and the business shuts down? This is now the case for many Capital Region residents after Hair and Body Essentials in Clifton Park suddenly closed just before the new year. Greg Rinckey, founding partner of Tully Rinckey PLLC in Latham, said there are some options for folks who feel like they are stuck.
“They can try and reach out to the owner first and see if they can get the money back directly from the owner,” said Rinckey. However, he said he believes their best bet is the second option. “The second option is, if the gift cards were purchased on a credit card, you can reach out to the credit card company and dispute the charges and say, ‘I didn’t get the services that I paid for,’. So sometimes, that will resolve the issue.”
People can also try calling the Attorney General’s office for help. However, Rinckey said it is unlikely the attorney general will get involved in this. Another option is if the business declared bankruptcy, then customers who bought a gift card would become unsecured creditors.
“And obviously, then you go to the end of the line and usually, there’s not enough money to reimburse unsecured creditors,” said Rinckey.
As of now, there are no federal documents to indicate that Hair and Body Essentials has declared bankruptcy, therefore this case scenario does not apply. NEWS10’s Vanessa Blasi also reached out to the Better Business Bureau of Upstate New York. They shared that if people file a complaint on their website, the bureau will likely get in touch with the attorney general’s office as well.
Another tactic Rinckey recommended was for people to check if they have any unclaimed funds on the New York State unclaimed funds website.
“It would take a while before the money actually goes to the state. So in this situation, if you were to look, this money for the gift cards wouldn’t be there, and in my opinion, likely will never be there. But it’s worth looking at,” said Rinckey.
