Andrew writes: I’ve been having a huge problem with Visa. On November 28th, my wife ordered a $150 giftcard for me as a Christmas present, and we were told it would take up to a week to be delivered. Since we hadn’t received it by the 7th of the December, We called and asked a support representative about the card. The rep was nice and reordered another card for us that day, and agreed to have it sent to us via Fedex NextDay Air. On the 15th of December, we received the first card. We contacted Visa support again to see if we would be able to use the initial card, however it had been deactivated.

Again we waited, and on the 20th of December, we contacted Visa to have the complete amount refunded rather than still wait for the second giftcard to appear. The representative on the phone was not only unhelpful, but also acted as if we weren’t entitled to a refund. We spoke to a supervisor who assured us we would receive a full refund within 7 to 10 business days.

On December 28th received an envelope that was sent priority overnight with a Postage Date of December 24th, in it was the 2nd giftcard. We contacted Visa customer support on January 3rd, and again on January 15th, each time contacting a supervisor and being assured we would receive a refund. We have the 2nd giftcard, but I’m against using it.

Ideally I’d like to receive a full refund, as I don’t want Visa getting the fee from purchasing the card, and I’d like to avoid the credit fee paid by the merchant. Is there any way I can get this resolved or do I have to swallow my pride and just use the card?

Andrew, you may be caught in the grips of a “Revenge Refund.” A “Revenge Refund” is a refund you pursue despite the fact that you’d probably be better off just keeping what you’ve got. It stems from a need to punish a company that wronged you, and it’s not really healthy.

Unless the fee Visa charged you was significant enough to cause you financial hardship, you might want to consider letting this one go. Your time is worth something. In the future, don’t give Visa your business. (We don’t recommend those “credit card” gift cards anyway.)

Maybe you could just tell a few hundred thousand of your closest friends how Visa treated you? We hear there are some websites out there that could help you out with that…

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