The consumer advocacy group Laban Konsyumer Inc. (LKI) is reminding the public that gift checks, gift certificates, and gift cards (GCs) have no expiry dates.
Citing Republic Act 10962, or the Gift Check Act of 2017, LKI president Victorio Mario Dimagiba said issuing GCs bearing an expiry date is a violation of the law.
A hefty fine of P500,000 to P1 million shall be imposed on those found violating the Gift Check Act.
“The misuses and abuses of the GCs with expiry date proliferate in the market because said GCs do not bear in prints the approval and the permit number of the loyalty rewards or promotional programs granted by the Department of Trade and Industry,” Dimagiba said.
Dimagiba, a former DTI undersecretary for consumer welfare, said the violating parties should return the unused GCs with expiry dates within 90 days of the violation.
He called on DTI to enforce the rules and guidelines under the Gift Check Act. “We ask the government to protect consumer welfare by making sure that all establishments follow these rules strictly, especially given the circumstances of the pandemic where consumers have had a very hard time going out and using GCs,” Dimagiba said.*PNA
