94 days ago

Have a gift voucher of a store that has closed?

Hira Siddiqui from Citizens Advice Bureau Pakuranga/Eastern Manukau

💳🎁If you have a gift voucher or card for a shop that has closed down, you may not be able to use it or claim your money back. If there is a receiver, you could try and ask to use your voucher or make a claim as an unsecured creditor.

Receivers do not legally have to accept your voucher, but they might agree to if you ask. An unsecured creditor is someone who is owed money by a person or a company. The business will have to prioritise paying back their secured creditors, so you will only get what you are owed if there is enough money left after the secured creditors have been paid.

If the gift voucher was paid for by credit card, then the person who paid for the gift voucher can ask their credit card company for a chargeback.
To minimise the risk of losing your money, if you are given a voucher use it as soon as possible.

If you are buying a voucher:
👉pick vouchers that work across multiple retailers or services - for example, fuel vouchers or trade-association vouchers
👉ask the store if they have a trust account to protect voucher holders in the event of the store closing down.

For more information, visit cab.org.nz/article/KB00000401

[Image description: A ‘Sorry We are closed’ sign hanging on a door. Text reads, "I have a gift voucher to a shop that has closed down. What are my rights?"]
Original post credit: Citizens Advice Bureau: cab.org.nz

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More messages from your neighbours
4 days ago

🧩😏 Riddle me this, Neighbours…

The Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I?

Do you think you know the answer?

Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed? No worries! Simply head here and click once on the Following button.

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1 day ago

Scam Alert: Bank cold calls

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

ASB is warning customers about reports of cold calls from scammers claiming to be from ASB. These scammers are trying to obtain personal information, including usernames, dates of birth, and verification codes sent to your mobile phone.

🛡️ The "Caller Check" Test
If you get a call from someone claiming to be from ASB and you’re unsure, just ask them for a Caller Check. You will then be able to verify the call through the app.

Remember, banks will:​​
❌ Never ask for your banking passwords, PINs, or verification codes​​
❌ Never need to know your full credit card number – especially the CVC
❌ Never ask you to download software or remotely access your device​​
❌ Never ask you to purchase gift cards or transfer funds.

If you have received a phone call and think your account has been compromised, call ASB on 0800 ASB FRAUD (0800 272 372), or visit your local branch.

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5 days ago

Some Choice News!

Kia pai from Sharing the Good Stuff

DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.

Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.

For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.

Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?

We hope this brings a smile!

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