Consumers holding BHS vouchers are being urged to act quickly by local advice charity Citizens Advice Wirral. Administrators of companies that go into administration do not have to have to honour the vouchers although some do as a gesture of goodwill. However, in the case of BHS, the administrators have left open a small window of opportunity for the store’s customers.
Chief Executive, Carol Johnson-Eyre, said:
“The Administrators of BHS are currently only allowing up to 50% of any purchases to be paid by vouchers. This means if you have a £20 voucher, you have to buy £40 of goods in order to get the full value of the voucher.
“If you can’t spend your voucher you could write to the administrators asking them to put you on their list of unsecured creditors. Citizens Advice has a template letter to help you do this. This would put you at the back of the queue behind the store’s other creditors, so as the administrators pay off the firm’s debts it may mean you get very little, or nothing, back.”
Anyone with concerns about their BHS gift vouchers or needs advice about their consumer rights about any goods they have bought can contact the Citizens Advice Wirral for free, impartial advice on 03444 772121.
They can also provide advice to BHS employees worried about paying their bills, rent, mortgage etc. if no new buyer of the store emerges.
Sue McCarron, Operations Manager at Citizens Advice Wirral added:
“These will be very worrying times for BHS employees, many of whom live in Wirral. It’s never too early to seek advice about your finances and to plan ahead if the worst happens. Our team of advisers can help draw up a realistic and affordable household budget statement and help people understand what options they have to paying their bills and other household expenses like food and clothing.”
The email address for Citizens Advice Wirral’s money advice team is: debtadvice@wirralcab.org.uk
