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43 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, January 24, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 13, 2004 Since You Asked Gift cards are subject to fees and devaluation I recently went to purchase a gift card from the Rogue Valley Mall, where I discovered that mall management tacked on a service charge and that many of the mall merchants didn’t accept the card. Why wouldn’t a Rogue Valley Mall card be good at all the member stores? — Sandra H., Phoenix Gift cards from many sources come with strings attached these days. The Rogue Valley Mall’s new gift cards are American Express-based and that means merchants had to begin using American Express devices in order to use the gift cards. A spokesperson for the Rogue Valley Mall says that about a dozen of the 120 merchants don’t take the cards. Advertisement The mall, owned by General Growth Properties, does charge $1.50 for individual gift certificate purchases, but corporate clients buying multiple certificates are charged on sliding scale. Up to 10 cards cost a $1 each. From 11-25 it’s 75 cents, from 26 to 50 cards it’s 50 cents and when more than 51 are purchased, the fee is 25 cents. Likewise, it’s important to use those cards within a year, because the holder loses $2 in value per month beginning with the 13th month. Consumer groups find such systems, which includes fees and expiration dates, problematic. In Georgia, former Gov. Roy Barnes is representing two shoppers, who tried to use Simon mall Property Group gift cards and certificates, but were told they expired. Those cards lost $2.50 in value each month, expiring after seven months. Consumers Union has called on Congress to pass a Fair Gift Card Act to curb "unexpected fees and tight expiration dates." Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers