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DC wants to steal your gift cards!
Jan. 5th, 2010 04:50 pmAccording to this WTOP article, the DC government is suing AT&T. The district is claiming that funds on calling cards should be considered abandoned after three years of non-use, and should become property of the district.
The level of stupidity here is, well, stupid. If I have an emergency Visa cash card, or AT&T phone card, it's not abandoned just because I don't use it. It's sitting there, in my wallet. If AT&T charges fees after a year or two, that would upset me, but that's how the cards work, and I know that.
To make matters worse, there are laws being debated to make the cards never expire, and a delay on the fees -- these laws are good, but why are there laws being proposed to protect the longevity of these cards for the consumer, if the district is just going to confiscate the funds? Oooohhhh...I get it....
The article notes that similar suits have succeeded elsewhere related to gift cards.
How would the district determine which cards would have money going to the district? If you bought it there? If you live there?
Maybe next they'll start considering savings accounts as abandoned.
The level of stupidity here is, well, stupid. If I have an emergency Visa cash card, or AT&T phone card, it's not abandoned just because I don't use it. It's sitting there, in my wallet. If AT&T charges fees after a year or two, that would upset me, but that's how the cards work, and I know that.
To make matters worse, there are laws being debated to make the cards never expire, and a delay on the fees -- these laws are good, but why are there laws being proposed to protect the longevity of these cards for the consumer, if the district is just going to confiscate the funds? Oooohhhh...I get it....
The article notes that similar suits have succeeded elsewhere related to gift cards.
How would the district determine which cards would have money going to the district? If you bought it there? If you live there?
Maybe next they'll start considering savings accounts as abandoned.
