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发帖数: 60932 | 1 Sharper Image to reimburse gift card holders up to $2,245 if approved by the
bankruptcy court on May 17.
Dust off that Sharper Image gift card because in a few months, you just
might be able to get some cash for it.
Sharper Image, which is now known as TSIC Inc., has petitioned the U.S.
Bankruptcy Court in Delaware to allow it to pay back gift cardholders nearly
three years after it shuttered its operation, The Wall Street Journal
reported today. If its request is approved on its May 17 hearing date, TSIC
plans to give cash back to any cardholder who has up to $2,245 in gift card
value. It also plans to spend $60,000 to promote its payback program, the
Journal reported.
Sharper Image filed for bankruptcy protection in 2008 and announced 96 store
closures after the company's quirky, but sometimes useful, gadgets failed
to appeal to consumers amid recession. By June of that year, its new owners-
-which acquired the firm for $49 million in a bankruptcy auction--announced
that they would close the remaining 86 stores.
Prior to that closure, Sharper Image engaged in a battle with consumers over
its gift cards. After filing for bankruptcy, the company declined to honor
gift cards. A month later, it announced that customers could redeem the full
value of gift cards, but only if they bought products worth twice the value
of their credit. When the company finally closed its doors, the retailer
recommended gift cardholders file a claim with the bankruptcy court.
Some other options did crop up for consumers. For example, Brookstone
offered a 25 percent discount to anyone who presented a Sharper Image gift
card in its stores at the time of purchase.
Those who held on to their gift card will need to furnish a photocopy to
prove they have one on-hand. Customers who do not provide a photocopy but
say they have an unredeemed gift card will receive a refund only if enough
cash is available.
Today, Sharper Image lives on in name only. A company named Camelot Ventures
Group operates under the licensed Sharper Image name. It sells many of the
wacky gadgets the original store once carried.
Link:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20053485-17.html
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