Fury as HMV turns down gift vouchers
Thousands of HMV customers were today told they could not use their gift vouchers after the struggling music chain lost its battle for survival.
More than 4,350 jobs are at risk after bosses at the 92-year-old business appointed administrators from Deloitte.
Customers in the Black Country today spoke of their anger as it was revealed the shops will no longer accept gift cards.
Ryan Guest, a 20-year-old student from Netherton, has a £20 card from Christmas, and another from his birthday in June, with £10 left on it, which he was planning to spend in the coming days.
He said: "It's like the cards have been stolen from me. It's really bad that another shop that I used to go to regularly is in trouble.
"As a student, £30 is a lot of money to me and now I've lost it."
Father-of-two Barry Millington, of Wednesfield, said a man in front of him in the queue at Wolverhampton's Mander Centre store today had been refused the chance to use a voucher. He said: "I don't think it's fair."
HMV's 238 outlets will remain open while Deloitte attempts to find a buyer, although it is likely there will be widespread closures.
The chain has branches in the Mander Centre, Walsall's Crown Wharf Retail Park, Merry Hill, Stafford's Guildhall shopping centre, and at The Fort and Bullring in Birmingham.
The Citizens Advice Bureau today said shoppers may be able to claim back their money if the vouchers were bought with a credit or debit card.
And it has been suggested that if a buyer for the chain is found then shoppers would be allowed to use the vouchers.
