Amazon denies gift cards newlyweds got at wedding, family says

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Melanie Abernathy wears an anchor necklace as a tribute to her son, who is in the U.S. Navy. He got married and was then deployed.

“We are very proud of him,” Abernathy told Stoogenke.

Her son and his wife asked guests for gift cards so they could buy what they needed when they settled down.

"They were very blessed with their … with what they received," Abernathy said.

The couple went to Amazon to use the cards.

However, Amazon emailed them, saying it wouldn’t honor the cards and that the couple had violated the company’s terms and conditions.

The email didn’t give details.

However, Abernathy says a company representative explained by phone that the retailer thought the cards were stolen.

“They said she stole them,” Abernathy said. “So, the whole thing, it was just very upsetting. Very upsetting for our little military couple. He’s on one side of the world. She’s just trying to get their house set up.”

Boston 25’s sister station talked to Abernathy and emailed Amazon.

The company wouldn’t discuss the case for privacy reasons, saying it can only share its findings directly with the customer:

“[D]ue to customer privacy considerations, we can only share our findings directly with the customer, though you’re welcome to reach out to them for any details they’d like to share with you.

“We appreciate your understanding and commitment to consumer advocacy.”

So, he followed up with Abernathy. She says Amazon never did get back in touch.

In the meantime, they stood their ground. One of the guests who had given a gift card got involved through the company’s live chat feature.

It worked, and they could now use the gift cards.

“I’m happy about that, but what if the next person doesn’t have a mother-in-law that says no, this isn’t going to happen?” Abernathy said.

The first step to protect yourself is to make sure you keep your receipt when you buy a gift card. If it’s a gift, you can try to reach out to the gift giver if you have a problem redeeming it to see if they have a receipt.

It’s also important to read Amazon’s terms and conditions.

Some gift cards specifically say you can’t: