TORONTO – A Toronto man is warning consumers about Vanilla Visa pre-paid cards after discovering his $250 balance all but disappeared after six months of non-use.
“So when I went online to verify it the next day, I punched in all the numbers, it said I had two dollars and fifty cents left,” said Bill Patterson.
Patterson’s card had somehow been almost entirely used up before he opened it, even though it had been in a sealed package.
He was repeatedly assured he’d be sent a new card following several calls to the customer service department.
Get breaking National news
“They don’t tell you the truth. They keep you guessing,” said Patterson.
The Vanilla Visa Prepaid Cards are available in $35, $75, $150, $250 denominations and are sold in various stores across Canada.
Prepaid cards such as these have been under scrutiny for years.
Last fall, the federal government put in regulations so they can no longer have expiry dates. Companies are also supposed to be more transparent when it comes to hidden costs.
But those regulations didn’t do anything to help consumers like Bill Patterson.
“I’d stay away from it because you don’t know what you’re getting,” said Patterson. “They keep you in suspense. Every time you phone there’s s a different story. That’s what really ticks me off.”
A number of people also reported problems with the cards after a Global News report aired Tuesday night.
-with a report from Global Toronto’s Sean O’Shea
Comments