INDIANAPOLIS — A woman reached out to WRTV for help after she spent nearly $1,000 on Amazon gift cards from Kroger and they didn't work.
Lilly Ogle makes jewelry at home.
"I love wearing jewelry. I wear a lot of jewelry that I know makes a woman feel really good; it makes her feel a little bit more bouncy," Ogle said.
The cash from her creations sold around the world helps pay the bills.
"I've sold pieces in Denmark, Finland, Germany—just all over," she said. "I use real stones; I use onyx, pearl, Mother of Pearl, jade, all kinds."
Last year, she saved $925. That money was meant to buy Christmas gifts for her family.
"It took me a whole year to save that money," Ogle said.
So she bought $925 in Amazon gift cards at her local Kroger store, and then this happened:
"I got home 20 minutes later, tried to use those cards, and they said they have already been used—that's impossible. I just got them," Ogle recalled.
She says Amazon told her they couldn't help because she did not order the cards directly from them.
Though she had her receipts, Kroger tells WRTV it could not help because gift cards are like cash. The cards "...cannot be replaced, and no refunds can be made."
Kroger also said, "Cashiers have no way to know if the gift card belongs to the person presenting it or to someone else ... since the cards have no names on them and no ID is required for their use."
"I'm not trying to get more than I paid for the cards. I feel like I deserve $925 back that I put out for the cards," Ogle explained.
WRTV reached out to Blackhawk Network, the company that oversees the Amazon cards, and they could not provide specifics on what happened to Ogle's card. They did review our request and, in the end, refunded the $925.
The company told WRTV:
"We can share that we are in contact with her to resolve this matter to her satisfaction. Our advice to any cardholder that may have questions, concerns, suspicions about a card is that it's very important to call the customer service number on the back of the card immediately.
"We have processes to help victims of fraud through restitution when appropriate. However, we don't go at it alone. Blackhawk partners with law enforcement in our various geographies and retail industry organizations to enable a safer shopping environment for consumers."
