The contents of an Air Canada gift card, a daughter’s thank you gift to her parents, disappeared while locked away for safekeeping leaving the family with more questions than answers.
In 2013, Kelly Hilliard-Drury purchased a $1,000 gift card for her parents Geoff and Catherine Hilliard as a token of her appreciation.
“My parents had helped me buy my first place in Vancouver and I just felt like I wanted to give them something nice as a thank you after paying them back,” said Hilliard-Drury. “It’s just nice to know that your next flight is paid for.”
In October of 2015, Geoff and Catherine brought the gift card to their travel agent at a Flight Centre in Penticton, B.C. While attempting to book a flight, the travel agent removed the cover securing the gift card’s activation code but was informed by Air Canada the card had a zero balance.
“Are you kidding me?” recalls Geoff Hilliard of his reaction. “She had scratched that area to reveal the PIN number and Air Canada freely gave them the dates of when it had been redeemed which was three months previous.”
“The question begs how could they do that without the PIN number?”
After hearing from her parents, Hilliard-Drury contacted Air Canada looking for an explanation.
“They just said we’re conducting an investigation and we’ll get back to you and thank you for your patience.”
Hilliard-Drury says she purchased the gift card through Air Canada’s website and, after she gave the card to her parents, it never left her father’s desk.
“I started checking back in with (Air Canada) and seeing what is happening with it,” said Hilliard-Drury. “Basically they just sent me a portion of their terms and conditions that comes along with buying a gift card that states that they have no responsibility but doesn’t really seem to pertain to what has actually happened for us.”
Geoff Hilliard contacted his local police detachment and an investigation was launched into the disappearance of the $1,000. Hilliard gave the police report information to Air Canada along with a request that airline officials contact the RCMP.
“I get the definite idea that (Air Canada thinks) we’re trying to scam them,” said Hilliard. “That’s how they’re making me feel.”
In March, Hilliard-Drury received an email from Air Canada stating the internal investigation had been completed.
Frustrated with the lack of a resolution, Hilliard-Drury contacted CTV Calgary’s Consumer Watch reporter Lea Williams-Doherty who reached out to Air Canada about the missing funds.
“We have verified what the customer is telling us so we will be replacing the value of the card as well as apologizing for this regrettable issue,” said Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick in an emailed statement. “Because we are still investigating, we have no additional information we can provide.”
The entire experience has soured Geoff Hilliard’s stance on gift cards. Hilliard offered the following advice to anyone considering purchasing a gift card. "Don't do it!"
With files from CTV's Lea WIlliams-Doherty
