hello guys,
i need some help or advice from you folks. i had done a phone interview last year in june for which i was sent a claim code of $100 amazon gc. today when i decided to use the gc it said the code was invallid. when contacted amazon it said i should contact the issuer as they dont have any records of such claim code. the gc had come from Bolt peters for zinio usability study. this was posted in slickdeals itself. i dont know if anyone remembers this or have done this study. i dont now how i should proceed with this as i have no information about the person who interviewed me or sent me the gc. i know this is a tough one but anyone here who can give an advice or any help would be greatly appreciated. thakyou very much.

Maybe not something helpful for your case...but have you immediately input the code in your Amazon GC account once you have it? So far as I know, there's expiry date for these GC codes. Therefore, once I receive it, I would input the code into my Amazon GC account immediately. At least, I know that the code is valid. Good luck to you.

Did you happen to keep the email containing the code? Perhaps there is contact information in the email somewhere. I remember this happened to me (it was only $5), but they do have an expiration date (I believe it is 1 year).

Hope it works out for you!!

i do have the original email. but it only has a comment saying' thankyou for participating in zinio usability study.we apppreciate your feedback' bolt peters. no contact info. and i never used this code as codes in my state dont expire.

i have used older codes and they always worked fine

Did you happen to keep the email containing the code? Perhaps there is contact information in the email somewhere. I remember this happened to me (it was only $5), but they do have an expiration date (I believe it is 1 year).

Hope it works out for you!!

I nnoticed alot of times that if you copy and paste the code is invalid. Try typing it in might make a difference. that was my experience. try it you have nothing to lose

i did try typing. not one but several times. as $100 is too much to loose. couldnt beleive this. had saved this for some big purchase:(

maybe this will help Zinio is a company that preforms usability studies here is the contact link

http://www.zinio.com/contact-us/business.jsp?interest=other&_requestid=215799

do you happen to have the original email that qualified you?

it was not an email.a phone interview. we had to go to a website and a survey poped up asking if they could call us. pretty sure it was for a magazine website. but i do have the original email with gc code. this was sent from amazon.but i will try contacting zinio.thanks for the link.

The only other advice I can give that has not been given is be sure it is zero and not the letter o, things like that hope that helps.

thank you guys for all your great advices. i really appreciate it.

it was not an email.a phone interview. we had to go to a website and a survey poped up asking if they could call us. pretty sure it was for a magazine website. but i do have the original email with gc code. this was sent from amazon.but i will try contacting zinio.thanks for the link.

If the email was sent to you from Amazon, then they should be able to help you. Have you called them or just emailed? I get much better help from calling them. The number is 800-201-7575. Like another member advised, in the future, put the code in your Amazon account after you get it. It will not go anywhere until you use it, it will just be waiting for you in your account. Are you saying you received this in June 2008? If so, you could be out of luck at this point.

yes i did call amazon and they said they couldnt locate this code. may be the purchaser either sent me a duplicate code or cancelled the order. and yes i am giving up hopes too coz i did receive this on june 2008.

codes last 1 yr but they give you an additional 3 mo grace
Bank them in amazon this way they are safe and secure

I didn't realize Amazon codes expired at all! (then, again, I don't let them languish long enough to think about it --always too many things I want there LOL).

Zinio has something to do with digital mags, don't they? I have a Zinio reader on my machines for use with some free digital subs that I have.

http://archive.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=843282

It looks like a couple others did the study/survey also...maybe pm them and see if they have any additional info

Maybe not something helpful for your case...but have you immediately input the code in your Amazon GC account once you have it? So far as I know, there's expiry date for these GC codes. Therefore, once I receive it, I would input the code into my Amazon GC account immediately. At least, I know that the code is valid. Good luck to you.

This doesn't help much right now, but in the future, always bank your codes. They won't disappear and you'll know right away if there's a problem. Sorry about your situation :(

http://archive.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=843282

It looks like a couple others did the study/survey also...maybe pm them and see if they have any additional info

this is the exact survey i am talking about. thanx for the link. ill check if anyone else had the issue.

i was not able to post anything under this link. guess coz its too old. i have given up hopes. gonna have to bite the bullet :(

codes last 1 yr but they give you an additional 3 mo grace
Bank them in amazon this way they are safe and secure

yesterday i banked all the codes even once from march 2007 and once with expiration dates. but they worked fine. i a pretty sure amazon codes never expire for my state. but i have learnt a big lesson. i will always bank my codes as soon as i get it.
thank you all for great advices.

Some people on this thread are misinformed. Amazon certificates do not expire unless they were issued before october 8, 2005. If you dont believe me call a rep. I called several years ago to clarify. And here is a quote from Amazon website:

The expiration date for Gift Certificates issued after October 8, 2005 are waived and those Gift Certificates may be redeemed for eligible purchases notwithstanding any stated expiration date. Any Gift Certificates issued prior to that date expire in accordance with their terms. Expiration dates also do not apply for Gift Certificates in CA, CT, NH, LA, MD, MA, ME, MT, ND, OK, RI, WA, and VT. Expiration dates do not apply in any other state solely to the extent as prohibited or limited by law.

this is the exact survey i am talking about. thanx for the link. ill check if anyone else had the issue.

i was not able to post anything under this link. guess coz its too old. i have given up hopes. gonna have to bite the bullet :(

That's why I said to pm the ones who said they got the GCs:hug:

Don't give up...--here is the contact us page from the bolt peters website--CALL them!!!

http://boltpeters.com/contact/

your confidence has really motivated me. i shall call bolt peters tomm or atleast email both bolt peters and zinio.

Maybe not something helpful for your case...but have you immediately input the code in your Amazon GC account once you have it? So far as I know, there's expiry date for these GC codes. Therefore, once I receive it, I would input the code into my Amazon GC account immediately. At least, I know that the code is valid. Good luck to you.

ido the same thing as soon as i get them bingo they are put into my amazon account.

i put in my Amazon codes as soon as i get them,I discovered its much easier to copy and paste instead of trying to copy by hand.

your confidence has really motivated me. i shall call bolt peters tomm or atleast email both bolt peters and zinio.

If it were me I would call them and get an instant answer instead of waiting for a return email,the suspense would be driving me crazy:lol: Don't be afraid-the worst they can do is say you are outta luck,and just think you may have that $100GC to spend over the weekend:bounce:

i tried calling them but it went on voice mail hence i decided to email. lets see what they have to say. i willkeep u guys posted. thanks again for all you advices and support.

Some people on this thread are misinformed. Amazon certificates do not expire unless they were issued before october 8, 2005. If you dont believe me call a rep. I called several years ago to clarify. And here is a quote from Amazon website:

Thanks for the information, it's really helpful. But, I remember that I have seen some fineprints on expiration date. I just wonder one thing, says I'm in CA and the sender of the GC is in a state that code has expiry date, would I still be able to use the code after the "expiry date" because of the law of my state?

But to play safe, I will instantly redeem the code once I receive it. At least, I can find out if there's something wrong. If it is invalid for some reasons, it's still fresh to get it fixed.

Hi All! just wanted to let you guys know that i contacted/ emailed bolt peters and they replied me instantly and now i see that they have also sent me a $100 gift card appologising for the inconvinience. hurray!!!!!! thank you all very much for being so helpful and supportive. especially amelego for the contact link and to encourage me to go ahead with this. i had almost lost hopes and had given up on this. but i am glad i took your advice and now i have my gc. THAN YOU ALL ONCE AGAIN! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!

glad it worked out for you.

Hi All! just wanted to let you guys know that i contacted/ emailed bolt peters and they replied me instantly and now i see that they have also sent me a $100 gift card appologising for the inconvinience. hurray!!!!!! thank you all very much for being so helpful and supportive. especially amelego for the contact link and to encourage me to go ahead with this. i had almost lost hopes and had given up on this. but i am glad i took your advice and now i have my gc. THAN YOU ALL ONCE AGAIN! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!

Awe grapes,this brought tears to my eyes-honestly...I am so happy that you got your GC(and they sound like a great company). I've learned to not be afraid to ask questions-especially when it involves money:lol:.I used to sit back and say oh well, but ya know what-sometimes I think that's what they expect you to do, and it shocks the crap out of them when you stand up for yourself..I'm sure this was just an honest mistake, but there are some shady doings going on out there so don't be afraid to ask questions or pursue things further.:flex::strong:

:yahoo:So what are you going to buy:clap:

i really want to buy a coach handbaag. my husband wont buy it for me.he says its a waste of money so was looking for deals on amazon and found out that my coupon was invallid. but now i am so happy and glad that i have people like you around me. i was shcoked too when i got the gc in the mail. bolt peters is truely a great company.

Here comes some more advice--know who you are buying from so you don't get stiffed with a replica:D..tell hubby a Coach handbag is a good investment-I have 3 myself:worship:

3 coaches!! may be u have a job and you need them. i am a stay at home mom dont go out much except for grocery store :) but thanks for the advice. i'll keep that in mind

3 coaches!! may be u have a job and you need them. i am a stay at home mom dont go out much except for grocery store :) but thanks for the advice. i'll keep that in mind

Nope, don't need them-just my way of treating myself since I got fat in '04:vomit: and can't find cute clothes anymore:mad: And honestly-2 came from a thrift shop, and the other one from a local classified listing:lol: I know how to spot fakes and I just happened upon the 2 at the thrift shop-they were $20 each:bounce: because the worker "thought they would be replicas"-one is a black leather hobo and the other is a coffee signature flap..the third I paid $50 for because I really wanted a Carly since that is my granddaughters name:cool: I've gotten many,many authentic purses at thrift stores( Ferragamo, Biasia, and even Prada) and it makes me feel even better that I found bargains
BTW-moms:heart: have the best and hardest job,and you definitely deserve to buy yourself something that you love...enjoy your Coach

Hi All! just wanted to let you guys know that i contacted/ emailed bolt peters and they replied me instantly and now i see that they have also sent me a $100 gift card appologising for the inconvinience. hurray!!!!!! thank you all very much for being so helpful and supportive. especially amelego for the contact link and to encourage me to go ahead with this. i had almost lost hopes and had given up on this. but i am glad i took your advice and now i have my gc. THAN YOU ALL ONCE AGAIN! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!

OMG! That is great news!!!! Happy shopping:nod: