Hello everyone sorry for long title but it says it all.
I will be mobile very soon and will have gift vouchers to purchase. The person buying the voucher will
a, beable to purchase a complete treatment - nice and simply, no charge left-over.
b, give a specified amount towards any listed service

in the case of b, lets say kind friend buys her pal a voucher loaded with £30, pal takes a treatment for £25 and doesnt want to to use remaining £5 because she doesnt want pay anything toward another service. What do i do with remaining balance?
Im thinking that the simplest thing would be to put the person who bought the gift vouchers future account in credit so to speak, eg deduct change left over from voucher off of her next service.
What does everyone else do?.
Thanks for reading. xx

If she doesn't want to make use of the remaining remaining £5 on the voucher then I believe she should lose it... I can't see any reason why you should have to give a refund.

If someone gives you a store gift card (Like Boots or HMV) with, say, £40 on it and you only spend £36, the store doesn't give a refund to the person who originally bought the card.... you either use it or lose it.

I'm not sure if other will agree

Sx

I would give a £5 credit note and then it can be used within a certain time or passed onto a friend to use?

I wouldn't feel obliged to offer a refund but I do think the credit note idea is a good one, with a 3 month time limit. That way you may pick up another client.

The way it's always been worked out in the salons I have worked in, is keep a separate note book with the client's name, amount purchased, amount used, and what is left, dates.

We would cross out say 25 and write remaining 5 to use, sign it, and give it back to the customer.

You don't want to get in giving the customer back cash.

Thanks for all your replies
Flesh and Bone, i see where your coming from but it may put the buyer off of purchasing more gift vouchers in the future.
Scottishthisle, like the idea of giving credit note, with, as Georgous suggested a 3 month time limit - although not transferable to anyone else - that way choice is hers, rebook or lose it.
Thanks Tanya, written record a must, dated and with the clients signature - as back up should the voucher go astray.
Thanks guys, thats sorted that one out.

Its no different to say someone buying you a book token worth £30, you only spend £25, so you have £5 remaining. It is then your choice whether you spend the rest there and then, go back at a later date and put it towards something else, or you put it in your purse and forget about it!

On our salon gift vouchers I write the amount purchased. When they redeem it and there is some remaining, I cross out the original amount and write in the remaining and hand it back to the client. Then it's their choice. Easy.

That's exactly what I do - although I sometimes also encourage them to use it towards retail!

i do that too.

I've never had a client ask for cash back instead. I think its well known that a voucher can't be exchanged for cash.

I also have a 6 month limit on my gift vouchers to encourage people to use them sooner rather than later and find that in 6 months, whenever it is brought there will either be Summer or Christmas, which is when a lot of people want treatments.

Exactly the same here

Totally agree with everyone above.
You didn't say if you were getting pre made gift vouchers ie £5 £10 ect or if you were going to use the ones you write on. But if you are having them printed why not get your printer to do you some £1 vouchers that way if there is a couple of pounds left after the treatment you just give the client the odds back that way. If not then the credit note is a great idea.xxx

I've not come across this problem but if I did I would extend the treatment to cover the extra cost e.g do 10 mins more massage e.t.c so they get the full benefit or as others have said give them the option of using the left over credit at a later date.

Agree...I think that is only fair.

No cash change given.....not ever lol

I would give a £5.00 voucher back. She can then use it or give it away!