Troubleshooter: Durham man's $150 gift card comes up short, funds returned

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Gift cards are easy to give, but nothing worse when you give one as a gift and the person you gave it to reports back to you that there is nothing on it. That's what happened to DeWayne Stewart after he gave a $150 gift card to his goddaughter for Christmas.

He was shocked when she told him the card could not be activated. He called the number on the back of the card and was told to send specific information. Stewart said he was asked for personal information.

"Send a copy of driver's license, receipt and front and back of gift card," Stewart said.

He did that and waited.

"I called them and called them trying to get more information and I was basically getting the runaround," he said.

That's when he got fed up and reached out to the I-Team for investigation.

After that, the I-Team got on a three-way call with customer service for the gift cards company and it didn't take long for the company to load the $150 to onto the gift card.

"Thank you guys for getting involved because I don't know where we'd be if you did not."

Troubleshooter takeaways:

The Troubleshooter takeaways when it comes to gift cards. First before buying it, take a look at the packaging and make sure it hasn't been tampered with.

Also, get a receipt that the money is loaded on the card, and keep that proof. When you give it as a gift, make sure you give the person proof of purchase.