All smiles for Dublin camera shop as it honours 15 year old voucher

One of Dublin’s most venerable camera outlets has earned praise after it honoured a gift voucher first purchased more than 15 years ago.

Conns Cameras on Clarendon St made the gesture after a couple brought the voucher, bought in December 2000, into the store on Tuesday morning last.

The couple brought in the voucher, which was for a three-figure sum and in Irish punts, because they had found it in the back of a drawer and were passing the shop.

According to Gareth Craig, IT and communications manager in Conns Cameras, the couple were surprised when staff simply worked out the euro equivalent and said they would honour it.

“They were so surprised we would ever honour it that they didn’t know what they were going to buy,” he said.

We're used to people coming back with Gift Vouchers in January, but here's a blast from the past!
Bought in Dec 2000 pic.twitter.com/HuSrXR7xvn

— Conns Cameras (@ConnsCameras) January 5, 2016

It isn’t even the oldest voucher the shop has honoured in recent years. Two years ago someone else brought in a voucher dating back to 1968 — the year the shop was established — and it was honoured.

“It was so old and [the amount] so low we doubled up the worth of it,” Mr Craig said.

Mike Conn, who alongside his brother Bob now runs the shop first opened by their father, said a voucher was “an act of faith and a compliment to your business, so why would you turn around and say their money is no longer their money?

“You would have to be bloody stupid to refuse as it does nothing for you — you have to look at the bigger picture.”

The gesture drew praise from the Dublin-based European Consumer Centre, which advised customers to try and use vouchers as quickly as possible so they do not lose their value.

Last year it emerged the Government was planning to ban expiry dates on gift vouchers as part of changes to consumer law.