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Gift certificate has
built-in 2-year window

Question: Can you insist that a gift certificate be redeemed after the expiration date? Can you insist on cash back if the purchase is less than the stated amount? Must you make a purchase in order to redeem a gift certificate?

Answer: State law says that gift certificates should be honored for at least two years after the date of issuance, unless they were issued as part of an award or promotional program.

If no expiration date is on the certificate, then it should be honored indefinitely.

However, there is a "twist" to the expiration issue, noted Stephen Levins, executive director of the state Office of Consumer Protection.

"If someone hasn't redeemed (a gift certificate) within the two-year period, it may be considered abandoned property," he said.

The store or restaurant has three additional years in which to hold onto the certificate before it should be sent to the state as unclaimed property, Levins said. Property -- including gift certificates -- that is unclaimed after five years is presumed abandoned.

The holder of an expired certificate could go to the state Budget and Finance Department, which handles abandoned property, and make a claim, Levins said.

Regarding getting cash -- whether as change or instead of making a purchase -- Levins said there is no obligation on the part of a merchant to provide cash. Merchants have the option of issuing merchandise credit for the unused balance of a gift certificate.

"The law does not mandate" that all this be explained on the certificate itself, Levins said.

Meanwhile, here's some good news for purchasers or recipients of gift certificates: Effective July 1, issuers of gift certificates will be prohibited from charging a service fee, either to purchase a certificate or for "dormancy" or inactivity, Levins said.

Q: Can police monitor the handicapped-parking stalls at where Blockbuster and L&L Drive In are located in Kailua? It seems that many customers picking up food, especially during lunch and dinner times on weekends, use those stalls as a personal loading zone. We have a disabled parking placard but couldn't get into either of the two stalls because someone parked smack dab in the middle of the stalls to wait while his kid ran in to order takeout food.

A: Honolulu police officers, as well as disabled-parking enforcement workers, will monitor the area.

However, there is a shortage of volunteers who help enforce the city's disabled-parking laws for the Kailua-Kaneohe area, as well as for the North Shore.

Call Sgt. Bart Canada of HPD's Traffic Division at 529-3136 or 529-3676 to volunteer. You have to be at least 21 and in "reasonably good health," because walking is required.

Volunteers are required to work a minimum of five hours a week or 20 hours a month and attend eight-hour training classes, among other things. The next training is set to begin in February, so call soon if interested.

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