After dissolution

Vouchers can be exchanged again

The market town of Rankweil.(Bild: Marktgemeinde Rankweil/ Bernd Oswald )

Thanks to the consumer advocates of the Vorarlberg Chamber of Labor, the scandal surrounding suddenly invalidated vouchers from the Rankweil-Vorderland merchants' association has come to an end.

Shopping vouchers are a popular gift, and companies in particular often use them as bonuses for their employees. Many municipalities and regions in Vorarlberg offer this model. The Rankweil-Vorderland merchants' association also issued shopping vouchers that could be used as a means of payment in participating stores in the region.

However, this good cause came to an abrupt end: the Kaufmannschaft dissolved as an association on December 31, 2022 and the vouchers lost their validity. They were temporarily offered in exchange for vouchers from the municipal marketing department, until it was announced in spring that they could no longer be exchanged.

Of course, some voucher holders did not want to accept this and contacted the Vorarlberg Chamber of Labor. The consumer advocates intervened and contacted the association and the market town of Rankweil several times. With success: in the fall, the paper vouchers still in circulation from the Kaufmannschaft can be exchanged again for current voucher cards from the Rankweil municipal marketing department. However, voucher holders must register in advance by sending an email to [e-mail]. But be careful: if the pre-registration is not made by October 31 at the latest, the vouchers will lose their value for good.

AK consumer advocate Sebastian Sturn-Knall is satisfied with the solution that has been found: "We are delighted that community marketing is now taking over the exchange of vouchers again. At the same time, we hope that the available funds will be sufficient to ensure that all people who still have old vouchers from the merchant's office really get their money's worth."