I have a valid 2026 voucher.
Red Balloon tells me that the company involved has gone bust and is no longer honouring vouchers.
I DON'T CARE!!
I am entitled to a refund
under consumer law.
I have not made a booking.
RB has my money.
I want my money back.
Simples.

Hi Craig Rickard, we appreciate your frustration, and understand you've spoken with one of our Senior Staff yesterday. As per your discussion, your voucher has past the 18 month validity period for the experience and is valid towards any other experience on our site until 2026. We are also unable to refund you for a purchase you did not make. Please feel free to PM us if you would like assistance in using your voucher.

to Red Balloon:
thankyou for your speedy public reply.
For the benefit of others I will give more details here:

* the purchasing public has a right
to know how Red Balloon deals with such unusual situations.

* my voucher for this experience has an expiry date of Dec 2026.

this was a change and guarantee legislated by the government due
to covid that ALL vouchers now have a 5 year limit or are unlimited.

*your '18 month validity period' is a condition of your making.
it goes against the current consumer rights legislation.

your '18 month validity' condition means the holder
of the voucher does NOT get that legislated 5 year time period.

*this case is unusual in that the company you had a contract with to supply this experience has withdrawn it.
I consider Red Balloon had a responsibilty to advise all such voucher holders
of this fact.

*I was not made aware of this fact.
only that I wanted
to book and could not find it on your website did I ring RB.

* had I been informed I would have requested a refund at that time.

* I have a valid voucher that has been paid for.
the statement that "we are unable to refund you for a purchase you did not make" makes no sense in this context.
RB has my money. RB cannot supply the service. I am entitled to a refund.

*the legalities of your position will be adjudicated by Fair Trading in the first instance and then the Small Claims Tribunal.

I would claim costs in SCT if I am successful and also seek an order that Red Balloon remunerate ALL customers in this situation.
this is how commercial laws can be changed. as you are aware it is a requirement that I seek resolution with RB first. I then having done that to state to you my intentions.

*this could have been a common sense and good will gesture to refund me the value of my voucher in this unusual case.

Now - it is generating negativity and doubt about a company with which I have never had a previous problem.
'it's NOT that these things happen. it's what Red Balloon management DOES ABOUT them when they do' . . to demonstrate fairness and integrity.

*the purchasing public will make up their own minds.
I give you fair warning that you may wish to offer similar rebuttals on Product ReviewTrustpilot and Word of Mouth websites.

*please make no further comment here and refer this FB exchange vote your legal department.
I will accept an ex gratia payment of my voucher purchase price as full and total resolution if they decide it is a more commercially sensible alternative.

*all the very best. this is a legal dispute not a personal one.

The Gift Voucher has a condition of 18 months of use, which is so tiny that you can barely read it. Upon following it up with the company they dismiss any responsibility about how tiny the writing is and thus if you wish to still use the voucher on the experience after the 18 months surprise you have to pay more. Its a have; if they respect their customers the conditions of its use should be clearly visible and not placed in writing so small the most customers would not be aware of that.

Approximate cost: $900

This company you should avoid at all costs. We have a $100 voucher that is absolutely impossible to use due to the tight restrictions on every chance to spend it. If you want our voucher, which we have had for 12 months for our wedding, we have been unable to spend. You want it, I will send it to you! This company is rubbish. All about the companies as advertising not the clients.

Approximate cost: $100

I was gifted a voucher for Christmas and am really impressed by the price range options. There are what seem to me to be enjoyable experiences for $20 and $200, I really like the choices. The voucher is also valid for 3 years which is handy.

Had some issues with the voucher I brought and found the run around quite time consuming and wasting. That said eventually was worked out for the family.

Approximate cost: $350

I browsed through the RedBallon website last Christmas to find late Chrismas present for my partner. There was so much to choose from! Eventually I booked a Helicoper Flight. He was very happy with that and enjoyed the trip flying around Sydney.

Approximate cost: $300

My husband experienced the best day of his life when he went in the race car. Red ballon is very popular and you have to book early. It is great quality for the price.

Recently bought a present for a work colleague that was leaving our workplace, great present ideas.
Red Balloon has a great website to browse around in.
Red Balloon is very popular also, i have had many people refer me to Red Balloon, but never bought on it.
I was impressed

I brought a race car experience for my dad and it was one of the best days of his life. The prices are great for the opportunities. The staff were great to talk to over the phone. If you are a thrill seeker or just want to go to a restaraunt this is for you!

Red Balloon is a good present idea if you have a lot of people chipping in and want to give them a memorable experience. However keep in mind the prices for each activity is very expensive. I booked a 3 night getaway in the South Coast and it was over $600. The stay was amazing, but very costly. I've never had an issue with them, so I'd recommend this if you have the funds. If not, stick with Groupon/Scoopon stays.