Beware of ****s on Woolworths gift cards.

I was gifted a Woolworths gift card from my boss. Not wanting to blow it until there was something I really wanted I put it away for around 6 weeks before trying to use it. I had lost the slip that it came with at the time, so I did a balance enquiry at the till which shows a R1000,00 available. However when it came to purchasing this card would not work. I contacted the gift card division, and that was where the problems started, and we have now been going backwards and forwards for nearly 3 months. I was told that this card had been used at two different stores (neither of which I had set foot in). They have demanded that I produce proof of purchase for them to investigate further. I do not have this... I never purchased the card, it was a gift. I have approached my boss about it, but he cannot recall the exact date of purchase, he remembers exactly where he bought it, but also has no receipt (it was a cash purchase, and the fact that it is now months later - he didn't retain the slip either). It has been suggested by Woolworths employee that this card has been cloned and used. How can this be possible unless it has happened internally since the card never left my possession. And why does the balance still show at the original purchase amount when scanned? I have reached the end of my tether... do Woolworths expect me to just forget about R1000.00? - this is an awful lot of money to me at the moment since I got retrenched 3 months ago. I am feeling cheated by Woolworths as gift cards are purchased in good faith, who would expect them to be subject to ****s like bank cards... at least my bank will investigate and reimburse me if a *****ulent transaction has happened that I was not responsible for. Woolworths is not even looking at the transactions that happened on this card.

Very disappointed in one of our most premium brands.