Question: What are my rights as a customer if I have a gift card or purchased something from a business that closed due to COVID-19?

Answer passage (source: Australia):
page_title: COVID-19 (coronavirus) information for consumers
section_headers: Business closures
I have a gift card, or have paid for a series of services in advance, and the business has gone under.
section_content: 
If a business has become insolvent, you may become an ‘unsecured creditor’ if you have: 
bought or received a gift card and have not used it
been issued with a credit note
paid in advance for products or services.


If the business continues to trade under control of an external administrator, you may still receive products or services that you paid for, and/or still be able to use gift cards or credit notes. However, the business may also refuse to accept gift cards or credits as a form of payment.
Whether and how the business will honour specific transactions will be announced by the external administrator. You should follow the directions given by the administrator for these transactions. For example, the administrator may honour gift cards by requiring an additional dollar be spent for every dollar used on the gift card.
If the business ceases trading, consumers will generally become unsecured creditors. You will need to register with the external administrator as an ordinary unsecured creditor to seek to recover your money. The insolvency process will determine whether you receive any payment at all. The Corporations Act 2001 regulates the order in which external administrators and liquidators repay money owed by a company to secured and unsecured creditors.
Please see our guidance on when a business goes bust for further information.


Reviewer feedback on this answer:
This answer specifically says what you can do when you buy something from a business that went under during the coronavirus.  It's a good answer.
This lists in detail the rights a gift card holder has when a business has permanently closed, under various different circumstances.

Reviewer ratings:
Excellent
Excellent

Answer passage (source: Australia):
page_title: COVID-19 (coronavirus) information for consumers
section_headers: Business closures
A business that has possession of my item for repair or alteration has temporarily closed.
section_content: 
If a business has possession of your item for repair or alteration, you should first check the terms and conditions of your contract with the service provider to see when you are entitled to get the item back.
You may also have rights under the Australian Consumer Law. The consumer guarantees provide that services such as repairs and alterations must be delivered in a reasonable time when there is no agreed end date.
If the service has not yet been provided by the business and is unlikely to be delivered in a reasonable time, you may be entitled to cancel the contract, have any money already paid refunded to you, and the item returned — although this position will be different if the business is prevented from supplying services as a direct result of Government restrictions.
If the service has been already been provided by the business, you may be required to complete payment of any unpaid amounts before being entitled to get the item back.
The ACCC expects that, given the exceptional circumstances, once you have fully paid for the service, the business should make reasonable endeavours to return your item to you, even if its physical stores are temporarily closed. This could include providing a way for you to collect the item in person, or delivering the item to you where appropriate.
You should contact the business directly to discuss options for the return of your item.
Depending on your circumstances, you may also have rights under common law, contract or state bailment legislation.
State and territory consumer protection agencies may be able to assist with guidance involving relevant state legislation. Consumers may also wish to seek independent legal advice about whether they may have a remedy under common law, contract or state legislation.


Reviewer feedback on this answer:
This answer talks about consumer rights after buying something from a store during the coronavirus.  I think that it addresses the question.
This is about items that a business was repairing or altering when they went out of business. It does not mention gift cards.

Reviewer ratings:
Excellent
Bad

Answer passage (source: Australia):
page_title: COVID-19 (coronavirus) information for consumers
section_headers: Business closures
I have a gift card which is about to expire while the business is temporarily closed.
section_content: 
The ACCC expects all businesses to honour and extend gift card expiry dates to cover any period that the card was unable to be used due to the business's closure.
If you have a gift card which will expire while a business is in hibernation, you may wish to contact the business directly to negotiate an alternative arrangement.
Many businesses are continuing to trade in some capacity, so you may still be able to use your gift card or voucher even if the business’s physical stores are closed.
However, if you are unable to use your gift card or voucher because of the terms and conditions the business has placed on it (for example, a gift card that can only be used in a physical store where the business is trading in an online capacity only during the COVID-19 restrictions), the ACCC expects the business to provide you with some form of remedy, such as: 
reimbursement of the amount remaining on the gift card or voucher
extending the expiry period of the gift card or voucher to give it an expiration date which is long enough to allow you to use the credit note or voucher
amending the terms and conditions on the gift card or voucher to enable you to use it online.




Reviewer feedback on this answer:
The answer does not mention rights as such, but mentions things that the businesses should do to deal with gift cards expiring while businesses are temporarily closed. It also does not mention anything about permanently closed businesses.
The answer talks about using a gift card in a business during the coronavirus.  It's not specific to the question, but the information would be helpful.

Reviewer ratings:
Acceptable
Could be Improved