This article in the Chicago Tribune’s Consumer Help column tells us a couple of things anyone should know: First, contacting either a newspapers or TV stations consumer help guru is possibly the best way to get stubborn banks or other companies to change their minds and give you what they want. Almost every story I have read in one of these columns has resulted in the company reversing its previous position. Second, ridiculous policies still exist for gift cards, like in the reference article where a Visa gift card expires and loses ALL of its value in less than one year. Despite the best efforts of legislators, this behavior will continue, as trickery is the way many companies and most banks make their money these days. With gift cards, you must ALWAYS be on your toes, even after the new gift card laws take effect next year.