I was visiting a facility that uses cards for the vending machines in the visiting room. The card is only good in the facility you purchase it from. Incidentally, not all facilities charge the same amount for the cards. I was talking to some people who said they had purchased a card at a different facility, then their loved one was transferred to the one we were at. They tried to get a refund. They turned the card in, but didn’t get anything back. Now they don’t have the card, and no way of retrieving it. I don’t know if they have since received the refund.

That got me thinking about what does one do in situations like that. My loved one was transferred from a place that used quarters to a card situation. If one leaves a card facility and goes to another facility, or even is sent home, how does one get the money off of it. You can send the card in like it is posted, but what proof do you have that you sent it in. You could take a picture of the letter or note, and the card, but all the cards look alike, so what good will that do?

I am wondering if any of you have had this experience and if you ever got your refund. I can only think of two other possible solutions. The first is to sell or give it to someone who still has someone in that facility. The second option is to hang on to it in case he is transferred back to the same facility. If you end up with multiple cards from various facilities, and you are hanging on to them, make sure and find a way to identify which facility they come from.