Question: Hee Hing Restaurant apparently is not reopening. I have several gift cards, and I am trying to figure out how I am going to get paid on these things. I would appreciate any assistance you can give.
Answer: You didn’t specify what type of gift card you hold. Whether you get your money back might depend on whether the gift card was purchased directly from Hee Hing (in which case the restaurant should have a record of the purchase, and promises a refund) or whether you bought it at a charity event or through some other third party (in which case the restaurant does not offer refunds and you might wish to file a complaint with the state Office of Consumer Protection).
We called attorney James H.Q. Lee, whose father founded the popular family restaurant in 1963 and whose family still owns the Kapahulu Avenue property. He confirmed that what had been envisioned as six months of renovations when the restaurant closed in April 2014 has stretched into an indefinite closure of four or five years at least. He promised a refund if you can supply the serial number of the gift card, to ensure that it was one purchased from the restaurant and not redeemed. Write to him care of 449 Kapahulu Ave. Suite 101, Honolulu, HI 96815. Be sure to include a photocopy of the gift card, with the serial number visible. Also include your email address or phone number, should he need to contact you for more information.
“We would gladly refund it if it was a purchased gift card that we have a record for,” said Lee, adding that he reviewed records before the restaurant closed and could recall “hardly any gift cards, if any, that were outstanding.” The restaurant had advised customers in March 2014, through the media, to redeem all gift cards and certificates by April 15, 2014.
Lee cites the legal distinction between gift cards purchased by customers and gift certificates that the restaurant donated to charities for those nonprofit groups to use in their fundraising events, such as silent auctions. Whatever a customer paid for a certificate like that went to charity, not Hee Hing, and might not equal the full value of the certificate. The restaurant offers no refunds for those types of certificates, if any are outstanding, Lee said.
While it’s true that donated gift certificates do not fall under Hawaii’s gift certificate law, which is codified in section 481B-13 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, general consumer-protection laws might apply, said Stephen H. Levins, executive director of the state Office of Consumer Protection. “Whether a recipient of a donated gift certificate is entitled to recover the value of the certificate from the issuer depends on several factors which cannot be determined without examining all of the factors associated with this matter,” he said, which would require an active complaint.
There are no gift-card complaints pending against Hee Hing, he said. To file one, see cca.hawaii.gov/ocp/consumer-complaint or call 587-4272 on Oahu.
Q: I am a disabled senior citizen facing eviction. Please help. I am desperate.
A: Numerous government agencies and nonprofit groups assist low-income and needy kupuna. Please try not to lose hope. You mentioned in a follow-up message that you believe you are being discriminated in housing placement because of your disability, so we would suggest you call the Hawaii Disability Rights Center and ask to speak to an intake officer. The toll-free number is 800-882-1057, or you can email info@hawaiidisabilityrights.org. You can also check the organization’s website, at www.hawaiidisabilityrights.org, for more information.
Mahalo
I want to express my mahalo to a nice young lady who stopped and assisted me when my vehicle broke down at the corner of Ward Avenue and Young Street. I am sorry I made you late to work. Mahalo also to the two of Honolulu’s finest! — A Grateful Reader
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
