CVS review: Vanilla gift card

I purchased a $50 Vanilla Visa Gift Card at CVS, store #1768 for a friend who called me to say that the gift card was unusable since it had a slash across the account number on the face of the card. I called the clerk at the store who said that once the card left the store it was my responsibility even though there was no way I could have detected that the card was damaged without opening the seal! What? My husband went back to the store with the receipt and to discuss getting a full reimbursement for both the card and service charge. While there, the clerk discovered that 5 other Vanilla Visa cards all had the same gash across the acct number - my husband surmised it may have been a manufacturing manlfunction. They directed me to go contact VISA which I did - reluctantly - but they were no help in reimbursing me my money right away - they said I had to wait 30 days or more and to return to CVS again to see if they would reimburse me instead. So, I returned once again to speak to the manager but the clerks were evasive about his return - they said try back on Friday and maybe he'll be in. Customer Service personnel seemed monumentally disinterested - lacking in customer service. My friend said Walmart visa gift card purchases were always reimbursed the same day upon presenting a receipt. Visa people said to go back to CVS and try to get a full refund of $50 + the $5.95 service charge.