Get Your Money's Worth!

Don't you just hate it when you spend your hard-earned money on something and it doesn't meet your expectations?  It's so disappointing!  Well, you don't just have to shrug your shoulders and hope for better luck next time.  There are ways to get your money's worth on the products you buy! 

I have had great luck with calling or emailing companies when I was not satisfied with a product.  Most recently I bought a box of herbal tea that sounded delicious.  I made one cup and it was AWFUL.  Probably not defective in any way, but I just couldn't stand the taste or smell of it.  I was pretty annoyed with spending $4 on fancy tea and throwing it all in the trash.  So I got on the company's website and found their customer service email.  I emailed with a polite tone and was totally honest about what happened.  They got back to me within a day and have since sent me 3 coupons for a FREE box of their tea (I will be trying a different flavor for sure!). 

I also called Coca Cola once when I got a can of regular Coke in with my 12 pack of Diet Coke.  She was very appreciative of me calling because she said that they want to know when there are "quality control" issues.  She took down lots of information from the package and sent me a coupon for a free 12 pack of Coke! 

Many products offer "money back guarantees" if you are not satisfied for any reason.  I do not believe in getting refunds from products that offer a "money back guarantee" unless I was truly dissatisfied with the product, but if you truly didn't like the product or if it didn't meet your needs, let them know!

The key here is that you need to be polite and honest.  Don't call companies demanding a refund or yell at the customer service representative (none of you would do that, I'm sure!).  A little friendliness goes a long way.  Also, just be honest.  If you just didn't like the product...tell them.  If there was something wrong with the product, describe exactly what you found and they will likely be thanking you for helping them make their product better.  Lastly, tell them what you would like.  If you feel you deserve a refund and they don't offer it, ask (nicely) if it would be possible. 

And one more tip...it doesn't hurt to call or email the company if you LOVED the product, either!  They like getting good feedback and many times they will send you coupons for their products just for being a loyal customer.