What is the best way to ask for a refund or discount?
When talking to a customer service representative for a bad product/service.
No, in all honesty you have to educate yourself with the return policy of most institutions- and shop accordingly. Some places like Nordstrom are notorious for having great return policies, while others could care less.
The problem most people run into is the way they complain. They yell. They argue. They talk about how THEY are unhappy with the product/service. How THEY DESERVE to get their money refunded.
Newflash: Noone cares what you deserve. They only care how this affects them, their job, and their business.
Put yourself in their shoes, and repeat these words.
"I have been a long time customer of your company, and I always recommend your (products/service) to my friends and family because of your excellent customer service . This is the first time I have found myself unhappy. What can we do to resolve this situation?"
This works best on managers because it gives them (as a representative of the company) a reputation to live up to. It puts the ball in their court and gives them an opportunity to correct the situation which usually means either a refund or exchange.
I have used this technique and 9/10 times it has worked flawlessly.
At the very least you can develop a reputation with a manager, so when you return you can go directly to them and get exceptional service. Be sure to remember their name though.
5 Answers
No, in all honesty you have to educate yourself with the return policy of most institutions- and shop accordingly. Some places like Nordstrom are notorious for having great return policies, while others could care less.
The problem most people run into is the way they complain. They yell. They argue. They talk about how THEY are unhappy with the product/service. How THEY DESERVE to get their money refunded.
Newflash: Noone cares what you deserve. They only care how this affects them, their job, and their business.
Put yourself in their shoes, and repeat these words.
"I have been a long time customer of your company, and I always recommend your (products/service) to my friends and family because of your excellent customer service . This is the first time I have found myself unhappy. What can we do to resolve this situation?"
This works best on managers because it gives them (as a representative of the company) a reputation to live up to. It puts the ball in their court and gives them an opportunity to correct the situation which usually means either a refund or exchange.
I have used this technique and 9/10 times it has worked flawlessly.
At the very least you can develop a reputation with a manager, so when you return you can go directly to them and get exceptional service. Be sure to remember their name though.
Don't complain to the extent that you sound like a whiny little brat. Rather, explain what went wrong and simply ask them what they are willing to do to make it right.
Having been on the receiving end of the "I've been a long time loyal customer" it's ridiculously easy to tell who the long time loyal customers are, and who thinks they can use this statement as a bargaining chip.
The long time customers never say this, and the ones who do 9 times out of 10 have made one or two purchases. The only reason we appease them at all is to simply get them out of the store.
I agree with David, when he says don't sound like brat when you complain. If something went wrong, then explain the situation. A good company will acknowledge where they went wrong and try to make it up to you. And if you are indeed a loyal customer, then a large number of exceptions to certain policies can be made.
The whole "I've been a long time loyal customer" line does nothing for you. I worked as a manager of a large electronics retailer and it almost hurts more than help to say that. It sounds fake. Show up with a stack of receipts and you can say this. Stores care about future purchases and for most stores, their image.
The best way is to let the person know you are mad at the situation, NOT THEM. If you are mad at the person in particular, ask to talk to someone else. You don't need to specifically ask for a supervisor or manager. Empower the associate to make that call, they know they have lost control and want to hand it off anyway.
Make sure you say what you want! More often than not people come into a store kicking and screaming without even saying what you want. If you get a crappy manager who doesn't ask "what do you want?" both of you will get nowhere. Have a clear goal of what is an acceptable solution to the problem. Do not be unreasonable and/or unmovable.
Try to understand it from both sides. Be prepared to compromise. Offer to split the cost of labour or buy a new item at cost, half price, etc). Give the manager ideas on how to make you happy because most of them don't know how to do their own job.
If it's over something small, like under $50 and you have to talk to a higher power to get what you want than mention that not only is it insulting to the initial employee that isn't allowed to make a $50 decision but it's insulting to their corporate image that they are willing to bicker over <$50. "Why am I still standing here asking for this?" "Why are you wasting all of our time with this? Just do it and keep a happy customer."
Lastly, never exaggerate the amount of time you have waited. I once got my room upgraded in Vegas because I said to the lady "I've been sitting here for 25 minutes.... no sorry I hate it when people exaggerate how long they have been waiting. It's been about 15 minutes, but it's felt like 25."
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Be nice and keep your cool. Explain how the product didn't live up to your expectations and how disappointed you are.
Asking for a refund or discount for a product vs service are two very different things. You can't really ask for a refund on service, so remind them how often you receive their service and how loyal you are and ask for a discount. For a product describe how it doesn't meet your needs/didn't live up to your expectations and ask if they have something else. Remember that you will never get what you don't ask for. Don't be afraid to ask to speak to their supervisor/manager but always praise the previous person indicating that unfortunately you don't think they can solve your problem.