Well Heeled Blog > refunds

Get the Best Deal: Ask for Price Adjustment

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Do you ever make a purchase and a day or two later, realize that the item is on sale for cheaper than you had bought it for? That has happened to me more than once. Fortunately, most retailers have a price adjustment policy, so getting a lower price might be as easy as making a phone call or sending an email.

How to get a price adjustment

  • Check the policies. Some places allow a price adjustment within 7 days of purchase, others give you 2 weeks or more. Sometimes price adjustments can only occur on non-sale items or non-final sale items.
  • Request the adjustment. Companies won’t do it unless you ask. Many stores will accept a request via email. If not, I find that a quick call to the customer service department works wonders. Be sure to have the order number on hand for a quick resolution
  • If you are not sure of the policy (or even if the company doesn’t have a policy), it never hurts to ask. Reiterate how much you enjoy buying from the company, and that you’d like to receive a price adjustment.
  • If all else fails, see if you can make a purchase at the new lower price and return the item purchased at the higher price. Make sure that the item you ordered can be returned for a refund if you decide to go this route.

Just yesterday evening, I realized that a little black dress I ordered from Gap last weekend has dropped in price from $59.99 to $44.99. Plus, there was a new 30% off coupon to boot! Of course, I immediately called to request a price adjustment. The customer representative couldn’t match the new price with the coupon, so she ordered me a new dress and told me I can return the previous order for a refund. It will take a little extra legwork on my end, but I don’t mind. That extra savings immediately went to a delicious Chinese dinner last night!

I Like Getting Tax Refunds

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tax refund I Like Getting Tax Refunds

The running line among personal finance experts is that those who get tax refunds are simpletons who can’t do basic math or spendthrifts who have no self-control. After all, a tax refund is essentially an interest-free loan to the government for a year. The popular thinking goes: if you readjust your tax forms and muster the discipline to put that money into savings account, you can reap the benefits of the interest!

Well, I don’t think I’m a simpleton or a spendthrift. I understand that refunds are not “free money”, and I don’t depend on the forced savings mechanism of the refund, but I still like tax refunds.

Yesterday I sat down and finished all my taxes in one go. I will be receiving $2,000+ in Federal and State refunds. Though I didn’t purposefully try to get a big refund (I withheld at my 2008 rate but had lower income in 2009 because of unemployment, also, I withheld for federal income taxes on unemployment payouts), I am happy about every penny of that money.

The forgone interest on my refund is minimal; 1% on $2,000 is $20 (which is taxable). Also, I’d rather err on the side of overpaying taxes than have to fork over money in April, or worse, have to suffer underpayment penalties.

image source: foreclosure.com

Getting the Stupid Tax Waived: Paid Credit Card Bill 3 Days Late

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Due to the hustle and bustle of the past few weeks, I paid my credit card bill 3 days late. That means I was subject to paying a “stupid tax” of $39.00 in late fee and $8.56 in finance charge. *grimace*

I shouldn’t have forgotten. Still, I called the credit card company, spoke to a nice man, and explained my situation. I feel kind of stupid to make the call (as it was clearly my fault), but I figured it doesn’t hurt to ask.

Here’s the basic gist of the conversation:

Me: Hello, I am calling in regards to my credit card payment for the previous month. I had a really busy time and paid my credit card bill late. I understand it’s my fault. But I’ve been a good customer and have always paid my bills on time, can you waive or decrease my late fee?
Customer Rep: Yes I see that you’ve been with us for a long time. We certainly appreciate your business. Let me see what I can do.
Me: (listens to music for 10 minutes)
Customer Rep: Thanks for holding. Can I ask what happened during that the last payment date that made you late?
Me: Things were just really busy and I forgot about the due date until two days afterwards. By the time my payment posted to the account, the bill was 3 days overdue.
Customer Rep: I understand, these things happen. But I see that you’ve been a great customer, and so I will go ahead and credit your late fee and finance charge.
Me: Thank you!!

It’s not often that you get off a call to a company in a better mood than you got on, but I was very happy with my customer service experience. Now, I know that not all experiences will go like this – I’ve heard of accounts where people had to escalate the matter to managers or threaten to close the account before they can get the fees waived. Maybe I got lucky with my representative (I suspect he’s a manager), but I think the key to getting late fees waived is:

1. Be a good customer (i.e. one who has a history of paying on time).
2. Be polite to the representative – nobody wants to help a jerk.
3. Acknowledge your responsibility and don’t make excuses – keep it short and simple.
4. Ask nicely (but ask!). No matter how great a customer you are, the company won’t offer to waive your fees if you don’t ask.

Trader Joe’s and the Mystery of the Spoiled Milk

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A week ago, I purchased a 1/2 gallon of milk from Trader Joe’s for $1.49. The expiration date was for August 26. On Sunday, I used it to make French toast – and everything came out fine. When I poured the milk into the glass, however, I knew it had gone bad. Instead of a fragrant milkiness, there’s a weird aftertaste.

I thought about just dumping out the milk and chalking it up to a fluke, but I had only finished half the bottle. So even though I felt a little strange about it (it’s only $1.50, after all, and I didn’t have my receipt anymore), I decided to head back to Trader Joe’s and ask for a refund.

Just to be safe, I lugged the bottle of milk with me. At Trader Joe’s, I went to the customer service desk and explained the situation to the crew member. The nice gentlemen behind the desk immediately wrote me a refund for $1.49. “You can smell the milk,” I said eagerly. But he made a face and shook his head. Hah! That was probably the smart decision. (I smelled the milk and it was definitely funky!) 

I left the store with a new 1/2 gallon of milk and a further appreciation of Trader Joe’s customer service. I still have no idea what happened – maybe I just got a bad batch, or the date was mislabeled, etc. Anyone with a theory, please feel free to chime in! 

But at least now I have a new bottle of milk. So lessons learned: if the food is bad or spoiled, Trader Joe’s will issue a replacement / refund promptly. It never hurts to ask!