Persistence often pays off.
Let me preface this by saying I really appreciate those who work at call centers. They actually choose to clock in, knowing the majority of the people they talk to are going to be upset and taking out their frustrations on them.
For this reason, I always tell the person I am about to vent to that I am frustrated with the company, not them, and that they do not get paid enough to deal with people like me. (Morgan would agree! 😉 )
That said, I also tend not to get off the phone until I get what I want. It is very possible to do this without raising my voice or threatening them in any way. In fact, these tactics rarely work.
Case study: I made a purchase from the Home Depot’s website last week. Their vendor sent the wrong product. Unfortunately, I had planned on using this product for a project yesterday.
First, I followed the instructions on the invoice and contacted a customer service representative via text. This process was slow and the person could not help me. I asked for a phone number and thanked them for their time.
I called the phone number and, while the young lady was friendly and understanding, she, too, could not help. The best she could do was have me order the item again and return the incorrect item. This would have caused me to lose the special financing received when placing the original order. I thanked her for her assistance and asked her to connect me with someone who could make things right, as it was not my fault someone in a warehouse grabbed the wrong item. She put me through to the resolutions department.
The woman in the resolutions department was able to get the job done. She ordered a replacement item at no charge to me and emailed me a gift card for $30 (30% of the item’s cost) for the inconvenience. I will return the incorrect item AFTER the replacement is received (hopefully they send the right thing this time!).
Had I given up after either the text person or the first customer service representative, I would have lost not only my special financing, but also the $30 gift card. The entire process took less than 30 minutes.
This is just one of the skills taught in the Money Mom Academy. It is definitely a skill and takes some practice to master, but anyone can learn the art of negotiation.
Whether you would like to be the go-to money person for your friends and family or would simply like to change the trajectory of your financial future, DM me to discuss whether the Money Mom Academy is right for you. It is the only financial course that combines knowledge and mindset, grows with you, has no end date so you can learn at your own pace, diving deeper each time you revisit it, and has a ton of support to help you along the way.