I am too polite. Iāve never sent a dish back at a restaurant or asked to talk to the manager. Iāll often have to write out a script before I ask for a well-justified refund. Horrifyingly enough, Iāve even chuckled uncomfortably and walked briskly away when a man snapped my ass with a towel. (To be fair, I donāt know if that last example was out of politeness or fear for my life. The joys of womanhood.)
Being a little less āpoliteā and asking for what I want something Iām working on. In particular, Iāve been working on reconciling charges that I would otherwise let goā either because I was too polite to ask for a refund or too lazy to reconcile a $3.00 overcharge.
This past month, I was complaining to my husband that once again, the ADHD tax got me and I forgot to cancel our Samās Club membership before it renewed. He shrugged it offā it was only $49, but I couldnāt let it go. So I did some Googling. Most of what I saw suggested that you couldnāt get your money back once you were charged, but one website did give me the magic words: āSamās Club 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee.ā I called, explained the situation, used the magic words and *poof* got my money back. It felt like I pulled a rabbit out of my hat.
This month I also got up the gumption to ask for a refund on Motherās Day flowers that didnāt arrive on time. And guess what? I got a refund! I also just simply said āNo thanksā and walked away when an item at the checkout rung up a different price and the cashier couldnāt change it.
(Hot tip from someone who used to work at Target: if you say that an item is a different price and itās less than a $10 difference, weād change the price without asking any questions. I donāt know if this still works, as I, like a lot of people, are boycotting Target, but this may work at other retailers too.)
Now is the $150 I saved this month standing up for myself going to change my life? No, itās not. But standing up for myself is a muscle and letās be real, in Trumpās economy, every penny counts.