When the Cost of a Refund is Too High

Refunds are about getting money back, about making you feel better when a service is below parr or you were sent something you didn't want. A "Big 4" supermarket sent me a home delivery and charged me for some duck legs that didn't get packed with the rest of my order. No problem they said we will issue a refund. So sorted....or so I thought. I've got no duck, but hey I can cook something else. Ahh! But it wasn't that simple. First you need to know that my refund was for £3. Here's what happened.

I got an email asking me whether I wanted the refund as (a) an e-coupon code to use with my next order or (b) a refund on my credit card, in which case could I call customer service. The thought of calling a call centre and hanging on the line to get a £3 refund filled me with horror so I opted for the e-voucher. It duly arrived by separate email. It was a complicated code. Of course I forgot to use it on my next order. Then when I did use it, it didn't get deducted by the checkout software. Call I'd been trying to avoid now duly put in to the customer service team. "Oh you have to click the "add voucher" button once you've put the code in...."

So, 2 emails read, 1 call to customer service at my expense, and 3 order deliveries later I finally got my £3 refund. God only knows how much it cost said supermarket in admin, let alone reduction in brand faith.