Getting free stuff from complaining

MascaraMinx

I was just reading the thread about the rude Tesco cashier, and someone suggested putting a complaint in about her as Tesco's might offer some vouchers. It reminded me of when I was a student - I used to complain about any little tiny thing and I almost always got a response and some form of "compensation" for my trouble. My biggest result (!) was when I bought some Chicken Kievs from a large supermarket chain that I thought were a bit iffy when defrosted. So I packed my bit of chicken up and sent it back to them complaining about the quality. I received £12 in supermarket vouchers which, as a student, paid for a whole weeks food!

What is the best free stuff you've got from complaining?

Imelda

I was also a student when I did this.....
I bought a packet of caramel mcvities (they were new then) and when I bit into one, it had no caramel, I bit into the next and again no caramel. The whole packet was like it, so I sent them back, a whole packet of biscuits with one bite taken out of each one! About a week later a box arrived and inside was 24 packets of biscuits! Result!

MascaraMinx

Imelda wrote:

I was also a student when I did this.....
I bought a packet of caramel mcvities (they were new then) and when I bit into one, it had no caramel, I bit into the next and again no caramel. The whole packet was like it, so I sent them back, a whole packet of biscuits with one bite taken out of each one! About a week later a box arrived and inside was 24 packets of biscuits! Result!

:rotfl: I did the same with a pack of Penguins! They were meant to be mixed flavours but they were all plain, so I sent them back and got 48 biscuits through the post!!!!!

angeldeelite

you don't always have to complain. I knew who a guy who just wrote cheesy letters to companies ssaying how much he loved the product. anything from beer to softdrinks and crisps. They always replied saying thanks and quite often with a case of beer/juice etc:rotfl:

Imelda

Are penguins from mcvities too? Right I am off to find fault with a packet of chocolate digestives.........

Biddyrolo

I bought some dry cure bacon which was full of water, I complained to the supermarket and got a £5 voucher and also got a £5 M&S voucher from the food producer. Yay.

newlywed

Bought some jaffa cakes from sainsburys some time back. AS soon as I got home realised they didn't taste quite right and that they were out of date. Got £5 voucher.

complained to Argos about how long our delivery was taking and how much hassle to get a replacement door for the wardrobe as it was damaged on delivery and got £15 voucher.

Mike_St_Helens

I once bought a toilet freshener, you know the type that you hang on the side of the bowl... Well OH went and poo'd in the toilet and knocked the freshener in the loo and flushed it, needless to say it got stuck and jammed in there.

Oh no, OH wouldnt try and unblock it, it wads up to me to wrap my hands in marigolds and binbags and shove my hand down there to retrieve the now not so sweet smelling culprit !

I called them and they said to write in, I did this and way hey £50 quid !

Thats true love that one aint it !

o_Looby_o

I go away with my partner once a month or so and stay in a hotel for the weekend - We live about 300 miles apart and we meet half way. It's the only time we get to see each other.

One time I had an awful time with the hotel when I checked out. I later found out they over charged me (charing me for 3 nights instead of 2). Since my partner and I had been going to this hotel every month for approx 2 years I felt really annoyed that they gave me so much hassle when checking out (it was prepaid before we stayed and they didnt beleive me when I told them this at check out) and then had the nerve to overcharge!

I called the hotel straight away and they apologised and refunded the extra nights payment they took out.

But... I decided to write to them - Complaining at the service and attitude of the receptionist when I checked out. Not expecting anything, but I was in a bad mood!

I got a letter back from the hotel manager apologising and offering my partner and I a free night with brekkie inc at the hotel.

Great! I thought.. we booked our next weekend away and were pleased we only had to pay for 1 night instead of 2. Well......

When I got there, they couldn't do enough for me! Had the manager show me to my room! my bags carried etc.. and when they opened the door to the room, I realised they had given us the BIGGEST suite in the hotel!!! I was very impressed.

Coupon-mad

I bought a multipack of Fox's Echo chocolate biscuit things, and when I bit into one of them it was an orange flavour one (which I hate, a bit like the orange ones in Revels really!). All the rest were original, as they should have been.

This was a few months ago, so I sent it to Fox's with the multipack wrapper, with a sort of 'how did that happen?' letter, telling them that I was disappointed as I don't like the orange ones, but love the normal ones!

Of course they played ball & sent me a nice £5 off Fox's products voucher.:T

Storm

I do this too! I've got an account with Next Directory (which I've got to pay off, bad girl!) I had loads of problems with deliveries not arriving at the store, then a freeze being put on my account (when I'd paid everything off in full!) because even though I'd been living in my flat for 6 months and they'd delivered to me they decided they needed more proof that I lived there (go figure!):mad:

Anyway, I wrote a stinking letter, got £15 credited to my account - and then when I tried to order stuff it was still coming out as stopped account, so they gave me an extra £3.75, which covered the delivery - this bought me a very nice pair of shoes in their sale!:j