Free stuff just by asking for it? Anyone tried this?

HugoSP

I ordered some plumbing bits from Screwfix a few years ago.

Screwfix stock the cheap flowplas brand that are a fraction of the price as the merchants etc but the quality can be a bit hit and miss.

I ordered 5 shallow bath traps (the white u bend that screws onto the bottom of the waste that the plug sits into), then went to use the first one only to find that the female threas was too loose and it wouldn't seal on the waste.

I tried all 5 - same problem.

I phoned Screwfix who apologised and sent a refund and IIRC a £10 voucher. They asked me to dispose of the defective items.

In the mean time I suspect that a Screwfix buyer had got in touch with the supplier/manufacturer.

I then got a phone call out of the blue from Floplas, the manufacturer who asked me if I still had them, and that they would like them returned for investigation.

I did that and TBH the postage wasn't expensive, so I wasn't too bothered about it. I also included some basin wastes that they had made that had caused me a similar, but not so drastic problem a while back. IIRC I received some 10 plus of each type of waste back, many more than I had sent.

They also sent me £20 of M and S vouchers for my trouble.

HugoSP

Also, I've been asked by the company not to mention their name so I'll omit it from this story.

A few months ago a large retailer was having a refit. The offered account customers the chance to earn a £100 voucher if the spent £1k during the refit.

Although I had spent the £1k, I hadn't spent it within the time periods specified, so I couldn't claim the voucher

Coming up to Christmas (season of goodwill and all that) I wrote to their CEO a polite letter explaining that their promotion had attracted me to spend the money with them, and that I felt I had received good value for money, however I was understandibly disappointed that I had fallen foul of the terms and conditions of the promotion. I went on to say that I accepted that I hadn't fulfilled the Ts and Cs and therefore accepted the company were under no obligation.

I put it to them however that I had demonstrated much customer loyalty as a result and would continue to use them. Then I asked them to consider a voucher out of a gesture of goodwill "as I have entered into the spirit of the promotion".

I also included a separate letter complimenting the service I had received in the store, naming 2 individuals who had regularly gone beyond the call of duty.

I received a call from the local store who agreed that if I could provide evidence of a spend over £1k spread over 2 months (much longer than the initial qualifying period) then they would give me the voucher.

I took the receipts into their store to be photocopied and inspected by the management and they contacted me to let me know that the voucher is ready for collection!

PasturesNew

I worked on a mini project once phoning local companies on behalf of the Lions club.

They set up a theatre trip and a minibus and I had to phone round to ask if local companies would sponsor a disabled child to go to the theatre. Each child had to be accompanied by a carer. So the businesses were buying tickets at £X.

Those that couldn't or wouldn't, I asked if they would donate a raffle prize. Some did, where appropriate.

The goods were then raffled off to buy more tickets to the show.

Nobody should ever gain goods or money under false pretences. It is illegal. If found out you would be arrested for fraud and whisked away to jail. Your name would be in the papers and all your firends/neighbours would know what a nasty little fraudster you are. You'd lose your job and have trouble getting another.

Sassers

My favourite was to send a nice letter to Green and Blacks to say how much I loved - and still do - their Maya choccie. It wasn't to get anything out of them but one Saturday morning the postie knocked the door and gave me this heavy parcel to sign for...
Inside was five bars - 3 large 2 small - of maya choccie all wrapped up in a ribbon with vouchers and a really lovely letter back.

And although I didn't get a freebie or a sample I rang Marmite to rave about the Marmite Guiness they brought out and had such a laugh on the phone with the company fella at the other end it quite made my day and his I expect.
Love Sassers x

Fidget

A while ago there was a promotion on Pigsback to receive a free miniture Dove body moisturiser. I sent for mine but instead of receiving the sample I just got a slit open envelope with the voucher (the sample looked as if it had been taken out along the line). Even though not Dove's fault at all I sent them an email asking if by any chance they had any left. About a week later a "fresh" washbag gift set arrived in the post with apoligies that they had no minitures left. Was v. pleased and I actually went on to make-up hamper gift-sets of dove products for my friends at Christmas as I was so impressed so it definitely worked good for them too!

akadruid

When I was a kid, my Granddad always loved the yellow fondant fancies, but you can only buy them in multi colour packs. So me and my brother wrote to Mr Kipling, and asked if it was possibly to buy a box of just yellow ones for his birthday. We included his address, and ours for them to send the bill too.

On his birthday a Mr Kipling employee went to my granddads house on his way home from work and dropped off two whole boxes of just yellow ones, and wished him a happy birthday from his grandsons. We got a nice letter from them saying there was no charge and they hoped he had a nice birthday.

Happy_shopper

Aww, that's lovely - what a heart-warming story!

HugoSP

Heard this from a good source who is a client of mine.

On my recollection the details are a bit sketchy, so you'll have to forgive the gaps in my knowledge.....

When he was in the forces in the late 50s/early 60s he was posted out to somewhere like Singapore, I don't know if it was Singapore.

One of the officers who was out there with him long term took it upon himself to restore a vintage Rolls Royce. He stripped it down and liaised with a local mechanic/workshop to try to manufacturer/source/repair parts that were needed, but ended up with a long list of parts that were needed from Rolls Royce.

So he asked Rolls Royce to quote him a price to manufacture/supply and ship out the required items. They replied with some figure that was equivilent to my client's then salary. He wrote back advising that the figure was acceptable provided that they could stick to it and start work straight away. He would pay the invoice once the parts had been received.

A few months passed and there arrived some huge crates with this chap's name on them. He broke the crates open to find all the parts he had ordered in pristine condition and well manufactured/packed. He also found enclosed a letter from the Board of Directors of Rolls Royce.

The letter basically explained that some apprentices had enjoyed manufacturing these items as part of their training, and that as they were pleased that this vintage car was being restored to a high standard, the Directors had decided to waive the invoice, wished him good luck with the restoration, and asked him the let them know if they could be of any further help.

kalchis

bigmomma051204 wrote: »

I also do this kind of thing for a couple of charities - what i would say is that the companies that you approach would probably like some proof that you are actually doing what you say you will do with the products - i usually get a letter from my charities just supporting my claims. Otherwise it all sounds a tad dodgy to companies! Also, smaller companies are much more likely to give out stuff in my opinion - and if u promote them as part of the deal (ie, if selling on ebay make sure buyrers KNOW that the company has given the item free of charge AND give their web address or shop address) they are also more likely to be generous!

HTH
:A

i do have a registerd charity number each year that i put on the letters etc as i always raise the money through breakthrough breast cance, maybe i just dont have great letter writing skills , i do always make up a certificate or something for any shops etc that have let me put a collection pot in there shop and anything i ebay the person gets a mention for donating it, also as all the fundraising is finished off with the breakthrough walk through london all (normaly 40-60kilometers) and i have the name of everyone who has made a donation writen on my t-shirt
i will try the web address thing thou and see if i get more luck this year, thanks

liz_uk

I phoned cadburys once, as I had bought a multi pack of buttons for my daughter. It said on the bag `estimated contents: 15 bags..

.

anyway .. I had managed to acquire 28 bags of buttons in mine !! I phoned them up.. don`t really know why I did, but anyhow they sent me £5 of cadburys vouchers for calling !