The Power of an Appeal

Lots of examples of this in my quest to save money, but here are just a few snippets:

This week:

1) Recently Eric and I took a trip through FunJet Vacations and Spirit Airlines. Spirit totally botched our return flight. When we finally got home, I wrote a letter to both Spirit and FunJet requesting reimbursement for the crap they had put us through. Spirit did refund part of our money (not as much as they needed to) but FunJet is actually giving us a $350 travel voucher as an apology for our trip being so messed up. I wasn't totally happy with the outcome but it was better than I expected given who we were dealing with (Extra tip: Never fly Spirit airlines unless you're feeling very spontaneous and have lots of extra time and cash to burn).

2) I purchased two new pairs of shoes for Mikayla over the summer (I had missed the consignment sales!). I purposely bought a brand that was well recognised for quality. Within three weeks, both pairs of shoes had messed up. I glued them back together and wrote a letter to the company detailing my problems with their product. Within two weeks, I had been contacted by the manufacturer who promptly replaced them. The glue was still holding Mikayla's shoes together so she sent winter boots and the next size up in tennis shoes.

3) Eric and I started doing P90X together three months ago. We realized right away that we needed exercise mats in order to do yoga, etc. I bought mats from one of the more reputable exercise companies expecting them to be exactly what was needed...they specifically said their mats were made for yoga and pilates. The padding was great; what wasn't so great was the fact that as you struggled to hold your "downward dog" position (or any other), the mat slowly stretched in both directions. It was hard enough for me to stand in the ridiculous poses, it did not help that the ground beneath me kept growing. Off went a letter. FedEx delivered their reply with the promise of two new mats that should be delivered soon.

4) About a year or so after we were married, Eric and I had finally saved enough money to purchase two leather couches for our living room. We loved them. They were comfortable and so easy to clean. I was rather dismayed to notice, after four years, that one of the couches developed a tear in the leather (obviously a flaw and not a user caused tear). The couches had come with a 5 year warranty but the manufacturer would not return my phone calls. I appealed to Sam's Club because we had purchased them through their store. They told me to bring both couches back and they gave me a complete refund. Granted, I had kept my receipt...this is very important for appeals and I'll probably blog about my filing system later this week.

5) Eric and I purchased (also at Sam's) a set of mattresses for our bed. After 4 years, our "Ten Years and No Sag" mattress had developed quite the dent. It had become unbearably uncomfortable. Another appeal. Another "Bring it back and we'll refund it". Again, I had saved my receipt. Who wants to guess where I bought the replacement mattress? With that kind of warranty, I'll keep buying from Sam's!

DISCLAIMER:: I do not try to cheat companies by abusing their return policy. In each of the above circumstances, I had a legitimate claim and made sure the companies knew the circumstance surrounding my letter. :)