How to get a freebie by complaining

With prices still sky-high, it’s understandable to be a bit miffed if something you’ve bought doesn’t live up to your expectations.

It’s not always practical to return things (especially food), and who’s really going to bother if you’ve already opened it?

But you don’t need to throw it away and grumble about the money you’ve lost, either.

You might be able to recoup the money – and end up better off in some instances.

Over the years, I’ve scored some pretty cool freebies from big brands and companies after getting in touch when I’ve not been happy with something.

Vouchers

Most of the time, I’ve been sent vouchers to make up for the problem – and they’ve usually sent me more than what I spent in the first place.

Recent examples of this include:

• two free medium meals (worth about £15) from a fast-food place when an added £1 item was missing from an order
• £25 in vouchers when I found a piece of plastic in some cheese (that cost about £3)
• £12 in vouchers after I cut myself opening a bottle of fruit juice with a new design (bought for about £2)

Gift cards

I’ve also been given gift cards. They’re usually for the exact cost of the item if it’s not returnable so at least you’re not left out of pocket.

A big UK supermarket sent me a gift card after I complained that their own brand frozen fruit I’d bought was mouldy, even though it was in date.

Free goodies

This one’s a bit more unusual. I once bought a tin of branded coconut milk for about 80p, and noticed had another brand’s label underneath. I asked one of the brands about it and they said it was an error due to being labelled in the same factory. They sent me a huge box of assorted goodies from both brands worth about £30. Score!

This can work for other items too – one company replaced some slippers I’d bought because of a slight defect after I missed the return date, so it was like getting two pairs for the price of one.

Top tips for complaining

Don’t expect or demand a freebie. They don’t HAVE to send you anything – but more often than not they will as a gesture of goodwill, especially if you don’t demand something in return.

And they might change their mind – one time a big clothing brand offered to replace some boots because they were made with different materials than advertised online, then said they weren’t going to after all.

Always be polite. They’re more likely to offer you a gesture of goodwill if you’re courteous. Would you want to send someone a freebie if they’re being rude and kicking off?

Explain the situation. Every time, I’ve outlined what happened and why I was messaging them, e.g. the plastic could have been from machinery or someone else could have hurt themselves more than I did. More often than not, it’s been in their interests to know what’s happened.

Take photos of everything. I always send photos backing up my messages so they know I’m not making anything up.

Be prepared to send any foreign bodies back. I had to send the plastic from the cheese back so they could investigate (photos can be useful too in case things get lost after sending). I’ll admit, I was sceptical about getting any further replies because I thought it might get lost in the post! I was wrong though, and although the company couldn’t place it, they did say it looked like it was from their machinery.

Don’t expect anything quickly. It can take a while to get anything back through the post, so don’t expect to get anything by a certain date.

Always say thanks. Thank them for reading your message and any outcome (even if they’re not sending you anything).

Don’t only complain. I’ve never personally had any luck with this one, but brands are so used to people complaining that I’ve heard of some people being sent freebies simply for telling a brand how much they love a particular product. You might catch them on a good day and be rewarded for your praise.

Make the most of your discount

Check the validity. For example, my fast-food vouchers are valid until the end of the year, while the juice vouchers were valid for a couple of months.

Check where you can spend any gift cards or vouchers. Manufacturer vouchers will usually say where you can and can’t use them, but you staff might still ask you questions if they’re not used to seeing them. If they say, ‘I’ve never seen these before’, explain they’ve come directly from the manufacturer, who said they can be used where you’re currently shopping. Thankfully, I’ve not had any turned down yet!

Combine discounts. I’ve had success stacking vouchers with existing shop offers to get a free item, i.e. using a £2 juice voucher on an existing £2 offer. I’ve also combined multi-buy offers with vouchers to get the items for free or a very low price.