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Speak Up and Save Money
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My fiancee is very good at helping us save money because she isn’t afraid to speak up! Just today, she managed to save us $500 because she spoke up when we were treated unfairly. The place we picked for our wedding ceremony had a $500 wedding coordination fee and we were told that it was part of the package and was basically mandatory if we picked this place. Since we liked the location so much, we decided to pay for it even though we didn’t feel that we needed the wedding coordination help.
As our wedding planning process continued, we tried to contact the wedding coordinator without luck. After a few months, we finally found out the wedding coordinator took a long vacation during this time and that’s why was unreachable. I would’ve probably just be frustrated but not say anything. However, my fiancee took a better approach. She called the sales director of the banquet hall and basically explained the situation to him and expressed disappointment of how we were treated. She was very calm over the phone and what resulted was that we didn’t have to pay for the service we never received (saving us $500) and also an extra golf cart to transport our guests from the entrance to the location of the ceremony.
This is not the only occasion too. There are countless times when we were treated unfairly and she would let the other party know by explaining why we were disappointed with how we were treated. One good thing about being in North America is that customer service is usually very good. Therefore, we would usually be compensated for being mistreated as a customer without a ton of hassle (airlines excluded in this case).
Compare this with me who usually keeps quiet in the same situation, my fiancee does a much better job because she is able to save much more money this way.
I hope that everyone will start to speak up but do you already do this? Would you be more like me or my fiancee? Let me know!!
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Bankruptcy is very serious. Avoid it by getting good debt advice and never going into your bank overdraft or getting yet another loan to pay off your previous loans.9 Responses to “Speak Up and Save Money”
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Weekend Link Love - 1 | Money Blue Book on January 26th, 2008 at 8:32 pm Says:
[...] Ning writes about how his valiant finance saved them money by speaking up and standing for what’s right regarding a botched wedding fee. He’s a lucky [...]
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Sunday Money Roundup - Another Superbowl Edition? | My Two Dollars on January 27th, 2008 at 7:03 am Says:
[...] Money Ning talks about something I have gotten very good at lately - Speaking Up and Saving Money. [...]
This is so true. A nice complaint can do wonders. Oddly, I’m sometimes good at this and sometimes not. I have to work at speaking up more. Thanks!
I think it’s always good to speak up for yourself! No one else can represent you better than yourself. I will say it’s a good habit to explain well to others regarding how you feel being treated, saving money actually become an extra benefit by doing that.
I think speaking up can do wonders but its all in how the communication takes place. Your fiance was probably successful because she operated in a courteous manner while still explaining the details about why the service was unacceptable. It is so frustrating to hear people argue and yell when they don’t get what they want, but a calm discussion can make all the difference in the world.
Free From Broke: I think we can always work on our ability to convince others of our view so we are all working towards the same thing!
Emily: Good point! I think practice makes perfect so we will just have to speak up more often!
Zach: I agree completely! That’s definitely something I can improve upon! I should go practice now (not that I want to be mistreated ever again :))
I guess this is always the case if you are the person who are requesting a service. People with good negotiation skill can turn this around. Creating a win win situation.
I’m like you Money, I don’t speak up and would probably just eat it. My Girlfriend is like your finacee however. She does all our talking
I find that the easiest place to apply the ’speak up’ principle is in restaurants when you get cold/bad food or poor service. It may not save you $500 a pop, but is usually good for at least a significant discount or a gift card to give the place a second chance.