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Describe something you bought that you really wanted to return: IELTS Speaking Cue Card

You should say

  • What you bought?
  • Why you wanted to return it?
  • What happened when you tried to return it?
  • And explain how you felt afterward.
Show all 319 answers

Cue 1:What you bought?

  • Begin by clearly stating the item you purchased and its significance to you.
  • Include details about where and when you bought it to set the context.

Example

I bought a pair of expensive wireless headphones from an online store during a sale. I had been wanting them for months because I love listening to music while commuting and exercising.

Cue 2:Why you wanted to return it?

  • Explain the specific reasons that led you to want to return the item.
  • Mention any expectations you had that were not met.

Example

After using the headphones for a few days, I realized that the sound quality was not as good as I had hoped. Additionally, they were uncomfortable to wear for long periods, which was disappointing since I had read many positive reviews.

Cue 3:What happened when you tried to return it?

  • Describe the process you went through to return the item.
  • Share any challenges or frustrations you faced during the return process.

Example

When I contacted customer service to initiate the return, I faced long wait times on the phone. They informed me that I needed to send the headphones back at my own expense, which I found frustrating. Eventually, I managed to send them back, but it took a lot longer than I expected.

Cue 4:And explain how you felt afterward.

  • Reflect on your emotions after the return process was completed.
  • Discuss any lessons learned from the experience.

Example

After finally returning the headphones, I felt relieved but also a bit frustrated with the whole experience. I learned to be more cautious when buying expensive items online and to read reviews more thoroughly before making a purchase.

Conclusion

    Example

    In conclusion, returning the headphones was a challenging experience, but it taught me valuable lessons about online shopping and managing expectations. I now feel more confident in making future purchases.

    Following this structure will ensure you cover all the essential points while providing a clear and engaging response to the cue card topic.

    Tips to answer this Cue Card

    1: Vague Descriptions

    Using vague language can make your response unclear. Avoid general statements that do not provide specific details about the item you bought or your feelings about returning it.

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    Tip

    Be specific about the item, including its name and features. Describe your feelings and experiences in detail to create a clearer picture.

    2: Neglecting Emotional Impact

    Failing to express your emotions can make your answer less engaging. It's important to convey how the experience affected you personally.

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    Tip

    Share your feelings before and after the return process. Use descriptive language to express your emotions, such as frustration or relief.

    Ignoring the Return Process

    Not explaining what happened during the return process can leave your answer incomplete. Candidates often skip this crucial part, which can lead to a lack of depth.

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    Tip

    Detail the steps you took to return the item, including any challenges faced. This adds depth to your story and shows your problem-solving skills.

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    All Answers

    Here are all the answers by real-users practicing speaking for IELTS Cue Cards on our IELTS Prep App.

    Band 6-7

    I bought a piece of clothing from an online brand clothing store last week. I was attracted to it because of its design and color that I saw in Instagram page. I checked the details and the price was also reasonable because they were giving with a 50% off. That is why I bought it and I got within a one week and when I opened the, when I unboxed the cloth, it was okay, all the color, details, patterns, everything was up to the mark what they have said in Instagram. But what happened later was really dissatisfying for me. After I wore it one time and then I washed it with my hand, but all the colors have faded. The bright color has faded and the cloth became like a polyester thing because there was, then only I understood that there was a wax-like coating on the cloth which makes it looking like a branded clothing. But that was fake and I was, so I couldn't return it because I washed it already. So I put a photo of the cloth, take a photo of the clothing store and put it in the comment section and I gave really a bad comment. I called the customer care section and told my complaints. So they didn't reply instantly, but after one week, they replied with that, can you please delete that bad comment from the clothing store because it was a mistake and they told me they would return the money. So, because actually the cloth was not bad.

    Band 6-7

    I recently brought a iPad's keyboard which I wanted to return because it was not compatible with the model I had of my iPad. So I wanted to return it. I bought it through an e-commerce platform called Flipkart and when I tried to return the product, the seller stated that the product is not returnable. The seller did not have the return policy and it was completely the seller's fault because the product's description said it was compatible with my iPad model. So I ordered it without much doubt. However, when the keyboard arrived, I realized that it was not compatible at all. It simply didn't connect to my device. So I checked the listing again and noticed that the seller had given misleading, incomplete information. So I decided to return but unfortunately, they did not have a proper return policy. This was quite frustrating because it was not my fault. It was clearly the seller's mistake. I tried to explain the issue but they refused to accept the return. In the end, I was left with the keyboard that was completely useless to me and was worth like 8000 rupees. I felt disappointed and cheated because I had trusted the product description. At the same time, I also felt helpless as there was nothing I could do to get my money back. So I tried contacting the brand's customer service. The brand clearly stated that you brought it from a third-party seller but we understand that you have put your money and your trust in us. So they asked me to reach their service center and get the possible solution for the problem I am facing. So I went to the service center and then they

    Band 6-7

    Okay, so I don't have a specific thing, but in general it has to be my bags that I want to return because I fantasize over them and I just stock them a lot, but I hardly use it once or twice. That's because most of my collections are not suitable for regular use and I just use three or four of them for my day-to-day activities, so which I feel guilty and I think I'm just a splash on these bags. So I just wanted to return it, like every time I open my wardrobe it's just full of bags more than clothes. So every time I say that I feel so awkward and guilty, which makes me to return it on spot, but till date I'm doing the same, like I don't have any solution for it. That's because I think it's from my dad, he used to collect bags like anything, he has a set of collections, but he's like me, he doesn't even use more than once or twice. So I think I have to control on it because at the end of the day it's all money and I'm just burning my amount on this, like I used to be frugal on other things to be superfluous on it. So I'm actually looking for a remedy to avoid this habit, so I believe, I think I would get rid of this soon.

    Band 6-7

    whilst growing up I used to play table tennis a lot and so I always used to order table tennis rackets but one day when I ordered it and came to my house it was broken hence I had to return it back and after I returned it back I was like why I would have easily fixed it the rubber was amazing the handle was amazing everything was fantastic I returned it back and after I did I complained to the company which sent me the thing whilst growing up I always used to play table tennis I went to nationals playing table tennis so it was a hobby of mine to collect rackets and I ordered one from Amazon and when it got delivered to my house I was pretty excited I opened the package in front of my family we're pretty happy and as I opened it I saw that the handle was kind of broken and a few swings later the entire racket broke the rubber and the handle got separated the rubber was very good so was the handle so it was kind of a shame that it broke but when I tried to return the racket Amazon wouldn't accept it as I had opened the package and threw the box away along with the receipt so I had to treasure the racket and I took out the rubber and applied it on a new racket and that's the racket I use to play table tennis now which is an amazing racket

    Band 6-7

    So, it was this one time when me and my family went to a tailor to stitch a pair of trousers for my university, for my uni. It was going to open, it was going to re-open and everything was going fine. And we went to the tailor, we selected some nice material for my new pair of trousers. We asked the tailor to stitch them according to my measurements. And what went wrong was, I think the tailor made a mistake. He kind of, near the groin area, he didn't measure I believe and it was too tight near my groin area. And I noticed this only after when I reached my home and yeah, when I wore it, I wasn't able to, it was difficult for me to sit, stand with the pants and I was, it really impacted my mobility. And I asked my parents to go and try to fix this trouser but they were not agreeing with me as the tailor was someone from, someone we knew and he was from our state and it would be really awkward because it was his mistake and we spent 70-70, total 140 dirhams in this, while stitching our pants.

    Band 6-7

    So today I want to talk about something I recently bought and I really wanted to return it. It was a charger. I bought a charger for my husband's birthday which was 2 months ago. I bought a charger because his previous charger was broken. Sometimes it doesn't charge very well with that wire. So I wanted to surprise him with a new charging cable. But when I looked online there is only I think 200 something rupees of the difference in the charger itself and cable. So I thought I'll buy a charger set, charger, a rocket and a cable for him. But when it came my husband told me that it doesn't want to charge and it is very expensive. So immediately I went to the website and started a returning policy. But I realized that there is no return policy on that wire.

    Band 6-7

    I was actually looking for a white straight pan for a long time. I checked different shops and both in my hometown and in my town where I'm working and even in the online platforms but I couldn't find a perfect match for me and when it comes to online I was more afraid whether whether they will fit nicely or will they be of the same quality as they had mentioned in the site so I had a lot of confusions to purchase it from the online. So many a time I was badly looking for it but couldn't find it and it was two months back that I found a white straight pant and in pantaloons so I thought I would give it a try but when I checked the price it was too costly it was it was double the price double the actual price so I was a little confused whether to buy or not and I tried it on okay it was fine it was fitting well but this price was keeping on bothering me however I was so tired of searching it for everywhere so I decided I will give it a try that is how I bought it home but when I bought it home the things turned topsy-turvy the one that looks classy in the shop now looks too too bad actually it looks too bad on me actually and it was there was many folds which I couldn't straighten it even by ironing and when I tried to match it

    Band 6-7

    Just last month, I got a Bluetooth speaker from this brand Portonix. I got it from their official website and it was delivered within 4 days of me placing the order. Once the Bluetooth speaker arrived, I checked how it functioned and in the start everything seemed fine. But just about 15 minutes into the use, the volume suddenly dropped and it was not functioning as it was expected to. So I tried reaching out to the support team on the official website and they told me that it was maybe because I had dropped it or you know because of my carelessness that some of the issues might have occurred but I tried explaining it to them that I was just checking how it functions and just felt that it is not performing as it should and I tried asking them to replace the order or at least provide me with a refund but they were very persistent on the issue being caused due to my misconduct. Later on, I even tried to drop a mail on their customer care telling them to replace this or provide a refund and it was later given to me.

    Band 6-7

    Good afternoon, firstly thank you so much for asking me this question. The shopping which I did last month was a pair of shoes which I bought online from a well-known online shopping website. The pair of shoes which I bought or purchased was from a very well-known brand. I would not like to name the brand. I thought that it would be a great experience wearing the shoes but ultimately and ironically it didn't come true. Why so? It was faulty. Although it was very good looking, very cool, very flashy which I wanted to but it did not meet my expectations. It was faulty in the sense, it started biting my heel when I walked. It was very rough on my sole. It was very tight although the size is exactly what I am wearing but even after that it seemed not to be properly crafted. It was very ill-crafted. So I thought to talk to the customer care. I connected with them. They talked to me. They arranged a representative. He came and visited my place. Thanks a lot for that. But when I described my problem, he simply denied. He said that there seems no problem with the shoes although I presented all the bills, receipts, documents. So I am feeling very disappointed with the brand, very disappointed with their claim of refund or refund.

    Band 6-7

    Very recently I bought the white sneakers from amazon online shopping app I wanted sneakers since long time so I placed an order I placed an order for white sneakers of size 9 but I got size 8 which is bigger in my size which is bigger for my shoe size so I had to repress that order so I had to return the order there were some online complications between the app I was not able to return the order firstly I had a feeling of anxiety I thought that I could not return the order but afterwards firstly I had an anxiety that I might not able to return the order but after sometime after few complications here and there I was able to return the order and after 4-5 days of whole the process I got my new shoes which were exactly the shoe size which I needed and I was relieved at that time when I got my actual shoe size the product was good the quality was good I was just bit disappointed with the with the transport facilities and the staff members
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