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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 294 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

    Well, I usually do online shopping as I have always positive experience by using it. It's generally seen as convenient way of shopping. However, sometimes it may have poor risk and so here I would like to talk about one of the most frustrating experiences I ever had returning a purchase. As someone who loves finding bargains, I have always enjoyed the thrill of snagging quality items at a fraction of the original price. Whether it's clothes or home decor, I find myself on my ability to spot a good deal. But this time my instincts failed me. It happened a few months ago when I ordered a backpack for my daily use from an online shopping platform. Actually, one of my friend told me about amazing sale on daily use products and stationery on the respective shopping app. So, I decided to go through the deals and when I was browsing, I found a really good bag. So, after discussing it with my mother, I ordered this backpack. When the order delivered to me, I was so excited so I immediately unwrapped the box. What I saw next was really drove me up the wall because the color of the backpack was so different. However, I thought maybe some misunderstanding happened so I decided to use the bag. I found difficult to return the purchase but after two days the leather of bag was damaged. Not only the bag but the bag was not able to hold that much weight that I expected. I felt really frustrated at that time because even after sale it was really expensive which is very high price according to me to the condition of the bag. It taught me to...

    Band 6-7

    Last week I went to Zara to buy a top that I wanted to wear for my friend's birthday. I usually go for size S and that is what I did. It had a long queue for the trial room. So what I did was, I just had it built and I thought I'll try it on and if it doesn't fit me I'll get it returned. Sadly it did not fit me. It was a little loose on me. So I had to come back to return it and ended up wearing an old top on her birthday. So, the problem with the fitting was, it was okay from the top but the shoulder pads, it fit, it was very... It was like a tube top with two strings to be. It was a cherry red hot butter. And I wanted to pair it up with a black skirt.

    Band 6-7

    Here I would like to describe a dress material that I bought during my birthday. Actually, I bought it online. When I saw that product, it had a different color. But when I saw it in my actual situation, actually, it has a different color and appearance than what we have witnessed in the real. So, I was miserable about this product because it cost an arm and leg for me. Actually, I wanted to return it back to the store. But it doesn't have a return option for that product. So, I felt very sad and disappointed. But at that time, one of my cousins came and she liked that unstitched material very much. And she was willing to buy that product. And finally, she bought that product from me. And it was a blessing in disguise for me. Because even though it was not a good product at first sight, it became an excellent product for my cousin. And she could use it in her family.

    Band 6-7

    Yes, so I bought a pair of sneakers online about a year back and I feel that is something I really wanted to return. I have always been an impulsive buyer, if I find something online really good, I buy it. So the shoes were from Soul Store with the design of Spiderman on it. At first I thought it would look good, I really liked how creative the design was, but when I bought it, my mother used to call it kid's shoes, it looked like some kids would wear it. And after a few days, even if the shoe was comfortable, I started hating it too. So I decided to return it, but you know, since I have used it for about a week and the window for returning the product was closed, I was not able to return it. So what I did was, I just stored it away, nothing else I can do in this situation. And I feel that this was a waste of money for me, because it costed around 2000 rupees. So now what I do is, whenever I feel like buying something, I usually add it to my cart and wait for about a week, and if I feel buying it is not really necessary, I avoid it totally.

    Band 6-7

    One day I bought a mixie grinder for my own use. Because of my studies, I left my house and shifted to Chandigarh for preparation. I bought a hand bladder for my kitchen use and I bought the expensive one so that I got the most suitable hand bladder. But when I opened it, it was quite break and not start even one time. When I called against it, they not respond me so well. After some time, I called again and again but they never responded. So then I went back to their store and complained against their service to the owner. Then with apology, he returned my payment and gifted me a new hand bladder which is quite good and work very great. And now it really help me in my kitchen and I not to worry for grinding something. It not only grind onion and make a paste, it also helpful for making shakes. So during snack time, it really helpful and I make various type of shakes like banana shake, pineapple shake and also help to make cold coffee. I really like cold coffee and I think hand bladder is really suitable for kitchen purpose and everyone should buy a hand bladder for their kitchen. Because it's a necessity. During increase in technology, meanwhile hand bladder maintain a special space in kitchen.

    Band 6-7

    So, a month ago I went to USA to my cousins, there I went to a mall called Tracy's Mall which is located in New Jersey. I bought a toy which was a small car, a small remote control car for my young brother. It was looking good and it was also worth it. But when I bought it home, I felt there was something wrong with the car, it was not working and actually when I dug deep into it, I found that its windows were damaged. So, then I tried to return it, there were some arguments in between and eventually I got the toy returned. I felt very relieved because whenever I have tried buying a toy for my brother, I always make it sure that it is of the best and it does not have any flaws in it. So, one lesson which I learnt from the incident was always check the device or the thing which you are buying so that you don't have to take a trip back.

    Band 6-7

    I recently bought a Calvin Klein jacket, it was quite costly and when I ordered it and when it got delivered, I was very shocked to see how the material was because I did not expect it or I did not assume it to be such a quality and that is the reason why I wanted to return it but because of the fear of my parents, I did not return it. That is one of the things that I really regret, I bought it because I really liked it and I thought I could wear it in daily wear but I cannot wear it because it is of thick nylon and it can only be worn in very extreme winter conditions or very extreme cold weather. So it is not suitable for me and I cannot wear it in places like Hyderabad where I am staying right now. So that is the reason why I regret buying Calvin Klein jacket, it's more like a puffer jacket but now I cannot do anything and because I fear that my parents would scold me because I already paid 8000 on it and I cannot return it now, so I am regretting it a lot.

    Band 6-7

    I am someone who shop a lot through online and I recently bought a shirt and pant for myself and the pant was not my size so I tried to return it but they told me you have worn the pant so we cannot accept the return but the online website clearly showed that there is a return policy for seven days you can try it and return it but the company gave just gave me some excuses and told me that they cannot return the cannot accept the product back so it was a really worse experience for me because I believed in them and bought their product and they didn't take the responsibility as a business and I think they should more focus on their customer handling so that something like this will not happen in the future

    Band 6-7

    One of the items that I recently bought were my blue lens glasses. I got them off Amazon. One of the reasons that I ordered them was due to the strain that my eyes were going through due to the long hours of study for my upcoming exams. Why I ordered these particular glasses were because they were from a good brand and had a lovely tiger print frame. Upon receiving the glasses I was very excited but when I used them I found that the glass itself was very dull making it hard for me to view the images or my computer screen clearly. My first attempt to return the glasses was not successful. For this I contacted one of my friends who formerly worked in Amazon. He was very helpful and efficient in helping me not only return my glasses but also get a full refund for them. Upon his advice I ended up calling the Amazon executives who luckily understood what my problems were and upon hearing me out they decided to refund my money and also let me keep my glasses. Although I do not use those glasses anymore, I purchased new glasses that are not only blue lens glasses but also are suitable for me.

    Band 6-7

    Well, recently, I have brought a laptop for my wife because she was eagerly waiting for the laptop because she tried to do some businesses at home. Moreover, I was looking for a laptop in online or any local shops, finally I have decided to buy a Lenovo laptop, which I was quite happy about it before I bought because I have been gone through the process and configurations and all. However, when I brought the laptop, it seems like good and softwares were installed by the local shop because I bought the laptop from the local shop because the reason why I chose local shop, in case if we face any problem while I am buying from online, so it's very hard to return it and also the service also sometimes won't be properly responded by from online. So, that's the reason I have chosen the local shop, but we were using it for a while because she was using and she started receiving complaints one by one and she informed me that she is facing some difficulties, especially when she tried to open for any typing and all, so it was not properly responded and when she began to share all the problems, so I was quite really embarrassed because the laptop cost was quite high and so it was the first thing which I brought for her, so emotionally I was quite damaged and I was not unhappy and I tried to return it, but I did not get the proper response from them.
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