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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

    Last week, I bought a dress for myself which I ordered online and it got delivered to me within 3-4 days. When I received that dress, it was a completely different type of quality that I faced and it was really very cheap material that was used in it. Of course, that was also not a good fit when I tried it over. Although I thought of returning it as I didn't like the product that much and I was upset because that website had never failed me to express with its quality, but this time the promise was not kept. When I was trying to return it, I saw that the policy for that product is not returnable which made me upset. So, I raised a complaint and went to the email section to contact them where I raised the query and within a day, they contacted me and told me about it. When I explained them about the product and I told them that I am a regular customer, to them the service was promised and that's why they returned it. They scheduled a return and of course, the issue was solved, but to my surprise, it was really a very bad experience that I had when I was suffering to not getting it returned. But soon when I returned it, as they kept their promise, it was okay to believe again to the website and trust it.

    Band 6-7

    I recently went thrifting to this market which is infamous for designer stuff which is Sarojini located in the heart of Delhi. I always go there to buy easy cheap and reasonable priced garments and home furniture. I went there last Wednesday and I bought a lot of stuff basically clothes and the one thing that I regret buying would be this dress which I originally thought was a romper I bought that and obviously I cannot try that there because there is no changing room there and when I returned home I was trying I washed all of my stuff and then I was trying every cloth one by one and I realized that that dress was not a dress instead it was a romper. I nearly gave out I had a breakdown actually and then I decided that the next day I'll go and return it to the vendor and he took it from me and then I was really happy and glad and he returned my money and then I went back home happily and I bought a cute little Stanley bottle instead of the romper

    Band 6-7

    Nowadays, online shopping is the most trending thing that is popular amongst the youngsters. There are numerous websites available for all kinds of shopping, be it phone, clothes, accessories, everything is available online. You name it, they have it. Such kind of thing, I wouldn't advocate for that after what happened. So I fell prey to one of these lucrative websites and I ordered a brand new iPhone from the store called Amazon. It is quite a promising website and I was excited about buying the phone online because it was on a huge discount, whereas in the offline stores it was a bit expensive. But little did I know that I would have to pay a heavier price for it later on. So I ordered from the website and the delivery was also free. It showed a two-day delivery option and after that it was delivered to me at my doorstep. As soon as I opened the package, the phone seemed okay. But after a few days, the phone started hanging severely. When I checked the manufacture date through the stores, I realized that it was a very old phone and that they had sold a defective piece to me. I returned it back. The return policy was smooth. It was not cumbersome at all and I am thankful about it. But after that they had a 30-day return policy and during that I gave it, but I am glad that I gave it back.

    Band 6-7

    Being an adult, I still have an obsession with remote-controlled cars. So, one day me and my sister went to a mall. So, she saw me having an unusual attraction towards these RC cars. So, we decided to buy one of them. While coming home, I was really happy about buying this toy. But, when we reached home, we realized that it is not worth it to that much of cost. It was really expensive as it was sold in the mall. So, when we opened it, we saw that the material used in the car is really cheap and it can even break. Even it crashed in a lower speed to the wall. And the batteries it needed were really large and quite inexpensive. So, first we put the batteries or the cells in the car but it just ran out within a week which was quite sad. So, I felt that there was no need of buying this car and it was a waste of money. So, I think it cost me around 5000 which is really expensive. So, I think that this purchase was really really bad. And me and my sister always regret about it. And hence, we have decided that we should not get attracted towards this beautiful advertisement put on the malls. Which attracts the customers and make them buy things they don't even want. But, due to this attractive advertisements, we tend to buy these things and purchase expensive stuffs. Which later makes us regret a lot.

    Band 6-7

    I can barely remember the time when I was in my twelfth class. It was around 2010 or 2011 and I was with my sister and she was very much interested to buy a new video game. Initially, I gave her some money and said her that buy the thing by her own and she got a new video game for herself. And the time she arrived, I found that the video game is not too much good and I instantly accompanied her to the shop and told the shopkeeper to return it. But then instantly the shopkeeper told me about the various features and the technologies that are inbuilt in the video game. It was also demonstrating me the pros and cons of that video game. And after that demonstration, I was very much fascinated by its features and under his influence, that means the shopkeeper's influence, I bought that video game. And after arriving at home, I found that I was not supposing to get it but due to the shopkeeper's person, I bought that and I felt regret after that because after two or three days, that video game stopped working and the features are not also working and it was not under the warranty period. So, I wasn't able to return it and I was very disappointed by the facilities offered by that company.

    Band 6-7

    Well, I love shopping and I really love to purchase different type of things because it helped me to explore with different type of items in the world as well as it gives me pleasure whenever I explore with the different type of things and even I love shopping from different type of even nations sometimes from even streets but here I will talk about the thing which I purchased but now I really want to return it because of some reasons. From Amazon, actually I really found of doing the shopping online and from Amazon I purchased a smart watch and it was really costly as compared to as compared to the market price. I think because I at that point of time I felt that because of the quality it was expensive but so I ordered for the same but when I received my parcel it was not working properly and apart from it it's the steps that the watch is showing of my walking are not accurate as well as the stripe which I ordered was of black color but I ordered for the orange so it was the factor that dissatisfied me the lot. If I talk about its features then its features were not working well so I decided to return that watch but I was not able to return that watch because the company told me that it was not your money will not be refundable so I really.

    Band 6-7

    In this modern era, everyone like to buy something online instead of going to shops and markets. And now I would like to talk about the product that I ordered online and I really want to return it because of the quality of the product and it was the western dress. I decided to wear western dress on my birthday and I ordered it because my all family members agree with me and they allowed me to wear western dress on my birthday and I was very excited when I placed the order and I felt over the moon when my order is like to received to me but when I received the order I felt disappointed because I ordered in blue color but I received in purple color and it's not my favorite color so I felt very upset by the company's product and suddenly I saw there is a 7 day return policy available and at that time I was on 7th and I requested them to return this order but they did not respond me and one of my friends suggested me that you have to call to customer care and I also take her advice and call the customer care but there also they did not respond me and after few days they called me and the delivery boy received my order and

    Band 6-7

    I love shopping. Mostly I prefer to buy from physical through shops as it helps me to ensure quality and make better choices. As well on last Sunday I was searching a pair of shoes online as the websites name was Westside. And I selected a pair of shoes which was white in colour as they were of brand Luna Blue. They were very pretty. So I decided to buy online as it was my first experience. So I ordered them as I got a discount of 5% as well. After when I received that pair of shoes, I wore it as they were not of my perfect size as the size was bigger. So I thought to return them but due to some conditions that were written on while I was making the order of the shoes. But I didn't notice them due to which I wasn't able to return that shoes. Because I mentioned earlier that I got a discount of 5% but the condition was that if you will get that 5% discount you will be unable to return the shoes. So I was facing such a problem. After that I felt very bad about not returning the shoes.

    Band 6-7

    My birthday was recently so for that particular event I got myself a blue Fila sneaker from the Fila website. The reason I wanted to return this product was because first the size didn't fit. I ordered a size 6. On the size chart it said that it's 38.5 but when I tried it, it was really small and it really led to bruises on my ankles. So I decided that I want to return it. At the same time the color was not as what it advertised. It was a sky blue color with a pop and it was so beautiful on the website but when I when it came it was so dull as if it has been washed by something and the return procedure itself was very problematic. Usually when I buy stuff from Amazon the return is very smooth and Amazon agent collector agent comes and they get and they take the stuff back but for Fila they had me they had me pack the box again go to a nearby courier service and then I had to courier it back to their location in Mumbai and I had to pay for the courier fee as well unless they found that the size was not perfect and the reason I stated was not correct they won't return my courier money or my money for this

    Band 6-7

    Hi, there's something that I bought recently and it happens to be a expensive sneaker which I really want to return. Now this sneaker, although good looking, it's extremely expensive, but it's not worth the money that's paid. And even after wearing it a couple of times, I just couldn't find it good enough for the money. I really regret buying the shoe and now the 30 day time period of returning the shoe has elapsed. I cannot even return it. I should have instead bought some clothes, they would have been really useful for me.
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