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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

    Recently I bought a pair of headphones from Amazon and I used it for couple of days but I was not satisfied with the kind of audio quality the headphones were providing me so I decided that I should return them and look for a different model or a different company. But when I tried to return it, the process led me to another process and it led me to another websites and just the cycle kept repeating. It was very frustrating to even think of trying to return it again because the process was very long and complicated. They asked me about the CA numbers, about the batch numbers, about the photo of the receipts and all those things and it was a lot of a headache to just return a single pair of headphones. It was very frustrating for me, moreover the headphones costed me 1200 rupees as well as some mental breakdown. So I really think that Amazon and the sellers should actually think about customers before updating their policies and while designing the route to return a particular object because it really affects the buyer's mind. I just feel they should be considerate about us and think twice before updating anything or designing the software.

    Band 6-7

    Well, to begin, I am an avid gamer. I love gaming and since gaming requires a certain level of hardware that can sustain heavy gaming, it is important that I had the adequate systems in place. So, to begin with, I started ordering keyboards and mouse and other peripherals that were required. Of those that I ordered, one of them was a mouse which was built by an Indian company called Antisports. Having already bought several of their orders before, I thought this would turn out to be a really amazing experience, just like I have had previously. So, when the mouse arrived, design-wise, it looked pretty amazing. But, as I started using it, I realized that there was an awkward sound coming out of the mouse. Upon further inspection, I realized that there was a small piece which had got loose, maybe during the transportation or maybe upon arrival. So, I decided to do some reverse engineering, which is to say that I started opening up the mouse to see what the problem was. And, upon opening the mouse, I saw a small piece of iron that was put inside it. At first, I thought it was just a basic human error. But, after doing some research online and looking at the different feedbacks that the other customers had to offer, I realized that this was done on purpose so as to make the mouse look heavier. But, I really did not like it because this would have caused other damages to the mouse itself. And, had it been beyond the warranty period, it would have caused some trouble for me.

    Band 6-7

    In this day and age of fast-paced consumerism, we are surrounded with advertisements of so many objects. No. No, no, no. No. In this day and age of fast-paced consumerism, we are surrounded by advertisements of so many objects. In this day and age of fast-paced consumerism, we are surrounded by advertisements of so many objects. In this day and age of fast-paced consumerism, we are surrounded by advertisements of so many objects. In this day and age of fast-paced consumerism, we are surrounded by advertisements of so many objects. We are surrounded by a catena of products which advertisers show us that we need to attain to live a more comfortable life. Clever advertising makes us feel as if we really need to purchase the products that are being shown to us. Being somebody who is very interested in collecting various footwear having different designs, I ended up purchasing a footwear from a company that displayed a sale on those items. Once I purchased that footwear, I was extremely happy about it since I had been able to attain that product at minimal cost. However, once I ended up wearing it, it took only a few days for the entire footwear to break and disintegrate. However, by that point in time, the return policy period had already passed and therefore I was never able to actually return the product. Even though I hadn't spent a lot of money on buying it, this made me question my choices as an intelligent consumer and taught me the invaluable lesson that just because something looks nice and is being offered at a relatively lesser and cheaper price, it does not mean that I really need that product and I should possibly test it for deficiencies before investing in it.

    Band 6-7

    I recently bought a BMI Weight Calculator, Weight Measurer, it's basically a weight measuring scale including BMI, it calculates BMI through an app, so I bought it in Amazon, it cost me around 2000, I checked the reviews, it had very good reviews, it had around 4.5 out of 5, but when I bought it, when it arrived at my home, I had few issues when I was testing it, when I was trying to measure my weight, it showed good, it showed me, it was working fine, but when I was calculating BMI, it is not operating properly, the app was not showing results, it is continuously showing errors, so I wanted to return it, but the return date was so close, and I was out of station, still I tried to submit request for the return, and after a week, a delivery guy came to take the product, and I got it replaced, so I was at the same time, he gave me some water too, now it is working well, may be there was a blue tooth issue or some other issue with the previous order I got, but now it is working

    Band 6-7

    so there were these headphones which I really wanted and I asked my parents to get them for me but they said that the headphones were not required so I did not get them after a few days I just saw an ad which told me that you can buy these headphones for just 700 rupees which was 70% discount from the original price so I was very happy and excited about it so I ordered those and paid the money without telling my parents after about seven days the delivery came in I took the headphones and carefully without letting my parents know I opened them but it was surprising that the headphones are not working I tried to make them work in many ways but still they did not work they were wired headphones and I think the the part which joins the mobile and the cable was not working so I felt very bad after that I felt that I should have invested the money instead of buying such a dirty product I should have known better and I thought that I will now tell my parents about the problem that happened but my parents were really understanding and they did not say anything they just said that if something is too good to be true then that thing is mostly...

    Band 6-7

    So, the worst thing that I brought is my iPhone and that too the latest phone. It was damn expensive and it was out of my budget. But still I brought this phone because of how enthusiastic I am with this technology and everything. Additionally, when I bought this phone I was really happy but after like one or two days I am not getting into this system of iOS, how it works and it felt weird in a way that I cannot explain. So, I regretted buying this after again few days I tried retaining it but when I went to store it had a minus patch which was a violation of the retain policy that why I cannot return this phone and from then onwards it was permanently with me. But if I take a look at it right now I have a mixed feeling because it was out of budget but I am really happy with this phone because I really love playing games and the way this phone gave me the output that I needed is really amazing and it's a 110D Herd display which is like a very hi-fi technology in a phone and it's butter smooth and you can watch all the films, every video game or any YouTube videos in a high resolution compared to any other phones. So, I have a mixed opinion that it's overall good and it's necessary part but cost wise it's not effective for me and yes although I am happy I also regret that I spent this much money. Furthermore, I would like to add that it's a really weird experience that I brought this phone and I don't know how to do or manage with this.

    Band 6

    gave me the discount of 75%. Although I received it very soon in almost 2 days, I have tried it. I was very excited to use it because it has a unique shape of spider's web. But for my misfortune or for my bad luck, it did not work well. I was very sad and I felt very depressed as I was very excited about it. But as life has to move, I tried to return it as it does not work. After going to website, I found out that they are showing the window of return is closed and he said it has only 2 days. As I was out of town, I opened it after 4 days from receiving. The headphones are very nice and funky in look but not a good thing in performance. I tried asking them and also emailed them using their customer support number. But there is no response. I really want to return it as I don't want something that doesn't work in my house because it will make me feel useless or I have taken the wrong decision. It will always haunt me because I want it to work and it is very expensive.

    Band 6

    Honestly speaking, I want to describe a thing which I bought recently but now want to return it. The thing is the my new smartphone which I bought on my recent last birthday but I after purchased this mobile on my birthday my parents gifted me a new mobile also then it has two mobile for me but I have no use of two mobile as one person need basically one mobile so I tried to return this extra mobile but the shopkeeper refused to take the mobile back I requested him very times but he did not accept it then I resell the another phone with some discount to another person in my village of course I got some loss in that deal but it's okay to have only one mobile I feel like down in the dumps to lose my money for that one silly mistake but after at the end getting one mobile on my birthday I became happy also mobile phone are useful in our life as it provide several things to us firstly it will connect us with our family as well as we can search anything on this mobile so it is very useful for me

    Band 6

    The thing which I wanted to return after buying is my hair dryer which I bought it from the Bangalore city mall last year. The hair dryer wasn't good because the dryer doesn't work properly and my hair got tangled into the blades, moreover the efficiency of the dryer was not satisfiable and I could see the product was the second hand product. In addition to it, it had too many scratches over it. I bought the product for my personal use and now it is no more contributing to my needs after spending so much of money on the product. My hair is so frizzy and I have sinusitis problem and that is the reason I wanted to return the hair dryer. When I walked up to the store, the manager said the warranty period is over and it is very difficult to get it returned now. The wear and tear will not be covered under the warranty period but that is disgusting that I haven't used the dryer properly.

    Band 6

    I recently got a gym gloves which is not of my size. When I asked the Amazon to return it, they claimed that it's an auditable product. But the size which is not fitting me. So I was supposed to return it and get a next size so that I can use it for my gym regularly. Without the gloves, the grips for lifting the dumbbells will get very tough. And I also get cons on my ends of my fingers because of lifting slightly heavy weights. And there was no regulation when I was buying the product which says that I am not supposed to return it. But after purchasing the item, they claimed that I will have to return it within 4 days of delivery. But I was not in town. Once I reached back home and I tried the gloves, it was not fitting me. So I applied for return back of the product. For which Amazon claims the return time limit is over and we cannot take it back. Which I felt a little more awkward. Thank you for watching.
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