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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

    When I went to shopping at Bangalore with my mom I saw a dress, a beautiful dress which I was mesmerized by looking at the dress only once. So I instantly I fell in love with that dress. So without any doubt I just took the dress to trial room and have tried the dress. After that the fit was very good, very good on me. The dress looks superb on me. So my mom also said that it was so fascinating. So without any second thought I just go to billing counter and I took the dress. After coming to home again I was wearing that and seeing how the fit was good or not to take some of the pictures for the party on next day. So I was just looking into the mirror and I'm just flaunting just flaunting my beauty in the mirror and while taking some pictures I found a hole on the dress. A small hole not a big one but if you notice it it can be visible. So there that was an instant regret. The instant regret of buying that dress instantly and that was the reason I got upset at that night and and you know what there is no return policy too. So I was really upset with that dress since it was an amazing dress but it has some of the hole. So I couldn't fulfill my happiness like that. So that was my instant regret and I wanted to return that dress but there is no chance for it.

    Band 6-7

    When I was on my 15 years old, I have brought clothes for myself a day before my birthday. I wanted it to be returned because it was not of that good quality and it was costly too. So when I brought that clothes to the home, my mother checked the quality of the clothes and tried to explain me that these clothes were not of that good quality. So she told me to return it or exchange the clothes with a different one. So I immediately tried to approach the shopkeeper and requested him that if the clothes which I purchased can be returned or can be exchanged with another good quality clothes. So the shopkeeper agreed and I was surprised for that like he was ready to exchange with a good quality clothes with the present clothes I had. At that moment, I really felt very happy and I just went into the shop and tried to choose the best clothes with good quality this time and it was a great experience for me and as soon as I took the new clothes to the home, my mother was really happy by looking at those clothes and she made me to wear that on my birthday and it was really cool. I felt very very happy and all my friends were really surprised when I wore those clothes. They were very happy and I was looking very fabulous with this new clothes now.

    Band 6-7

    So, I recently purchased an item from Amazon, which was Klaze Vitamin C Serum. It was very much hyped product. So everyone were talking about the viral product on the internet, so I thought that I might as well give it a try for my skin. So I bought it very happily, seeing the reviews and everything, it was costly as well. So when I bought it, I used it for 2 times, it was fine, but after 3 and 4 uses, I found that particular product to be not suitable on my skin, because it was darkening my skin. So I thought to return it, because it's not working out for me. I thought that first initially I should try for more days, but then I read the reviews and again I read the reviews from other sites and I got to know that it doesn't suit everybody and it doesn't suit all skin, vitamin C specifically is for people who have a particular kind of skin. So my skin was not that type. So after using for again few more days, because obviously I bought it, which was expensive, so I used it for few more days, then I didn't get the desired results of whatever it claimed on the product and my skin was getting dark. So I thought that I will return it, but then the return policy was over, so I couldn't actually return it. So basically I regret buying that product, because it didn't suit my skin at all, it also gave me tiny bumps. This return policy is also very difficult nowadays, when we buy some items, we couldn't return it after a particular time when we get to know about the product. So I am very aware now, I know that what I am buying will help me in the long run, if it does that, then I am buying that item or else I am not buying it. I became very aware after purchasing that particular product and serum. Yeah definitely I think I regret that and I want to return it, till now I feel like I want to return it.

    Band 6-7

    So, I went to the market close to my college two years back and I bought a top. The top is white in color and has yellow and green flowers on top of it. I really liked it at first, which is what led me to buy it. But once I brought it home, I did not feel like wearing it. To add to it, I saw multiple people wearing it at different points of time after that. So it resulted in an impression in my mind that that top is very common and it's not something unique. This resulted in me not wanting to wear it at all because it seemed very cliche to me. So I have still not worn it till date and there was no prospect of returning it because I bought it from a local market and such markets do not have the option of us returning clothing once we purchase it. I have never really worn it till now and I don't think I will in the future as well. But I have not really thought about how it makes me feel. I think it reminds me about how we need to be more mindful when we are making purchases. We need to truly pause and ask ourselves if we really want what we are buying and if what we are purchasing is a necessity or a desire. And if it's a desire, then we need to be more cautious about our choices and think about how they might change in the near future. I think I'll be more mindful in my purchases in the future after this.

    Band 6-7

    Recently I bought a hard disk which usually stores your old data. It was really useful for me for once but then I started facing difficulties. Like I purchased it from Nehru Place which is in New Delhi and also known as the IT Hub of India. When I purchased it, it was really running well but then there was an update on my laptop due to which I wasn't able to run it anymore. I took it to different centers, their service centers and they suggested me to replace it or to change it. Because it was in warranty, I decided to replace it and they gave me the new one but it was the same problem. My laptop was rejecting it a lot. I purchased it like 3-4 months ago with one of my friends but it's really giving me a hard time right now. And to be honest, it costed me a lot like I spent a couple of bucks on this and now I don't have that money as well and it's just a piece of waste for me. Now I'm trying to get a new hard drive and trying to sell it to other person through different online selling apps but no one is trying to purchase it. And even I brought an enclosure as well with this and it's not running as well to be honest. My wire has been cutted down, it's not responding to my laptop at all. It's used to show that my laptop is corrupted, my hard disk is corrupted. So, I wanna replace it now but I can't return. So, that's it. One of the worst thing I've ever purchased which I really wanted to return but I can't right now.

    Band 6-7

    I am really fond of online shopping and I order products every week and if I talk about the thing that I bought that I want to return is a pair of trousers. Actually the trousers that I ordered, I received a note of my size and it is little bit loose and that's why I want to return that product. And if I talk about what happened when I returned it, it is quite easy as I ordered the product from Flipkart. They have good return policies and I just update my order for the return on the app. Then the return delivery partner came to the given address and he take the product. It is quite easy process and after 2 or 3 business days, they return my money back into my account and I ensure that I will get the right return.

    Band 6-7

    So I am personally not a shopaholic person and my choices in clothes or fashion is also not very recommendable. I buy very rarely and once in a blue moon most probably. So the one time I bought a green color oversized cotton shirt. So it was a turquoise green color and I bought it in the store without even a trial thinking that it would suit me perfectly and I had an idea in my head to style it but on coming back home and trying it on the color did not suit me. The oversized fashion also did not look quite good on me. So it was a total fashion disaster and I had no idea what to do with it because I had no person to give it to or and it would not look good on me. So and then I decided on returning the shirt. At first it was a bit difficult because I had already removed the tags from the shirt and one of the tag was already missing when I went to the store. The reception lady was kind enough to take it back and asked me to buy something else for the same amount of money. So yeah, that was the last purchase that I did that I really wanted to return. Thank you.

    Band 6-7

    I got a iPod from Meesho on a reasonable price on sale but they delivered damaged product so I decided to return it when the delivery boy came to receive that package the delivery boy was not good he is very rude although he take my package and return it after that I will not receive my money back and so I decided to take replacement so they asked me to wait for one week so I decided let's see and wait so I waited for the product for one week after one week they send me the perfect product it is working well but I am very frustrated about what I had to face in past few weeks to return this product and I think the platform or the brand should be responsible for this and they should have to improve their delivery person to let them educate how to talk and also

    Band 6-7

    okay so once two months ago I bought a pair of jeans from Zara they looked extremely beautiful the fit I wanted was exactly the same and the wash of the jeans everything was so perfect but the place was so crowded that day that I did not want to stand in a line and then try it because it would take maybe a hour maybe an hour so I bought it just of my size and then when I came back home and I tried both the jeans they were not looking that good on me like the fit was not looking so perfect as it was looking when it was there in the showroom because of the lighting and all the wash of the jeans also was not liked by me after I bought it so I really wanted to exchange it so after a few days after two or three days I went to Zara and asked the customer care to exchange it or return it if possible so they helped me out in every possible way and they gave me both the options that if I want I can exchange it or I can even return it and take the money back in cash so then I explored the mall I liked few things so I purchased them but the sum was not accurate as I returned it so the remained amount that left they returned it to me and they were very humble and polite

    Band 6-7

    I'm a person who really likes to purchase things which is in trend. I'm a shopaholic person. I like to purchase trendy things, clothes, furniture and so many things. So one day I was scrolling around on a Pinterest and I was just looking. I don't have any idea that I will that I want to buy some mirror lights but I was just looking through on Pinterest and I liked that one photo which has mirror and it has so many lights. So I decided to buy that from an online store and I exactly saw that lights which is on my Pinterest feed on that and that app which is Ikea. On Ikea I saw that there was a light which is same as my Pinterest video. So I bought that lights and it is around between 10 to 15 days. When it arrived I was so happy. I was on a cloud nine that I bought something new for my mirror but when I opened my parcel all of a sudden I feel blue because the picture shows very big lights but big light bulbs but when I open it it is very small and I was very and I was just about to cry because of that sudden feeling and my mama saw that and she gave me advice that if an online shopping I always have to check measurements and also ratings through other person who purchased things before and she told me not to worry about the size of bulb. I can return it on Ikea because they have return option. So I returned that and from that I learned that if I want to purchase new thing I will
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