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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 327 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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    It Ends With Us is a book I read recently. It's by the author Colleen Hoare. It's mainly a story about two teenagers, Atlas and Lily, and how they just handle their life going through high school, adolescence, and just domestic violence at home. Both of them come from very, very different families. However, they have one common determining factor between them, which is domestic violence. The abuse that they've seen their moms go through is just insane, and they connect through that on a different level. They're actually in the same high school, but they never speak to each other until Atlas actually crashes into an empty house next to Lily's villa. When Atlas is homeless and he doesn't have anywhere to go, he just comes and breaks into the house next to Lily's, and Lily helps him with all the daily necessities like clothes and food, medicines and stuff. Furthermore, their friendship blossoms into love, but it doesn't really fructify as Atlas has to leave. This book really gave me a lot of knowledge about domestic abuse and how to deal with it.

    All Answers

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

    Band 6-7

    So, as we know that this time is a time of all the festivities in India, especially in North India, and being brought up in these times, you feel really excited and we buy a lot of new things in this timeline. So while surfing on internet, I came across a website which sells their Make in India suits. So, I ordered one of the suits for the upcoming festival, that is Diwali, and I ordered it but it did not come as expected because the size was not right, the colour was also too bright as compared to what it was shown in the picture that was uploaded on the website. So, I was completely disappointed and I really wanted to return that product as soon as possible because it felt like a burden as though my money was stuck there because that product was of no use to me. So, I then returned by mailing them and also contacting them through WhatsApp. They agreed to it because the size they sent me was not right, so they just laid down the process of returning an item, I followed that and the amount of return was initiated in my bank account and everything was settled after that and I am still looking for a suit, an outfit.

    Band 6-7

    I would like to talk about a mobile phone that I bought last year but really wanted to return. I had saved money for several months because I wanted to upgrade my old phone. Finally, I purchased a new brand smartphone for an online shopping website. At first, I was very excited because the phone looked stylish and the company had many advertised that time. They show camera was excellent and long lasting battery life. However, when I started using it, I felt very disappointed. The camera quality was not at all clear and the battery drained within a few hours. Even phone used to hang while enjoying opening simple application. It was very disappointed for me that time because I did not expect this shit. I immediately contact customer care and requested to return. Unfortunately, they told me that return were only possible within 7 days and by the time I noticed all the issues that I period time that I missed. So, I had no option to using this phone. So, that time I felt very bad and frustrating about wasting my money. This experience taught me to check review carefully before buying any product online. So, this is my experience.

    Band 6-7

    The object that I bought which I really wanted to return was a certain item that sticks to the back of a phone or a case. On the opposite side of this item there is a suction cup to help hold your phone up on any surface to record videos or take pictures. The reason I wanted to send it back was due to the fact that it did not perform what was promised. It failed to hold my phone up which was essentially what I purchased this item for. Unfortunately I failed to give back this item since the time had passed, return time had passed by the time I could return it. When I found out about the fact that I couldn't use this product made me feel like I really lost out on a great opportunity and I was also very disappointed. Additionally I was very disappointed by the marketing tactics that were used by the brand as it is of great necessity for brands to mention the reason, mention specifications and requirements for the item to work effectively.

    Band 6-7

    I want to return the TV that I purchased on the recent Big Billion Day sale. Actually the mistake is made by me. I ordered a 32 inch smart TV. After installing it, the size of the TV is way smaller than what I imagined. I tried to return the product, but according to the return policies, the product is non-returnable. Even though I tried, I contacted various customer support clients. I got a tried return. The delivery guy accepted the return and instead of returning, he replaced the TV. So my experience was very bad on it. Firstly, from my experience, I can say that furthermore you shouldn't order the products that you only want. I don't like the performance of the TV. It's not up to the mark what it is mentioned on the box. And specifications are also incorrect. But I regret buying it, purchasing it. Even though I am using it, I feel regret for using that. Thank you for giving this opportunity.

    Band 6-7

    Here I talk about one of the product I recently bought during Flipkart Billion sales. Actually, I love to buy products online rather than offline because it is more suitable and easy for me. During Flipkart Billion sale, I found an offer on Airfryer. Actually, it was Philips Airfryer 4.1 liter. The price was very less that's why I bought through Flipkart. When it delivered, I found that it is very difficult to use because there is no physical button in the Airfryer. It is fully with touch control. So, when I try to cook food items, it is very tough to switch between these modes. So, I cannot understand its features or technical knowledge. First of all, I think the product was a default product. But then I realized that actually it made like that and it is not very user-friendly. When I tried to return the product, it showed that it can only be replaced. There is no option to refund the product. So, I was in a trouble. So, I researched a lot on how to easily manage that Airfryer. But, till now I cannot get any help.

    Band 6-7

    I recently purchased a dress from an app called slick which delivers within 60 minutes it was a two it was a one piece long gown which was green in color and was made of a lace material once I received the product I was a little disappointed because it did not meet my my expectations the quality and the color seemed a little off than shown in the website and when I plan firstly when I planned on returning it I had to I had connected with the customer care over a call and then they did not seem to resolve my issue but later when I kept consistently calling them back-to-back they finally responded through messages and an email was sent to me that my refund will be done within a week and finally they had met they had written they accepted the return and I had gotten my refund but I would definitely want to try purchasing dresses from this site and not give up that easily

    Band 6-7

    I am very fond of buying clothes and shoes. I remember my friend told me about a great deal of clothes and shoes. She told me that she has bought a pair of shoes from Adidas which were nearly half price of the original ones but I wanted original shoes of Adidas. I went to the website and searched for the Sambas of Adidas. I saw that they were nearly half of the price of original shoes. I found it of only 8000 as the originals are of 14000. I immediately added it in my cart and after the wait of 7-10 days I received my order. I was very delightful of opening that order but when I opened that box I felt much disappointed because they were not the original shoes, they were the duplicated and they were not even worth it. So, I immediately clicked on the option of return policy and I immediately opted with the return policy which makes me feel like I shouldn't have bought shoes online. Instead of online I should go to the shop and buy that. This was the thing that I really wanted for my last number of weeks and it resulted out to be a very disappointing experience which was a memorable experience also.

    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

    In grade 9, when there was this specific brand of shoes called Converse, it was really popular in my school. Any kid who used to wear them instantly became famous and popular and it gave a hype to buy those shoes. Every student in my class was rushing to websites, shops, supermarkets just to find that particular color and brand, Converse shoes. When I joined the crowd, I bought a Converse shoe in Amazon and came two weeks later. But during that time, my school had banned it because it went against our school rules for wearing colorful shoes instead of proper uniform black shoes. The irony here is that I wanted to buy it and I wanted to wear it in my school but my school vitially banned it and hence I could never wear it in the school which I had dreamed for days. After that, I tried to return it to the Amazon shopkeepers but fortunately, they refused to return it. They said that once you buy it, you cannot return it. That is something I'm embarrassed to and my parents also gave me a lecture on it to not to buy impulsively but to think about it for a long time, then give it some thought and you buy it. Ever since that day, I've made sure that I atleast wait for 2 weeks or a month before desiring to buy something as expensive as those shoes which are literally 8000 Rs. One of the most expensive shoes in the market.

    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.
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