You are actually prepared.  It’s a miracle.  Dinner is coming together beautifully.  You open up the last step of your taco dinner night, the shells, only to discover that they are all broken, except two.  So two of you get to have one unshattered taco each.  The rest of you are stuck with taco salad.  We have all been there and felt the frustration of a meal gone awry not because of our lack of planning (for once), but because a product did not live up fully to its promises and our satisfaction.

There is a silver lining to this cloud, and it lies on the package in the form of a 1-800 number.  You could take the tacos back to the store, but normally if you call the company they will give you coupons up to 5 times the value of the item.  Why??  They know that someone who is upset tells more people than someone who is happy.  They need you to be happy again and in love with their brand.  These coupons come fast while you are still thinking about the problem, usually within a week.  And one of the great things about these coupons is that they are normally for multiple items that the company distributes.

Some examples of reasons that I have called companies:

Box of Toaster Strudels missing the Frosting packets (huge issue at my house)
The zipper on the packaging broke (cheese, diaper wipes, freezer bags)
Food was spoiled before expiration date
Diapers were missing a tab
New sunscreen quit working before it expired

And please, for the sake of your own integrity, please make sure that you have a real problem, a legitimate issue.  Sure, you could make up things and score some free stuff, but it’s not really worth it in the long run.

So how do you make this a non-stressful process?  It’s really simple.

1.  Call the number on the package.  If there isn’t one, a simple internet search will normally give you contact information (be it a phone number or e-mail address).
2.  Politely let them know what happened.  There is no reason to be rude to the person who answers the phone…even if you dinner was ruined or your baby got sunburned.
3.  Give them the information off of the package and your mailing address.
4.  Enjoy your coupons!

To keep this from taking up time in my own life, I normally try to call right when I notice the problem.  This will keep me from forgetting, from adding something to my to-do list and from losing the packing.  The call is normally done in the 2-3 minutes it takes me to put the finishing touches on taco salad.

Call for Happy Reasons Too:
Another great time to call companies is to pay them a compliment.  Lots of companies will gladly give you coupons when you call, and it simply takes a moment to ask.  I’ll admit, it is easier for me to call when I feel like there is a reason for the company to give me something instead of calling just to ask for a coupon.  However, when our family was first beginning to make the switch to healthier foods, I was desperate for a way to save.  So, I decided to take a plunge.  I called Smuckers and told them that I had heard wonderful things about their all-natural peanut butter, but that it was a bit pricey for us.  I then asked them if they would be willing to send me a coupon to help lessen the cost and enable me to give it a try.  They said YES!  I was thrilled.  This encouraged me to call other companies whose coupons I had a hard time finding.

So give it a try.  Whether you have a product you love or a legitimate problem, give companies a call and see what happens.

Remember, ff you don’t have time to call, emailing or using a contact form on the companies website to give a compliment or share a complaint works just as well.