How To Get Your Money Back on ‘Nonrefundable’ Items

There is one word that sends shivers down every frugal shopper’s spine whenever they hear even faint whispers of it: “non-refundable.”

You must have heard the phrase, “the customer is always right.” Well, non-refundable policies throw this phrase out the window because no matter how much a customer pleads on returning an item, there is no way that they are going to take it back if it is non-refundable, or so it seems.

Contrary to popular belief, there are certain ways to bypass this supposedly airtight policy, albeit, they require extra effort.

It varies from item to item whether you would need to find loopholes in the policy, or simply turn on your charm. Whatever the method may be, there are ways to get through the dreaded non-refundable policy to get certain items refunded and save precious money.

Let’s discuss this in greater detail, highlighting some non-refundable items you can get refunded and how you can do so.

1. Airline Ticket

Getting a full refund on an airplane ticket has always known to be especially difficult, if not impossible. This begs the question: how can you get your money back from an item even CNBC has declared to be notoriously difficult?

If you are adamant on getting your ticket refunded and fall under specific circumstances, there is a way to get a refund.

One situation where you may be able to issue a refund is if an ‘act of God’ has occurred at the location you are travelling to, but it is not as easy as a day’ rainfall and poof, full refund.

Under the airline’s terms, only specific situations can be classified as an ‘act of God’ which include:

Political Unrest
Incredibly severe weather
A virus outbreak

It is also important to note that even if your reason for a refund fall under these circumstances, nothing is set in stone, especially considering the situation of airlines after the pandemic.

You could issue a refund on the basis of a medical emergency as well, for instance, if you suffered a sudden eye injury that required you to get surgery, because flying can be dangerous and even life threatening in that condition.

There is another way to get money back on your airline tickets: Discounts. Coupons are perfect for slashing away at airline ticket pricing, reducing the amount to just enough to be able to afford that business class ticket!

2. Concert Ticket

You got your hands on two Taylor Swift concert tickets and just when you are packed and ready to channel your inner Swiftie, your boss assigns a project to you. You might not be able to recover from emotional damage, but there is a way to get your money back.

Now, the bad news is that all concert tickets are strictly non-refundable and there is no way around their policy. However, there is a silver lining.

Although it does not count as a refund, you are able to recover the cost of the tickets by selling them to someone else, which technically does count as a refund.

List your tickets on websites like craigslist and set the price to be same as the value you got it for and there is a pretty good chance that you will find someone who will buy them off of you for that price, ensuring zero loss on your investment.

Pro tip: If you think that others might be selling them as well, slightly undervalue them to guarantee a sale. You would incur a loss but something is still better than nothing.

3. Items on Sale

Getting a refund on items that you bought at a clearance sale is very difficult, especially since it is written clearly, “no refunds” right next to it, but with a little ingenuity you can get your money back.

If you are lucky enough to buy clearance sale items from a big store like Walmart or Target, you might get a refund as oftentimes, they take back items even though their policy also states no refunds.

However, it is important to note that the item in question has to be in its packaging and it has to be in peak condition for your request to be entertained.

On another note, you could also redeem discount coupons and save up quite a bit of money when shopping for groceries.

4. Custom Paint

Surprisingly enough, even paint is non-refundable! Imagine You find some paints whose combination you think is perfect for your bedroom, only to find out later that the color was completely different from what you had expected. How will you get your paint refunded?

Once you agree to have the paints blended, you are committing to the purchase and from that point, there is no going back. Even the cashier makes it evident that the item is non-refundable by sticking a large label on the product that, quite literally says, ‘NON-RETURNABLE.’

However, there is a way to get a refund, albeit a bit creative. Paints which produce a completely different color due to an error during the tinting process are eligible for returns.

5. Any Opened CD

It is a universal rule that once the CD case has been opened, that disc is now your responsibility and it cannot be returned. They do process exchanges, meaning that they will provide you with another copy of the same disc if yours is not working, but that too is within a specific period.

However, just like every other item on this list, there is a way around this where you can bend the rules a bit and get a refund.

One way is to sell the game online and this is technically a refund because there is a high chance that you can sell your game at the market price.

Final Words

Getting a refund on non-refundable item is no easy feat, but a silver tongue or some outside knowledge can get you your money back, but it is still no guarantee.

However, following these methods can prove to be incredibly helpful to maximize your chances of getting a refund on such items.

Published on: July 24, 2023