Saturday morning my husband went to return a boat battery to Wal-mart because after only three uses, the battery wouldn’t hold a charge.

The clerk gladly refunded his money so he could exchange the battery for a new battery, but told my husband that there would be a core charge for the new battery.

My husband didn’t think anything of it, except to tell me (by cell phone) that he would need to find an old battery to turn in so he could get his $9.00 core charge back.

A $9.00 core charge on a replacement for a defective battery?

I don’t think so.

I asked him for the phone number of the store and told him I would be calling and that he didn’t need to leave the store until after he heard back from me.

Of course, I was hoping it was a mistake, because it made no sense to my why we would be responsible for a core charge on a replacement for a defective battery!

I was nice, but firm when I talked to customer service, and yes, the customer service manager admitted it was an error that my husband had been asked to pay a core charge and that they would refund the $9.00 as soon as my husband returned to the customer service register.

Needless to say, this would have cost us $9.00 if I hadn’t been been aggressive with my husband. He would have left the store without the money and then had to return later with a battery he might or might not have been able to find in order to get the core charge refunded to him.

He didn’t mind that I wanted to call about the issue, but he also didn’t think it was that big of a deal that he’d been charged a core charge.

But I’m thinking, $9.00, for something we didn’t owe! That’s enough to pay for a movie ticket, 3 car washes, or 1 1/2 month’s service of Netflix.

Ultimately, that’s why it’s so important to watch for and react to these kinds of charges. Blindly accepting them lowers your standard of living by taking money out of your pocket, in a time when you might be fighting to make every dollar count.

Vigilance pays off. Keep your eyes open for charges that don’t make sense and pursue the matter when you see them.

That said, here are some tips I’ve used over the years to help me deal with these kinds of problems.

How to get a refund for a charge you don’t owe

1. Call or visit right away. Be firm when talking to representatives, but never rude. You want to be taken seriously and to have your complaint addressed by someone who isn’t offended by something you’ve said.

2. Be specific. Tell the person what you want them to do about your problem. Sometimes it’s just that they haven’t thought of the possible solution you’d like them to think of.

Useful phrases:

• Please explain why I was charged…
• I have a problem I would like you to take care of for me…
• I’d like a refund or credit for this charge today… (or, before I leave…, by tomorrow…)
• I would appreciate it if you could solve my problem today

Polite phrases are more powerful than insults and threats.

4. Thank the person helping you even before they’ve helped you—this can sometimes create a feeling of obligation on the part of the “helper.”

Useful phrases:

• I appreciate you looking into this for me… Here’s what I think happened… and I shouldn’t have been charged because…
• Thank you for taking the time to research this… My records show… What do your records show…?

These steps are the steps I always try to follow when I file a complaint or ask for help with a problem, and they usually work for me.

Have you ever had to deal with a situation like this? What’s worked for you?