Christmas is right around the corner.  As consumers we will be forced to deal with retailers and their systems for selling items that we want to give as Christmas presents.  Unfortunately in the imperfect world of business, mistakes happen.

• Company ships the wrong item
• You get home and find that some of the pieces of the item are missing
• The store overcharges you for something
• A company doesn’t ship your item in time
• You cannot get the online system to take your order
• The item doesn’t work
• You are told one thing about the warranty and the warranty reads differently
• The company sends out an installer that is inexperienced and the item is installed incorrectly
• The credit card company doesn’t post a credit card payment that you sent weeks before the deadline and now you have a late charge

The list of potential mistakes that could occur during the Christmas buying season is a mile long.  You need to be prepared ahead of time with the 3 Step Guide to Resolving Christmas Present Buying Mistakes.

1) Change your expectations

It is very easy to go into a situation where a mistake was made with a negative attitude created by the assumptions we carry.

Most common assumptions we make:

• This is going to be a tough and drawn out process
• I am going to have to get angry to be heard
• There will be conflict
• They will not admit it was their fault
• They will not take the item back

Remember you are not going into battle unless you create one ahead of time.  You are going into a conversation with another human being with the objective of resolving the mistake.

Consider a different mindset:

• I know that it is a mistake and I can prove it with evidence
• This should be an easy process.  If that is not the case, I will methodically get it resolved
• All it will take is a phone call and some follow up
• Life happens and I am not entitled to mistake-free consumer experiences.  As long as humans are in the mix, there is always a probability that mistakes will happen

2) Put together a game plan

Before you call or go back to the store, have all of your evidence and facts in front of you.  Remember, you are presenting a case to the person on the other end and need to convince them that the mistake needs to be corrected.

You also need a game plan for getting through the dreaded call center.  Companies are cutting back on live customer service solutions.  They use a series of frustrating phone menus in order to hopefully alleviate the need for a live person.

Try this simple technique to get through to a live person.  When you call a customer service number, start hitting “0” repeatedly.  I have found that this cuts straight through the menu system and gets you to a live person.  You will be surprised how great this works.

3) Present your case with kindness

Remember the person on the other end did not create your problem.  This is not about making them wrong and making you right.  It is about resolving a mistake.  People are more likely to help someone who is pleasant rather than someone with a nasty and condemning attitude.

Start the conversation off with something like, “I have a problem that I hope you can help me get resolved.   For whatever reason, there is a late charge on my bill that shouldn’t be there.  What steps do we need to take to get this resolved?  I really appreciate your help.”

That will get you much further down the road than, “You made a mistake. There is a charge on my statement that had better get corrected.  It amazes me how your company cannot seem to get things right.”