Ask Everyone for a Second Opinion

Second opinions are more than just for doctors or auto mechanics. You can ask a second opinion from any company or organization in almost any situation. When calling an airline, cable or phone company or any other company, many times you are treated based on the mood the representative that you are talking to is in. If you feel that you are not getting the service you expect, ask to speak to a different representative. If that doesn’t work, you can always hang up and call right back. The chances of you getting the same person are usually pretty slim.

Here are two stories that happened to me recently where a second opinion helped me out:

Glasses Shopping – I was shopping for a new pair of prescription glasses when I was in Atlanta a few months ago when I found a pair that I was interested in. I gave in my prescription and asked for the price. They told me that it would be $219 with the lenses. When I went to pay, I asked if there were any specials going on that I could take advantage of. The sales woman pulled out a sheet of paper with dozens of sales on it and we went through the whole list to see if I qualified for any of them. I don’t remember what the sale was that I qualified for but I do remember that I paid $139 for my glasses in the end.

Refund at American Airlines – I just had to cancel airline tickets for my family that we will not be using because the conference I was going to got cancelled. I called up American Airlines yesterday and asked them what I can do about it. The representative told me that she could cancel the tickets for me but would charge me $100 per ticket to cancel. I decided to wait a day to make sure that my conference was for sure not happening. When I called back today, I spoke to a different representative who cancelled my tickets but only charged me a fraction of the price to cancel my son’s ticket since he is a child.

Every once in a while you will find someone in a good mood who is willing to help you and go the extra mile for you. Sometimes employees have the authority to wave charges and will do that for you if they feel like it. When I buy something online, I look at a price comparison website such as www.pricegrabber.com, find the lowest price and then go to that store, sometime even call them, to see if I can get a better deal. It never hurts to ask for a second opinion or if there are any sales or promotions going on. If you don’t ask, you won’t get lucky.