"NO REFUNDS, once it is gone, it is gone, be sure you want a reading

I have thought about this a long while about my website for a good year and half,
the question was ,,
"what do i do if they ask for refunds and i spent the money already ?"
"what do i do if i figure I gave a really good reading,, and they within a day say i want a refund,, to me that feels like they got a good free reading and so they are doing the scam".

right now I am going through something like this right now, i ordered 695 wing chun wooden dummy last year in july and I still didnt get it.
1. it had to be shipped to an actual street number (this was after two months of waiting for it,, i phone them to ask how long would they estimate it would take to get here ).
2. after a couple of months i inquired agian,, and they were suprised i didnt' get it yet,, and then said it was damaged in shipping. and it would have to be repaired
3. then after an inquiry agian,, just 3 months ago,, they said they were looking at customs, for the post office wasn't able to handle such big items.
4. now i asked for a refund by phone, by email,

"and the last email i got said
We are very sorry about the problems and delay wit this item.

We are working out all details with the dummy to make sure this item arrives to you thru customs."
--

so you see why I am hesitant to offer refunds, what if I can't give it ? as i am beginning to suspect they can't give it either, and i am out of 695 american. sigh.

so my goal isnt' to build a big clientale, it is just to make a few dollars to offset my welfare and to reduce my mom paying for my groceries down halfway though the month.
so if i get 40 here or 80 here in a month , that for me would be a big bonus.

what are you thoughts , experiences on refunds,,
do you feel they should be necessary ?
I probaly won't change my mind on this for this disclaimer i want the client to be sure they know they won't get no refund right off the bat.

If you put the disclaimer right on your website that there will be no refunds, then that's all you really need to do and the potential customer can decide whether or not to go ahead and get a reading. I don't see anything wrong with doing it that way if you want to.

If you wanted to specify "no refund after 24 hours" or some other number of hours, that would be acceptable, too, but I think if someone is unhappy with a reading, they should know right when they get the reading whether they're truly unhappy with it, so I'd personally not go with this idea.

If you're doing readings on the internet, I don't think it's unreasonable to just specify "no refunds". In person, where you can be face-to-face and discuss things with the client right then and there, I'd give a refund for an unhappy customer because it's less likely that they're going to try to scam you right to your face. Some will, it's true, but most won't, I don't think.

Now, another option you could use would be to state "no refunds" but then, on a case-by-case basis, decide whether or not to offer a free reading rather than a refund. I wouldn't state that on the website, though, because then you'd be inviting a lot of "unhappy" customers just trying to get a free reading that way.

refund after five minutes

Here at a place called Open Doors, they allow people five minutes to feel it out. If they don't click with the reader, they can ask for someone else, or ask for a refund. I guess they figure its like listening to a new song- you can sort of tell within the first few minutes whether or not you want to work with that person.

I am going to say something honest to you, and it is my sincere hope that it doesn't offend, but truly, really, as much as you may be a very talented reader and as much as I can see that you need the money, I would not risk losing my money, either, by getting a reading from someone with such a harshly worded policy.

It seems your concern is that you may have already spent the money, since you are on such a tight budget. I think it is perfectly acceptable to have a statute of limitations on when you will offer refunds, but a person should know pretty quickly if the reading was beneficial or not. Maybe you could offer refunds within a certain frame, maybe 24-72 hours?

A professional reader is offering a service, and as such, has to be aware of customer service issues. I am not questioning whether or not you are a good reader, or whether or not you deserve to paid for your work, but the fact of the matter is every person or business who offers a service has dissatisfied clients from time to time, and there must be a plan in place to deal with them.

Doing what you love is a great way to earn a living, or some extra spending cash, but for long term success at any money making venture it should be treated as a business.

I wish you well and many blessings with your business!

I think its perfectly acceptable to have a no refunds policy. No beef with that, you spent your time on the reading and you get compensated financially. If the don't like the reading then the won't come back and that is fair to both of you.

BUT

If you have that disclaimer worded so strongly on your site as it is now, no one will ever ask for a reading as it make its look like the site is a scam to con people out of money.

Say no refunds, its best everyone knows where they stand. But say it small, say it nicely and say lots about other things.

I agree with similia. I think it is fine to have a no refunds policy. many businesses do just that. If I went to the donut shop, bought a donut and decided it didn't taste good, I think they'd just laugh at me if I asked for a refund!

I also would not have a strongly worded disclaimer though, because that would turn people off.

now, I do think that there have been times when a tarot reading should've been refunded---but for SPECIAL REASONS.

i knew someone who went for a reading, and the reader was constantly interupted, thus interupting the reading and as a result this someone didn't get a very good reading. NOT PROFESSIONAL AT ALL!

also, I know another someone who had a reading, (a very expensive one at that!) and they did nothing but slander the client. told this client how awful they were, and that what they were doing was wrong, and blah, blah, blah. well, that client demanded a refund for the harsh treatment they had rcvd, and rightly so!

as a tarot reader, we need to remember to stay neutral to our clients, because we are not in their shoes, first of all. we also do not know the full story of what is going on in their life. and if you are going to do this professionally, then you need to be professional in your delivery of the tarot reading.

one more piece of advice that may help here. If you offer a reading at a very very fair price, then I would not even ask for a refund if I felt you did your best. also be sure to explain or put somewhere on your site that tarot cards do not predict what will definately happen--only what could happen, and stress that the client always has the will to change things, if they wish to.

I recently had a repeat customer bring her 17yr. old daughter to me for a reading, and I felt terrible because she asked me about her love life, (currently has a steady boyfriend). it was obvious to me with the cards, that they were going to break up when they went off to college, as both would go in opposite directions, but that they would still stay in touch somewhat. she was devastated, and began to cry. I felt TERRIBLE! but her mom said 'no, she has to understand that this can happen. now she knows. it's bound to happen, and you're not to blame or worry about it.'

i did think afterwards that maybe i should tell people that i will NOT read about loves! but that would be stupid. about 1/3 or more of my customers always ask a question about their love relationship!

so, just remember to let the client know that tarot doesn't put things in stone, and that since the client has free will, things can change if they want. tarot only tells them what 'MAY' happen. (I tell all my clients this before every reading).

also, be professional!

and thirdly, since you are just starting out professionally--keep your cost at a very low rate, and chances are people will not have any complaints, whether they like the reading from you or not. after a few years of reading, you can always adjust this rate and make it higher, and chances are your repeat customers won't mind!

good luck, Holmes.

I agree with similia - a no refunds policy is absolutely within the limits of a professional business.

But you need to sell it to the client, by making them feel safe that they will not be scammed... after all, they don't know you.

Something I do at fairs when I read for a fee, I state very clearly the scope of my service - i.e. length of the reading, if they can ask more than question / can get more than one issue covered, what type of answers they can expect, etc. And actually, I do offer a refund if they can prove they did not get that service - you don't need to do the same, but clients will need some sort of security, too.

Manda said:

I am going to say something honest to you, and it is my sincere hope that it doesn't offend, but truly, really, as much as you may be a very talented reader and as much as I can see that you need the money, I would not risk losing my money, either, by getting a reading from someone with such a harshly worded policy.

It seems your concern is that you may have already spent the money, since you are on such a tight budget. I think it is perfectly acceptable to have a statute of limitations on when you will offer refunds, but a person should know pretty quickly if the reading was beneficial or not. Maybe you could offer refunds within a certain frame, maybe 24-72 hours?

!

Click to expand...

yes but when you pay for a reading,, aren't you like already preparing yourself that the money will be gone?.
has anyone here ever gone to the movie theatre watched the whole movie then asked for the refund ?

besides the fact that i am on a tight budget,
i would like to avoid the hassle of going through the procedure of a refund,
and furthermore in 72 hours, a person might decided just to get their money back.

it is for those reasons I Would like to have no refunds, but i havent' worked on it since i put down the skelton and so i wanted to be sure the refunds notice was going to be noticed lol.

edited to add,
i just want things to be clear from the get go, and no confusions,

you are correct, Holmes. the only thing I can think of going to a movie and then demanding my money back is if for some reason they had to stop showing the movie and make everyone leave. and, that RARELY happens. this is why I feel that refunds for the reasons I have stated are acceptable, but ONLY then--and they RARELY occur, too!

all you have to do is try it out and see how many bites you get with whatever refund policy you choose to include. If you find yourself not getting any bites for readings, well, change your refund policy and see what happens then.

whatever you chose to do, I hope it is fruitful for you and you are successful!

Well, it seems like I am in the minority, and that is just fine.

I think there is a difference between just randomly deciding that you did not want to spend the money and being truly dissatisfied, and I hope that you never have any Querents that do either! That is the best case scenario.

I would still encourage you to word your policy a little more gently, but if you find that you get plenty of business the way it is, then my advice was worth about what you paid for it.

For those of you who said that you would not get a meal or a service for free if it wasn't good, I certainly hope you do voice your concerns, because you should not have to pay premium for service that was sub par. I guess with a movie or book you take your chances, which raises an interesting question - are professional readers providing a service, such as house cleaning, or a massage, or something tangible that can be measured with a monetary value, or is it less tangible, for example, entertainment, and harder to assign value to therefore? Which probably belongs in its' own thread.

Bright blessings to you, HOLMES, and fantastic luck with your venture!