I was talking about how brands disappoint with a friend earlier today and I started reminiscing about all the brands that take STELLAR product photos and lure you in and abscond your CASH, but when you get the item in the mail or wear the item it’s constructed so poorly that you’re having a WHAT THE HELL?!?! moment and don’t even want to endanger your health or fashion street cred by wearing it. I’ve never given a ONE STAR review on my blog and some of you may wonder why but what I’ve realized is that my opinion or my affiliation carries weight and even negative press or a negative review is promotion for the brand and I’m just not willing to do that for a brand that I don’t care that much about.

I have been very fortunate with the things I’m sent to review. For the most part I’ve loved everything and accordingly these products have fallen into the 3-5 star range. Only most recently I received a product I hated. It was a pair of boots (actually received a pair of shoes too from another brand if I remember correctly). I normally don’t give brands the opportunity to make it up to me because if it’s a quality issue then that speaks more about the brand and how they regulate things than sending me a second product will ever help me forget, but I allowed them to send me a second shoe product and will share my review in the coming month.

For those of you who don’t feel like you have a voice or are too nice to complain, here is food for thought. Your silence with an inferior product helps the brand continue making and producing this inferior product because it goes unchallenged. Even when a product I have a bad experience with isn’t something I want to share on the blog, here are some things that I do however to get the situation rectified.

1. Contact someone at the company. Not a regular worker or someone in customer service, who happens to be walking by on their way to restroom and picks up the phone, but someone on a supervisory level. Tell them about your experience with their product and what you really think CALMLY. Don’t let them force you take a replacement product. If you want a REFUND stick to your guns otherwise accepting a substitute will only prolong you getting your money back.

2. Get compensation. In addition to a refund I always ask for something for my trouble. Yes, I can get my money back but if I didn’t take a chance on their product I could have spent my hard earned money or something else. Give me something. Some brands are affiliated with other brands or have incentive products that they give their customers–get it. You deserve it.

3. Tell people. If your girlfriend loves shoes and a shoe brand JACKED YOUR FEET UP tell her. Tell her to tell somebody. Use Twitter. Use Facebook. Use Tumblr, Use Pinterest. Use the brand’s feedback email or post a review on their page. If the brand won’t let your review go through, log on to another website like Amazon.com or Endless.com that sells the same product and post your review there. Websites that aren’t “directly” related to a brand are more likely to let you have your say without censoring you.

Now fashionistas, here is where you come in, have you had a bad experience with a brand, product or service? If so post it here. Do it anonymously if you need to. But tell it because we all deserve to know what brand has disappointed you!