[ElJefe]

Sup fellas

I signed up for a course (just a single afternoon), but ended up not making it because I had forgotten I had a previous engagement. Silly, yeah.

Anyways, I didn't think it'd be a big deal because they do this course once a month or so. Problem is, they don't refund you if the reason for not-showing was something you yourself should've anticipated.

It's about 150 bucks, and I am expecting to jjust have to write it off, but I decided to see if the creative minds at RooshVforum have some brilliant ideas?

Usable excuses are:

Acts of God
Illness
Death
etc.

stuff like that

Right now I'm thinking of saying my flight was cancelled, ie. I was abroad, expecting to get home in time, but flight was cancelled.

What is required is documentation. For an illness it would have to be a doctor's statement.

I could possibly scan an old boarding pass and mess with the digits to make it look like I was re-booked, although I'm a bit loath to do so for obvious reasons.

Other ideas?

[YossariansRight]

You got a last minute phone call and had to assist an elderly/injured/disabled relative/friend/neighbor to get to their medical appointments.

Pick out an ailment, like a mobility issue, that would back this up.

"I received a telephone call 45 minutes prior to the class asking me if I could take my great aunt for her physical therapy evaluation to help her recover from her recent knee ligament surgery."

Are they going to ask for a note for that? Unless they're total dickheads, doubtful.

[TheWastelander]

You were triggered and reduced to tears by a white cismale on the subway after he othered you with several microaggressions. You had to go home, eat a gallon of ice cream and binge watch Netflix to boost your self-esteem.

[Horus]

Just write it off and forget about it. Lies are usually transparent and not worth the potential consequences. Educational organisations receive excuses all the time, so they have heard any story you can think of.

[Dantes]

Cancel the previous engagement or try to reschedule the course in good faith for the next month. If you are not able to reschedule, paying 150 is not the end of the world.

[ElJefe]

That's how I feel, Horus. 150 isn't the end of the world, but it's a pain, especially now (for specific reasons). The course is necessary for an application I intended on submitting, and the next time I can sign up is March (since the Feb deadline was right before the January course, that I unexpectedly missed). The deadline for the application is late Feb, so it's all kind of a mess. I suppose I could see if they won't accept additions to the application after the deadline, but I actually doubt it.

Dantes: already missed the course.

Yossarian: that sounds like an interesting idea. Will think about that.

Will still entertain suggestions.

[Aros]

I will also suggest to write it off. Being labeled a liar because of pussy is one thing, but when it is a money issue it is entirely a different. I assume you knew the rules before you signed up, so you should own your mistake, and write it off.

I see it like this, men can cheat and lie their way in and out of women's pants, but they cannot lie about money issues without being a coward and a wimp. Woman can cheat and lie their way to money, but they cannot lie their way to more dick without being a slutty whore.

[eljeffster]

Carefully read whatever policy they have. If there isn't an exception that you can easily fit into then let it go.

[Dr. Howard]

Easy. "My friend called me up to say she had been raped". Rape is untouchable.

[Tigre]

You could involve a Virtual Assistant that manages your calendar. Let it be understood that you just started working with this VA and he screwed up. You didn't find out until the day of. It was already too late to cancel with the required notice.

The document you submit is a letter from Sandeep your VA, apologizing for the inadvertent double-booking for Mr ElJefe's appointment and asking if they can help to rebook you for a future course.

[Glaucon]

[Goldin Boy]

(01-27-2015 10:26 AM)Horus Wrote:  

Just write it off and forget about it. Lies are usually transparent and not worth the potential consequences. Educational organisations receive excuses all the time, so they have heard any story you can think of.

People only get caught because they don't rehearse enough and the stories are flimsy.

To OP:

Sick or dead family member. Go for sudden death from a long-term illness. Mention they were old and you got a call the night before and had a take a 4 hr car ride.

If they ask for proof, google something called "novelty excuses"...it's cheap and they have a doctor's note template you can modify.

No one is going to pry and ask for a phone call to verify, no one will ask you the nature of the illness. Not your professors or your boss at work how heartless would that be to pry at such difficult time for you?

I'd just write-off the course as a loss: It just totally slipped your mind and it's not their fault you didn't remember.

[Gorgiass]

Thousands of flights were grounded today because of the East coast storm. Layover at Logan/JFK was canceled and you were stranded in Boston/NYC, make a reservation at a hotel with a no-fee last minute cancellation policy (which few seem to have anymore), get your email receipt to forward to them as proof of "being stranded" there, then cancel the hotel reservation. I'd lie to save $150 any day.

[Sp5]

Scout out the office and see who you can game by just telling the truth.

I don't see how it's a big deal to let you take the course, unless they are out costs they can't recoup. Otherwise it's just a matter of a seat in class, right?

You contracted for a service, you paid, but you breached the contract by not being there on time, so you didn't get the service you paid for. But they can still offer you the service as a good faith gesture.

I'd think they were assholes for not letting you go.

[WesternCancer]

say you had flu like symptoms and didn't want to compromise the other students and get them sick.

[SamuelBRoberts]

Pay the fucking money, dude.
You signed up for it, and you knew the rules when you went in.
Don't try to pussy out of it now. It's not their fault you couldn't keep track of your own schedule.

[ChazKGB]

All flights out of JFK were cancelled yesterday and you couldn't get reschedule until today.

[Hardy Daytona]

Death's a good one, but you need to be able to back it up.
A grandparent or removed relative is a good start as proximity invites investigation.
A corroborating witness would help.
Also, you have to be very good at frame maintenance for death. Literally carry the air of a funeral. One smirk in the wrong place or a gesture ill-timed and the jig's up.

[LeightonBlackstock]

Feign depression

They won't dare challenge it

[AneroidOcean]

(01-27-2015 02:42 PM)Sp5 Wrote:  

Scout out the office and see who you can game by just telling the truth.

I don't see how it's a big deal to let you take the course, unless they are out costs they can't recoup. Otherwise it's just a matter of a seat in class, right?

You contracted for a service, you paid, but you breached the contract by not being there on time, so you didn't get the service you paid for. But they can still offer you the service as a good faith gesture.

I'd think they were assholes for not letting you go.

This. Also, you sound like a woman, rationalizing away why you should get refunded. Real talk.

[The Reactionary Tree]

diarrhea. no one will question diarrhea.

[heavy]

Your first line is like a first offer in negotiation:
- I can't make it
- I can't make it, something came up
- I can't make it, something important came up
- I can't make it, something important came up I can't miss
- I can't make it because of an emergency

Each subsequent phrase offers more information. Use your judgment on how much information to provide. Error on the side of less information, assuming you'll get the refund. Then adjust according to the conversation that follows. Whatever reason you give is secondary to how you frame the conversation. Your frame should be "none of your business, but I'll tell you what you need to issue me a refund". You don't ever *say* that, ever, explicitly, but you *demand* it with the unspoken.

Substitute "won't" in place of "can't" for a power play. Obviously in this case you're asking for a favor, as if something was out of your hands, so you'd use "can't".

Edit: Do all this knowing (with your attitude) that $150 isn't that big of deal to you.