EFE learning modules / Discounts, Returns & Customer Issues

Discounts, Returns & Customer Issues

Common Expressions Back to Catalog

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To get a raw deal

/ቱ ጌት ኤ ራው ዲል/

መጥፎ ስምምነት ወይም አያያዝ ማግኘት

To be treated unfairly or receive a poor bargain.

ኢፍትሐዊ በሆነ መንገድ መስተናገድ ወይም መጥፎ ግዢ መፈጸም።

In Practice

"I got a raw deal on this contract; the terms are terrible."
"Customers feel they got a raw deal when the product broke after one day."
Fluent Tip

Used when describing unfair treatment in business transactions.

To pay through the nose

/ቱ ፔይ ስሩ ዘ ኖዝ/

እጅግ በጣም ውድ ዋጋ መክፈል

To pay an excessive amount of money for something.

ለአንድ ነገር በጣም ከፍተኛ የሆነ ገንዘብ መክፈል።

In Practice

"I had to pay through the nose for this last-minute flight."
"Don't pay through the nose; wait for the discount season."
Fluent Tip

Commonly used to complain about high prices.

For a song

/ፎር ኤ ሶንግ/

በጣም በርካሽ ዋጋ

Very cheaply.

በጣም በዝቅተኛ ዋጋ።

In Practice

"She bought that vintage coat for a song at the garage sale."
"I managed to get these returned items for a song."
Fluent Tip

Used to describe a very good bargain.

A rip-off

/ኤ ሪፕ ኦፍ/

ቀማኛ ወይም ከልክ ያለፈ ዋጋ

Something that is much more expensive than it should be.

ከሚገባው በላይ በጣም ውድ የሆነ ነገር።

In Practice

"Ten dollars for a bottle of water is a complete rip-off."
"I felt like the repair service was a rip-off."
Fluent Tip

Informal way to express being overcharged.

Break the bank

/ብሬክ ዘ ባንክ/

ከአቅም በላይ የሆነ ወጪ

To cost more money than one can afford.

አንድ ሰው ሊከፍለው ከሚችለው በላይ ውድ መሆን።

In Practice

"A new phone doesn't have to break the bank."
"I want a good quality suit that won't break the bank."
Fluent Tip

Used when discussing budgets and prices.

To cut corners

/ቱ ካት ኮርነርስ/

ጥራትን በመቀነስ ወጪን ለመቆጠብ መሞከር

To do something in the easiest or cheapest way, often sacrificing quality.

ጥራቱን በመቀነስ በቀላሉ ወይም በርካሽ መንገድ አንድን ነገር ለማከናወን መሞከር።

In Practice

"The manufacturer cut corners, and that is why the product is faulty."
"Never cut corners when it comes to customer safety."
Fluent Tip

Often used to explain why a product is defective.

To shop around

/ቱ ሾፕ አራውንድ/

ዋጋና ጥራት ለማወዳደር የተለያዩ ቦታዎችን ማየት

To compare prices and quality in different shops before buying.

ከመግዛትዎ በፊት በተለያዩ ሱቆች ውስጥ ዋጋዎችን እና ጥራትን ማወዳደር።

In Practice

"You should shop around before deciding on a new fridge."
"Shopping around helped me find a 20 percent discount."
Fluent Tip

Advice given to find the best deal.

Throw in the towel

/ስሮው ኢን ዘ ታውል/

ተስፋ መቁረጥ (ቅሬታ በማቅረብ ሂደት)

To give up on something.

አንድን ነገር ለማግኘት ሲሞክሩ ተስፋ መቁረጥ።

In Practice

"After calling customer service five times, I’m ready to throw in the towel."
"Don't throw in the towel yet; ask for the manager."
Fluent Tip

Used when a customer is frustrated with the resolution process.

Pass the buck

/ፓስ ዘ ባክ/

ኃላፊነትን ወደ ሌላ ማስተላለፍ

To shift responsibility to someone else.

ኃላፊነትን ወደ ሌላ ሰው ማሸጋገር።

In Practice

"The cashier tried to pass the buck to the warehouse manager."
"Stop passing the buck and just give me a refund."
Fluent Tip

Used when staff avoid taking responsibility for an issue.

Pick up the tab

/ፒክ አፕ ዘ ታብ/

ሒሳብ መክፈል

To pay the bill.

ሒሳቡን መክፈል።

In Practice

"The company agreed to pick up the tab for the shipping costs."
"Since it was their mistake, they should pick up the tab."
Fluent Tip

Often used regarding who pays for repairs or returns.

Hold someone's feet to the fire

/ሆልድ ሰምዋንስ ፊት ቱ ዘ ፋየር/

አንድ ሰው የገባውን ቃል እንዲፈጽም መጫን

To pressure someone to fulfill an obligation.

አንድ ሰው ግዴታውን እንዲወጣ ጫና ማድረግ።

In Practice

"We need to hold the store's feet to the fire regarding their warranty policy."
"I had to hold their feet to the fire to get my money back."
Fluent Tip

Used in the context of demanding accountability.

Back to square one

/ባክ ቱ ስክዌር ዋን/

ወደ መጀመሪያው መመለስ

To go back to the beginning of a process.

ወደ ሂደቱ መጀመሪያ መመለስ።

In Practice

"The return was rejected, so we are back to square one."
"If this repair doesn't work, it's back to square one with the complaint."
Fluent Tip

Used when a resolution fails.