Michele Ashamalla: My son came back from a camp trip to Disneyland with one of those fun bubble blower guns. Well, it would have been fun if it had worked. He spent his own money for it, and was understandably disappointed. Believe it or not, he actually had the receipt, but there was no way I was going to go all the way to Disneyland to negotiate an exchange. One call to Disneyland customer service put me in touch with someone who promised to send me out a new one if I faxed the receipt.

I had a similar experience when a MovieCash certificate I earned at the grocery store was not accepted at what was supposed to be a participating theater. I called MovieCash, sent them the stubs of the tickets I had to pay for, and got a check back in the mail. A call to Target.com about a pair of jeans for my daughter that developed a hole after a month of wear had them sending her a new pair. They didn't even want the old ones back, so she ended up with a pair of cut-offs, too.

Even if the time to return an item is passed, it is always worth a call to customer service. Be polite, but let them know that the product did not work as advertised or intended, or why it was unacceptable. Always have in mind what outcome you are looking for (refund, rebate, or something else), and if you are reasonable, you probably won't be disappointed.

A former state deputy attorney general and current stay-at-home mom, Recession Mama Michele Ashamalla has three kids and ten years of experience stretching one salary to cover the necessities and more. She's all about saving money whenever you can, so you have it to spend on whatever you want!