IELTS CUE CARD: Describe a problem you had while shopping online or in a store

September 28, 2026 Abhay Chamoli

Describe a problem you had while shopping online or in a store.

When it happened?
What was problem?
How it happened?
Was it resolved and how you felt afterward?

Answer:

As a human, finding problems or getting into problems is as easy to entertain themselves. So, whether I find a problem in something or problems find me, it shouldn’t be surprising.

Thus, talking about troubles takes me back to 2024, when I made a blunder while I was shopping online for the first time. During that time I saw a beautiful dress for my mother on Instagram, and I was intrigued. Subsequently, I decided that I had to buy that attire no matter what so that I could see attire no matter what so that I could see happiness in my mother’s eye. However, being a guy who had never bought anything online ran into big and frustrating trouble. By not consulting my sister or anyone, I clicked the option to buy and decided to make a payment of almost Rs 1,000, and then I had sealed my fate.

After 2 days, the dress was delivered at home, and no one except me was present to receive it. I thought that God wanted me to surprise my mom with that dress. I took the parcel and opened it, only to find a dusty old scarf inside the parcel instead of the dress. I was not only dumbfounded but also furious. I called the customer care of that site and swore to bring hell upon them if they didn’t refund my money. But the dilemma was now whether to tell my family or not and be wise enough. I decided to carry the secret to my grave. As a result, my family to this day has no idea of my blunder.

Although I got my amount back, my family didn’t find the truth, but the incident left a scar in my heart. Thus, the problem has now become an integral part of my distrust towards online shopping, which I believe and hope never goes away.

(314 words)