The "I am Switching to Your Competitor" Refund Email. I Tested It 5 Times.

I tested the "I am switching to your competitor" threat in 5 refund emails. The results: 3 companies offered discounts to stay. 1 company processed the refund. 1 company said "We are sorry to see you go." and did nothing. The most effective response came from a telecom company that offered a $20/month discount for 12 months and waived my cancellation fee. The least effective was an insurance company that simply said goodbye. The threat works best when you name a specific competitor with a specific price. Example: "I have received a quote from [Competitor] for $50/month. That is $20 less than what I am currently paying. If you cannot match this, I will need to cancel and request a refund for any prepaid amounts." This makes the threat concrete. Vague threats are easily dismissed.