We have had several situations in which we purchased, usually intentionally, products or services, which we soon after decided that we didn't want/need.  In all cases, we were able to either get either a refund or a credit to be used for something else.

Two recent examples:

1.  Because of a year-end accounting error, we paid for a subscription to an expensive electronic resource, not realizing that it would put us over-budget for the year.  We worked with the vendor to get a refund of the full price of the subscription.

2.  We purchased a product from our ILS vendor, never implemented it, and then decided we didn't really need it.  We were able to get full credit for th purchase price to use on a future product.

These examples are a bit different from the ones referred to earlier in this thread.  However, I would never hesitate to ask a vendor for a refund and proof of order.  Persistence often pays off, although, of course, one has to weigh the staff time against the cost of the purchase. 

~Carol

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