July 2017 – SQM Pick

Monthly Archives: July 2017

Dyson Leaves the Competition in the Dust

July 26, 2017David Lipton 1 Comment

Based on the advice of a few friends, a number of years ago my wife and I bought a Dyson vacuum cleaner for our new house. The purchase ended up being a great decision, and we liked it so much, that we later went and bought another smaller, handheld Dyson, to clean up smaller messes, dust, etc.

Although Dyson is typically more expensive than the average brands of vacuum cleaners, I truly believe it is worth the investment. The vacuums themselves are engineered extremely well, ergonomically designed, easy to maintain, and don’t have a lot of complicated parts. In fact, given all the benefits, and how pleased I was with the home vacuum cleaner, we also decided to buy a Dyson for the SQM office.

Although our office Dyson vacuum has always been very well maintained, a few weeks ago we began to experience some problems with it. In particular, the rotating brush, or “head” of the vacuum stopped rotating. Naturally, we first tried to fix it ourselves because Dyson products are usually very easy to take apart and put together, but no dice. Our next step was to call Dyson and tell them about our problem. The representative answered the phone quite promptly, asked and answered the necessary questions, collected the model number from us, and told us it was still under warranty. Without hesitation, they offered to ship a new head directly to us.

The process of fixing equipment that was still under warranty was painless, and the new piece was shipped to us, just as promised. Unfortunately, our problems didn’t end there. We quickly discovered that we could not remove the old piece from the hose part of the vacuum. After placing another call to Dyson they offered a new hose piece since simply removing the head was no longer an option for us. A few days later, the hose piece arrived, safe and sound, and we were successfully able to switch the parts out and fix our office vacuum.

Dyson seems to have the perfect recipe for success: great quality products, amazing customer service, and a commitment to stand behind what they sell.

Whether you’re looking for a vacuum, their bladeless fans, or a hairdryer, consider Dyson as a long-term, worthwhile investment.

Dyson
1-877-397-6622
www.dysoncanada.ca

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Es Delicioso, El Catrin!

July 19, 2017David Lipton Comment

A few weeks ago, I was told of what was promised to be one of the best Mexican restaurants in Toronto. I was a little hesitant to go because it happened to be located in the Distillery District, where I haven’t had the best experience with restaurants. During past visits to other restaurants in the area, I have found that the food wasn’t that great, the service was slow and unattentive, and prices were through the roof! With that being said, I was told this place was great and after my arm was twisted, we ended up going.

As we approached the location, the first thing I noticed was the patio. It was big, it was beautiful, and it set the perfect atmosphere for a nice dinner. The patio was decorated with all sorts of lights, making it seem almost festive. Once we entered the restaurant, we were immediately greeted by a wonderful hostess, and taken to our reserved table inside the dining room, which was already set up and waiting for us. Within minutes, our server came over and introduced herself. She was extremely enthusiastic, cheery about having us, and constantly making suggestions and recommendations based on her personal favourite items and restaurant best sellers.

With regards to the food, we ordered a variety of items to share – and everything was delicious! The tacos were delectable, and the guacamole was absolutely heavenly…my mouth still waters just thinking about it!

When the bill came, I was delightfully surprised to note that it wasn’t outrageously expensive (like I was expecting). In fact, I was so impressed with the overall service and food that I personally spoke to the manager to tell him how enjoyable the evening was. It turns out it was only our server’s first week and the fact that she provided such amazing and attentive service spoke volumes about El Catrin’s ability to scope out good, hardworking people and train them well.

Without a doubt, I would return for the amazing food and extremely hospitable service. Whether after a walk in the Distillery District, on a warm summer night, or in the middle of the winter, El Catrin makes for a great dining experience!

El Catrin
416-203-2121
www.elcatrin.ca

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Love and Care at MED+ Home Health Care

July 12, 2017David Lipton Comment

A few weeks ago, my lovely aunt happened to be returning home after a lengthy stay at a rehab facility. Prior to her discharge date, we knew we had to get some medical equipment for her support, but the only problem: from where? In addition to finding the specific equipment, we also found out that prices varied, widely, so there was the extra challenge of finding the items at a decent price.

After receiving a list of reputable stores from the rehab facility, we started to do our homework. We visited some locations and called others, and were very surprised with the lack of customer service provided by many of the businesses.

It was strange, that in such a competitive industry, some places never got back to us, did not have items in stock, had no prices handy, and on top of this, a noticeable disparity in the pricing.

The one place that stood apart from the rest was MED+ Home Health Care. From the minute we called them, the woman we interacted with was extremely friendly, had all the information on hand, and actually emailed us a written quote shortly after we got off the phone (this was very convenient and helpful in our decision-making process). To add to the professionalism of this business, the woman followed up with us a few days after the call to ask if we had any questions, or required additional information.

Between the great service and the excellent prices, we decided to purchase the items from MED+, and thankfully, our positive experience didn’t stop there. MED+ delivered the equipment quickly and at the pre-arranged time. The delivery person was polite, professional and set up the equipment in the requested areas of the apartment. He also installed certain items that took a bit more time and effort, leaving only once everything was completed, ending the experience as professionally as it began.

At a time when families are stressed about their loved ones, the folks at MED+ Home Health Care made the process easy and as pleasant as it could be.

MED+ Home Health Care
416-477-5960
www.medplushealth.ca

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Dickson Home Hardware Knows the Key to Success!

July 5, 2017David Lipton 1 Comment

A few weeks ago I headed out to one of the big box stores in my area as I needed to cut about a dozen keys.

As one does in many large stores, I found myself wandering up and down the aisles in search of the key section. Once I found the area, I waited for a good five minutes, for an employee to come to help me. Since nobody came over, I continued my search up and down the aisles, looking for someone who worked there, who could cut the keys for me. Once I finally found an employee and returned to the key section, they told me they didn’t have the specific key I needed in stock but offered me a more expensive, fancier key with a logo on it. I’d hoped that to earn my business, the employee would have offered to give me the more expensive key at the cheaper one’s cost, but they didn’t.

Since I wanted to keep the cost of the keys as low as possible, I left the store but experienced similar challenges at another store in the same area. Suddenly it occurred to me that I should head to a small hardware store that had never disappointed me in the past, so without hesitation, I made my way to Dickson Home Hardware on Avenue Road. I had been to the store many times before and it amazed me as they always seemed to have what I needed even though the shop is a fraction of the size of a big box store. I really don’t know how they do it!

As soon as I walked through the doors a friendly employee was there to help me and, lo and behold, the keys I needed were in stock and less expensive than what I was planning on paying at the other larger stores!

The employees were polite, knowledgeable and friendly, and they quickly cut my keys and sent me on my way. As I was leaving I remembered I needed some topsoil and, to no surprise, Dickson’s had lots in stock at the same price as most other places I would have purchased it from. I bought the topsoil and without me even having to ask they offered to put it in the trunk of my car. In fact, one of the other great things about this small store is that they work on an honour system. They trusted that when I said I’d purchased five bags of soil that I was telling the truth and simply loaded them into my car, without checking inside or asking for a receipt.

Dickson Home Hardware is a great store that stocks everything the big guys have at the same or sometimes cheaper prices. In addition to the fabulous staff, the store’s owner, Tony Dickson, is often there to chat with the customers and help out whenever needed. My takeaway from my experiences at Dickson’s is that sometimes you should consider supporting your local retailer. Even though they’re small, they’re just as good as the big guys. Dickson Home Hardware has never let me down. They have taken good care of me over the years and whether you’re looking for BBQ’s (they have a separate store that specializes in this area) or for something from the hardware store, I highly recommend them.

Dickson Home Hardware
416-487-4029
www.dicksonhh.com

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