Many years ago, through family connections, I got in touch with John, who is very reputable in the auto-collision business. John and his business partner Rob own a shop close to where I live, and both of them have worked with a team of on-site specialists for over 35 years. Their team has a high level of experience and are always ready to deliver professional and quality collision repairs.

Every time work needs to be done on my own, my wife’s, or my father’s car, John does an excellent job of coming up with cost-effective ways to do repairs. For example, he would use after-market parts and used parts to do the repairs rather than the more expensive OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) parts. I recall a few years ago, when my own and my wife’s cars were damaged in the ice-storm, when John was able to do the repairs for a reasonable price by using different parts that in no way impacted the look or operation of the vehicles, while saving me considerable money.

Aside from saving money, John is one of these people in business, who truly cares about the well being of his customers. Just a few months ago, when my father got into an accident, John was able to quickly arrange a car rental and tow truck to the scene of the accident, making things a lot easier on my dad. Whether during regular business hours or in the evenings and / or weekends, John is just a phone call away, and always willing to be of assistance.

John’s business partner, Rob, is a great mechanic, which is unfortunately becoming a lost art. Rob could sit in a car, drive it around, and after hearing a certain noise, he would diagnose the specific problem and quickly get to work on fixing it. Rob too, uses good quality but reasonably priced parts, which he obtains through a trusted network of contacts and suppliers that he has built up during his years in business.

As regularly mentioned by my postings, I always do my best to support small businesses, and John, Rob, and their team are masters of their craft that deserves high praise and recognition. They are genuine, take good care of their customers, and I highly recommend them to anyone who is in need of car repairs be it body work or mechanical.

John and Rob
NorthWest Auto Collision
961 Roselawn Avenue
Toronto, ON M6B 1B6
416-246-9666
northwestcollisioncentre.com

A few weeks ago, I was on a cruise, and one of the ports we stopped at was Falmouth, Jamaica. Since there isn’t much to do in Falmouth, itself, we had planned in advance to travel from Falmouth to Montego Bay, however we knew that it would be a 20-minute drive. Falmouth was a fairly new port, and sufficient tourist resources had not yet been built, so we didn’t know how we would get a taxi to Montego Bay.

After doing some online research, we found that a woman by the name of Patrice Bailey received many positive reviews for her small business. Her business offers driver services and tours, and the drivers will accompany you throughout the day to take you to your desired locations. From the beach to the markets, to art galleries and just local attractions, the service was said to be prompt and excellent.

After several emails with Patrice, we booked her services for the day, and much to our surprise, we were not asked for payment up front or even a deposit. When we asked how we would find her at the port, her reply was just as quick as it was friendly, and she informed us, “Everyone there knows me. Just ask for Patrice Bailey or ask to be pointed to the white tent!”

When my friends and I arrived in Falmouth, we did just as Patrice had instructed. What Patrice informed us over email was true, and more. It was clear that everyone knew her, and she was very well-respected in the community.  When we found her white tent, she greeted us with great enthusiasm… not just a business like hand shake, but hugs as we were friends or family and not merely customers. Within a few seconds she had offered us cold drinks and before we knew it she introduced us to our driver for the day.

The driver was just as friendly and knowledgeable as Patrice. Throughout the day he pointed out people and places of interest to us. Based on one of our requests, he even took us off the beaten path, to introduce us to a restaurant that served delicious patties.

As for Patrice, when we were heading out of the patty restaurant, all of a sudden we hear someone calling our names, and can’t figure out who would possible know us in a foreign country. Much to our surprise, Patrice happened to stop by to check up on us.  When she saw us, she ran up to us and asked about how we enjoyed the tour followed by our end of the day hugs and best wishes.

Although the round trip cost for a shuttle bus is approximately $20.00 per passenger, the extra $5.00 for the service provided by Patrice and her team is well worth it.  Aside from not having to wait for a schedule service, I can almost assure you that the folks on the shuttle didn’t have a great snack for receive hugs like we did.

For amazing customer service from friendly, knowledgeable, and professional people, Patrice Bailey is your #1 contact in Jamaica!

Patrice Bailey
patbailey52@yahoo.com
876-612-0120

From time to time, I like to recommend companies and organizations that don’t often get kudos from the public. One such company is RBC Insurance, and I can recommend it in good faith due to its excellent customer service.

A few weeks ago, my father was involved in a bad car accident and therefore needed to deal with an insurance claim.

Although advertisements on television seem to indicate that insurance claim can be dealt with under 30 minutes, we had low expectations due to our experience with other companies in the past.

RBC Insurance, truly surprised us. After my father and I prepared all of the necessary information, we called RBC Insurance. During the initial call, we were asked a series of questions to which we replied, and within approximately 40 minutes everything was underway.

By the end of the call, we were given the names of two adjusters to handle the case and ensured that the information discussed over the phone and the information needed to complete the claim would be emailed to us promptly. The process was quick and without trouble. In fact, the employee even went as far was ensuring that my father was able to drive during the claim period by setting him up with a rental vehicle.

Within the next few business days, we received a couple of calls and emails about the status of the claim, and every employee who either called or emailed us was knowledgeable, professional, and very pleasant to deal with.

In addition to their customer service, I must say that RBC Insurance has been very reasonable with regards to payments including approving certain benefits which fall into the dreaded “out of the box” category.

RBC Insurance has truly put my father first, and has made his recovery…both financial and healthwise the priority in the relationship.

When you’re deciding on insurance, there are a number of factors that have an impact on what would be the right insurance company for you. RBC Insurance not only met, but greatly exceeded our expectations and I truly appreciate them putting my dad on the road to recovery.

RBC Insurance
1-877-749-7224
rbcinsurance.com

Several months ago, I heard a noise coming from below my car. When I took my car to a reputable mechanic, they immediately showed me the problem. The flexpipe located at the front-end of the exhaust system needed a replacement. I was then given a quote of approximately $500, which would fix and replace the exhaust system and the flexpipe attached to it. Since it did not appear cost-effective at the time, I put it on my to-do list, to take care of before the cold weather.

A couple of months later, I went and got my snow tires put on at Multi Tirecraft (see one of my previous blogs), and when I mentioned to Glen, the owner, that I was looking for someone to fix the flexpipe of my car, he referred me to Selmon’s Custom Exhaust without a moment’s hesitation. Glen informed me that Selmon was not only good at his craft, but good with his customers and always looked after them. If there was a less costly solution to fixing a car problem, then Selmon would find it and honest about it.

Several days later, I scheduled an appointment with Selmon, arrived at his workshop, and he quickly went to work. He put my car up on the hoist, showed me the problem with the flexpipe, and said that instead of replacing the entire flexpipe, he could weld it. He indicated that welding the flexpipe would probably give it another year or two before it absolutely needed a replacement.  The welding procedure only took approximately 10 to 15 minutes, and was $50.

I was so happy with Selmon’s service that a couple of days later, I had my wife take her car in for repairs as well. As it turns out, a pice of the muffler, on my wife’s car had come unfastened, and Selmon ensured her that she didn’t need to replace the entire muffler, but instead only needed a section of it repaired. Again, Selmon quickly went to work and charged my wife a reasonable price.

Selmon’s expertise is not only in excellent customer service, but working with high-end cars as well. Although he usually works with regular, everyday vehicles, he also works on high-end cars such as the old Camaros,  and if you really want to get him going, just start chatting about Grand Nationals.

When it comes to exhaust systems, whether you want a regular repair or custom work done on your vehicle, Selmon is the best person to call. I highly recommend him for all your under car needs.

Selmon’s Custom Exhaust
37 Granger Avenue
Scarborough, ON M1K 3K9
(416) 805-0084

For several years now, I have been working closely with Brian Bossin, my company’s accountant. I first heard of Brian through my lawyer, who knew about my frustrations in dealing with large accounting firms, and never feeling like a priority. In one case, an accounting firm informed me that my company was not yet big enough to require their level of services.

When I finally met with Brian, I immediately liked his approach. It was clear that he would be a good fit for a smaller business, would offer genuine accounting and business advice for my company, assist me when I had very quick questions, and only change me for the major work.

What makes Brian different from other accountants and their firms is that he is reasonable and does not nickel and dime his clients to death. Unlike calling up a big accounting firm, and being charged by the minute, Brian understands that excellent customer service goes hand in hand with building better business relationships, and that a long term relationship is more valuable and profitable.

Brian works at a small boutique organization, and specializes in a variety of industries. Whether you need someone for personal or business related accounting, Brian is your go-to person. Your business can range from small to large or from industry to industry, and he will find the best way to help you regardless. He is always a great joy with which to work, and I highly recommend contacting him…especially before the busy tax season!

Brian Bossin & George Tin Yan, CA
Bossin, Tin Yan Chartered Accountants
1210 Sheppard Avenue East, Suite 200
Toronto, ON M2K 1E3
416-492-8484

For several years now, my daughter has been excelling in track and field at school. She enjoys the competition and teamwork involved in track and field so much that she has become involved in regional meets. However, the regional meets only occur every once in a while, and my daughter wants to do track and field on a regular basis.

The Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education at the University of Toronto offers a series of programs called Junior Blues, which involve lessons for such sports as track and field, basketball, volleyball, skating, gymnastics, dance, swimming, and skating. Appropriately titled, Tracktivities, this program focuses on track and field and involves the three main areas of running, jumping and throwing. The goal of the program is to teach the proper techniques and concepts in track and field so that kids could either move on to more advanced levels of track and field or transfer those skills into other sports.

The staff members are just as amazing as the programs. They always do their best to create a supportive and inclusive environment for the kids. The support for the parents in the registration process is amazing as well. The schedules are very flexible, and the staff members do their best to find the best fit for both the kids and their parents.

Other people who are part of the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education include: Varsity coaches, Varsity staff members, people who coach as a career, and occasionally elite and Olympic athletes. Being around such professionals and athletes inspires the kids because it shows them what they can aspire to achieve and teaches them about other areas such as dedication, commitment and focus, but placing fun above all else.

Whether your child is learning the basics of a sport, or training to go beyond regionals in track and field, the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education’s Junior Blues program offers something inspiring for everyone at a reasonable price.

Athletic Centre
55 Harbord Street
Toronto, ON M5S 2W6
www.physical.utoronto.ca

As we head into the holiday season, we will be taking a break from our regular postings, which will return the week of January 11th.

In the meantime, I wanted to thank you all for taking a few minutes out of your busy schedule, and reading about some amazing people, businesses, and organizations.

Many of you have called or written us after dining in the restaurants, shopping at the stores, or using some of the professional services and since all the comments have been positive, I guess we’re doing what we set out to do… highlight great individuals and companies.

The holidays also give us a time to reflect, and as is typically the case, over the past year, many people around the world have experienced challenges, tragedies, and natural disasters.

As has been our tradition for several years, in lieu of sending cards and gifts for the holiday season, SQM has chosen to make donations to a number of charities which we support, in the name of our clients. We also encourage our staff and field force to participate in a number of initiatives, such as our Annual Sock Drive or the recent program involving Mystery Shoppers completing inspections and donating their clothes to various organizations. As one of our Mystery Shoppers mentioned, “there are many ways to help others without having to spend a lot of time or money,” so please consider what you can do to make the world a better place.

From all of us at SQM, we wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday season, and all the best for 2016.