SQM Pick – Page 19 – Mystery Shopping

Putting the Fun in “Fundido”

March 15, 2017David Lipton Comment

As mentioned in my last blog, Cozumel, Mexico is one of the ports that I have had the pleasure of visiting during several cruises. Aside from scuba diving, one of my favourite things to do in Cozumel is eat at Los Otates, a local restaurant. Los Otates is an authentic Mexican restaurant, just off the beaten path, in an area that tourists rarely visit. If you didn’t know it was there…you would never find it!

I first learned about Los Otates five or six years ago while I was in Mexico with friends. Unfortunately, I was unable to visit the restaurant on that trip, but my wife was lucky enough to eat at this hidden gem. She raved about it and since that time, I too have eaten more than once. I always look forward to returning.

If I was to take you to Los Otates, you would probably think I am crazy based on its curbside appeal… because it has none. The restaurant is a small hole in the wall that has a green tin roof and a chicken wire fence on the side to close shop. The sidewalk leading up to the restaurant is in disrepair but it is in a safe part of town and the food speaks for itself.

Los Otates is the kind of place locals go to after spending a night on the town. All the taxi drivers know it and everyone ends up there, since they are open until four or five in the morning. Really – you want great food? Ask a taxi driver. These guys know their stuff.

They serve some of the best Mexican food I have ever eaten. They make the guacamole right in front of you, and melt the cheese for their signature dip, Queso Fundido, as you watch. There food is always fresh, served hot, and delicious.

Aside from the quality, you can’t beat the price! Whether it’s beers for a $1.40 US, or tacos for $2.50 US, you will leave extremely full without putting a big dent in your wallet. To put it in perspective, four of us stuffed ourselves silly, ordered beers and apple sodas and our bill only came out to $38.00 US. You just can’t beat that!

If you really want to experience authentic Mexican cuisine while in Cozumel, I really recommend that you abandon the tourist joints and head to Los Otates. They put the fun in “Fundido”!

Los Otatates
gerencia_mexico@losotates.com
www.losotates.com

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Dive with Martin… I Did!

March 8, 2017David Lipton 1 Comment

Many of the cruises I have taken over the past few years have docked at a port located in Cozumel, Mexico. When I visit the area, I normally go scuba diving. Cozumel is known for having beautiful diving conditions…so why wouldn’t I take advantage of it?

When I was there last year with my wife and daughter, we decided to book a snorkeling excursion, since neither of them scuba dive. While there were dozens of local businesses to choose from, we chose to go on an excursion with Dive with Martin, since it was located right at the pier and they provide both scuba diving and snorkeling packages at a great price.

This year when we were returning to Cozumel, I decided to call Dive with Martin to see what kind of deals they could offer us. Once again, they provided us with a better price than the other dive shops and even included the cost of the rental equipment in the low price.

I have been very pleased with Dive with Martin as a company. They provide good quality equipment and fabulous customer service. All of their instructors are qualified, competent, friendly and professional and they always take us to great dive sites.

As an added bonus, they let my wife and daughter come along on the boat for a nominal fee, so they could snorkel along the surface while my friend and I went drift diving. To make my wife and daughter feel more comfortable, the captain of the boat kept moving the boat closer to them as they drifted away from the boat. This was a nice touch and and truly went above and beyond to see to it that they felt comfortable and safe while snorkeling.

If you decide to make a reservation at Dive with Martin, they have an associate working in the United States who can help you book your reservation. If you call… tell Paddie that David Lipton from Toronto says, “Hello”!

Dive with Martin
503-949-5985 (USA)
503-949-5985 (Mexico)
www.divewithmartin.com

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The Galveston Express Will Impress

March 1, 2017David Lipton Comment

Over the next couple of weeks I am going to begin a series of blogs about some great services and businesses I encountered during my recent vacation. As with all of my blogs, I will be highlighting both large companies and small businesses.

For many years I have gone on a number of cruises. Most of the time when I go on a cruise, I sail out of Florida ports, such as Miami or Fort Lauderdale, however, recently my family and I decided to try something different when we found a well-priced cruise sailing out of Galveston, Texas.

Unlike the Florida ports, where it only takes a short cab ride to get to the ship, the Port of Galveston is more challenging to get to since it is located about 45 minutes away from Houston Hobby Airport. After doing some research, it became clear, it was going to cost anywhere from $30.00 to $50.00 each way, per person, to get to and from the port.

With this in mind, my wife and friend found a company that was on the lower side of the price scale – The Galveston Express. Not knowing what to expect, we booked our tickets and hoped for the best. We arrived at the airport pick-up location 30 minutes before our scheduled departure time and were delighted when our shuttle arrived 15 minutes early.

The driver was very polite, professional, and organized. He helped load all of the passenger luggage into the vehicle and had a list of all the people who had a booking on this particular trip. The shuttle itself was a newer vehicle, very comfortable and well air conditioned. We had a great drive down to the port.

After our trip, once again, the driver arrived at the port 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time. I really like this business practice. It puts customers minds at ease, knowing they did not miss their shuttle.

The Galveston Express provides excellent customer service, current model vehicles, and the most reasonably priced transportation within the Houston area.

While I’m not sure I would sail out of Galveston again, because of the added expense ($180.00 for a family of three) and unpredictable weather, I would not hesitate to use the Galveston Express if I was in need of a transportation provider.

Galveston Express
409-762–4397
www.galvestonexpress.com

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Sky High Customer Service

February 22, 2017David Lipton Comment

Recently Southwest Airlines was named as one of the Top Ten Most Admired Companies in the World, by Fortune Magazine. With that being said, I believe Southwest Airlines is a great company and I would like to share my recent travel experience with you. For transparency purposes, SQM does do business with Southwest Airlines and I know people who work for the company.

Years ago I started flying with Southwest Airlines because they had a reputation of being a low-cost carrier. Even though they aren’t always considered low cost, these days, I believe that the company still has a great reputation! Today they are known for providing travelers with very good customer service, empathetic employees who genuinely care about their customers and front-line workers who enjoy serving the public.

A few weeks ago I experienced Southwest Airlines recipe for success when my daughter and I became stranded at the Orlando International Airport due to bad weather. While we were waiting in line to speak with a Southwest employee, I noticed the staff made it a point to ensure that every customer was taken care of before the employees left the gate area. Considering we were all tired and upset, the employees did a great job ensuring each customer received the time and attention he / she deserved.

When I reached the front of the line, the employees made me feel like they cared about my situation and wanted to help. Together, the employees came up with a solution to get myself and my daughter to where the rest of my family was located (Buffalo). In addition to rebooking my flight as early as possible, they went above and beyond the call, to help me find a hotel for the night when they learned I was having difficulty finding one and noticed that my daughter was exhausted and upset. Within a few minutes they provided me with some contact information and I spoke to someone who gave us a very nice room and a special “stranded traveler’s” rate.

While there are many times in business where a customer is left feeling like they are just another number, I really felt like the Southwest employees added the personal touch to this difficult situation, making me feel valued and appreciated.

For those of you living in Canada, close to the border, I truly believe it is worth a short drive to the US to fly with Southwest Airlines. Southwest is a great company to fly with and I am confident that you will enjoy your travels.

Southwest Airlines
1-800-I-FLY-SWA
www.southwest.com

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How Starbucks Became my “Third Place”

February 15, 2017David Lipton Comment

When it comes to my caffeine fix, I will admit that I love Tim Hortons and always go there for my morning coffee. The coffee tastes great and I find it less expensive than many coffee shops.

That said, in more recent times, my visits to Starbucks have become more regular, since my wife and daughter enjoy a number of their drinks, including their “Secret Frappuccino Menu”. In addition, over the last few months, my daughter has asked me to take her to the local Starbucks so she can sip on a beverage and relax in the “big cozy chairs” after a day of skating or other fun activities.

Since I began sharing these experiences with my daughter, I have started to appreciate the Starbucks experience even more. Currently, I frequent my local Starbucks to catch up with friends, have informal business meetings, or get work done without the distractions encountered at my home or office. In fact, between the big cozy chairs, the free Wi-Fi, and some nice music playing, I’m wondering if I really need an office anymore!

During a recent visit, I was surprised to observe how many of the customers at the Bathurst and Joicey location were regulars. What was even more surprising, is how the employees knew many of these people by name, regardless of whether they were a manager, full-time or part-time employee. In addition to the personal touch, I also like how this location usually has seats available. Whether it’s the big cozy chairs, a table for two, or space at the communal desk, they have room for everyone!

I remember Howard Schultz, the founder of Starbucks saying that his goal was to have Starbucks be the “Third Place” in our lives…home being the first, work second and Starbucks third. Given my recent experiences, I see what he means, and I think that he might have succeeded.

So if you have some time to kill, want to catch up with friends, relax with a book, do some work, or just sip on a tasty drink, check out your local Starbucks.

Starbucks
1-800-782-7282
www.starbucks.ca

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Walmart’s Improving Customer Service

February 8, 2017David Lipton Comment

While many people shop at Walmart for deals based on low prices (but even that is debatable), I have never heard of anyone recognizing them for providing excellent customer service. Today, I am going to do just that!

Over the holidays, we were cleaning out my daughter’s dresser drawers and came across a Walmart bag with a new pair of snow pants (with the tags still on) that were purchased last year. Seeing how my daughter grows really quickly, these brand new snow pants no longer fit, so I decided to take a shot in the dark and brought the snow pants with me on my next trip to Walmart at Bathurst and Centre, to see if I could return them.

Surprisingly, despite it being a busy time of year, the line moved quite quickly. When I got to the front of the line, I told the woman working that I did not have the receipt, so she tried looking up the snow pants in the system but couldn’t find them. She then called over a manager who took the pants into the back room and returned saying the item would now scan into the system. The woman immediately processed the return and gave me a store credit for the value of the pants.

Completely unrelated, a couple days later, my dad gave me a call and told me the bundle buggie I bought him three months earlier was broken since a wheel had fallen off. I picked up the buggie and took it back to Walmart where I ironically spoke with the same woman who helped me with the snow pants. She told me to go into the store, grab a new buggie and come back to her desk to process the exchange even though I did not have the receipt….again!

When I returned to her desk, she called over the manager to authorize the exchange, who did so immediately, and within a few minutes I was once again on my way…..and very pleased with how things were handled.

I must say how impressed I am with the employees and managers working at Walmart. In less than a week, I had two great customer service experiences that demonstrate Walmart stands behind their products. If Walmart continues to get their customer service right, they are going to be an even more successful company than they already are.

Walmart Canada
1-800-328-0402
www.walmart.ca

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Stellar Cellular is Truly Stellar!

February 1, 2017David Lipton 1 Comment

Stellar Cellular is a small tech repair shop, located down on College Street near Bathurst. The shop specializes in fixing mobile phones, tablets and computers, and is owned by Richard Martin, who always goes above and beyond to ensure his customers leave happy. In 2014, I wrote about Richard when he fixed my Blackberry and gave me back the money I paid him because he felt badly that I had to drive to the store a few times before the service was complete.

Over the recent holiday season, Richard went above and beyond the call to help me, so I felt that I should once again let everyone know what a great business he runs.

Around 5 pm, on the Friday before New Years Eve my wife began having problems with her IPhone where she couldn’t hear anything unless it was on the speaker phone setting. I told my wife not to worry and I immediately called Richard down at the store.

Since I had a positive experience in the past, I knew Stellar Cellular was where I was going to take my wife’s phone, but I had no idea what time he closes. When I spoke with Richard that Friday night he told me he was closing up the shop in a few minutes, but asked me how far away I was from the store. I told him I was about 15 minutes away and he said he would wait for me so he could look at the phone.

Upon arrival, Richard quickly diagnosed and fixed my wife’s phone. He then realized there was a second problem and he was able to fix it within 30 minutes after we arrived. When Richard handed the phone back to my wife, she breathed a big sigh of relief.

Let’s be clear though…..not to paint everyone with the same brush, but very few businesses would stay open, on a Friday night….let alone on a holiday weekend….to help their customers out. Richard has always had the attitude of doing whatever it takes to take care of his customers, and this situation was not a rare event, but a common occurrence based on the way that he conducts business…..well done!

I’m really glad I discovered Stellar Cellular and highly recommend them if you ever need to get your phone repaired. Their prices are quite reasonable, their staff are very knowledgeable, of course, Richard will do whatever he can to make sure you leave happy.

Stellar Cellular
647-350-7755
www.stellarcellular.ca

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