Tag Archives: Customer

Customer Service That is Well-Done

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Easy Philly Cheesesteak Recipe (Ultimate Guide) - Momsdish

A few weeks ago, my neighbour came running outside, jumped into his car and drove off. When he returned, I had to ask what had happened. He told me that he and his wife didn’t have any dinner made, so they had decided to order food from the Grill Gate. Despite living in the area for ten years, I was not familiar with this restaurant. My neighbour told me that I had to try the Philly cheese sandwich.

Now I have been to Philidelphia and have tried an original and authentic Philly cheesesteak sandwich. My family decided to try Grill Gate on my neighbour’s suggestion.

The resturant has a small menu, they focus on cheese steaks, cheese burgers and eggplant parm cheese burger.

The restaurant itself is quite small, it can hold up to about 25 people. It is an authentic mom and pop shop. It is owned and operated by a husband and wife team. They originally ran a food truck and it became so popular that they opened up their own place.

They also have BIG orders of fries. They get their burger buns specially made by a local bakery.

My daughter had a sandwich and it was so big that she saved the rest for lunch for the next day. It is now her fun spot, where she takes friends.

When I was there, the server asked me “how are the first few bites tasting?” I liked that as I thought that was quite personal, instead of the generic “how is everything?”

The food is reasonably priced and it is a great place with great food.

I am not a big fan of uber eats, but the restaurant does have an account with it. Use this if you can’t make it in for a dine-in meal.

It is a great place for a quick bite to eat or for take out.

I thank my neighbour for his suggestion.


(416) 631-1167
www.grillgate.ca

 

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Buckling Down the Best Customer Service

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From time to time, I’ve purchased various products, either online or at one of their few retail stores in Canada, at The North Face.  The company has anything from casual clothes, outdoorsy-type of clothes, sporting equipment, camping gear, and more. 

Back in 2016, my wife bought me three pairs of shorts. They were all stylish and comfortable and came in various different colours. While the shorts currently look as good as new, I had a slight problem, last year when part of the plastic on the belt wore down, resulting in the buckle no longer staying connected.  I called up The North Face to see about purchase a new buckle, but it turns out they’ve changed the style to a different buckle that would no longer fit my shorts. In fact, even when I first visited the store, one of the employees I talked to was willing to replace the buckles right then and there, until we realized it wasn’t going to fit. 

Because it was near the end of the summer, their parts department didn’t have my type of buckle stocked but told me to keep in touch and when the parts came, they’d send them to me.   As time passed, our interactions turned into quite the comedy, as on three separate occasions they sent me the wrong type of buckle.  At one point, I even sent them pictures to describe exactly what I needed, however, I would still end up with the wrong items.  In the end, they finally figured out what I needed, and sent me two of the three buckles (because they only had two).  While that would have been more than enough (I could always take off the belts to use with the other pair) they went one step further and offered me a free pair of shorts for the long delay and the inconvenience. 

The moral of the story is that I had often heard The North Face has great products, and as often with companies with good products, they stand behind their brand with great customer service.  Whether it was in-person at one of their stores, speaking to their Canadian head office in Montreal, connecting with their call centre or online exchanges, I’ve had a consistently good experience from them.  All employees have a can-do attitude and truly aim to please. 

If you’re looking for great customer service along with great clothing products, check out The North Face. 

The North Face Canada 
514-404-4896 
https://www.thenorthface.com/en_ca/homepage.html

 

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Good Customer Service is Only a Phone Call Away

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My story starts out a number of weeks ago, when I was having problems with my cell phone….had encountered the black screen of death! 

I took the phone to one of my suppliers and he indicated that I was having a software problem.  When I got the phone back, it seemed as if he had corrected the issue, and the screen of death was gone, but I now noticed a pressure crack on my screen.  After speaking to someone else, I was told that the LED bleeding was only going to get worse, and eventually take over the entire screen unless I fixed it. 

With that in mind, I took it to the neighbourhood store, called UBREAKIFIX, where I met Steve.  Steve was a nice fellow and told me that he would only fix my screen if he could also clear all of the remaining software issues.  He took some time to run a diagnostic, and with my approval, decided to reset/wipe my phone. 

After he did all of this, I decided to make a call to Rogers (another blog) before I spent the money on a new screen, because replacing it is fairly expensive.  My contact at Rogers managed to get me a new phone, at no charge, and as a result, I did not have to incur the costs of putting a new screen on my old phone. 

While there was no guarantee that if he fixed my software problem, he could fix my screen, Steve spent a lot of time trying to help me out. In a day and age where businesses know what they want and how to get it and have this “what’s in it for me” mentality, Steve took the long-term approach to build a relationship with the customer as opposed to trying to make the quick sale. 

While this situation didn’t result in a sale for Steve at this particular time, I’ve already shared my experience with friends and colleagues and recommended Steve’s store.  Of course, I will definitely use his services in the future as well. 

For any electronic or technical challenges, Steve and the team at UBREAKIFIX are efficient, kind, and a pleasure to deal with. 

UBREAKIFIX 
416-483-3773 
https://www.ubreakifix.com/ca

 

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Ensuring You Use the Right Insurance Company

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This week, I’d like to write a blog about Intact Insurance, however, I’m going to take a slightly different perspective on the subject.

Insurance is one of those industries that touches just about everyone, whether or not you own a house, rent an apartment, drive a car, or run a business. As one of my colleagues says, “you can never have enough insurance”. Most people deal with an insurance company or a broker on a somewhat regular basis, and while buying insurance typically comes down to the cost, I would think that it’s always better and easier to be dealing with an insurance company that has a good reputation in the industry.

Oftentimes, I hear stories about insurance appraisers and adjusters that try to pay as little as possible for claims or make it very difficult for one to resolve their claims or issues. That said, this story is meant to look at an insurance company from a different angle….

A couple of years ago, my 90-year-old aunt tripped on a mat, fell, and broke her hip while shopping at a grocery store. As a result of this accident, a lawsuit was filed as my aunt was incurring a number of significant expenses associated with her injuries. As the lawsuit progressed, we began dealing with a lawyer for the insurance company that was representing the grocery store.

Although I often hear horror stories about dealing with lawyers in such cases, the lawyer representing my aunt was pleasantly surprised by the insurance company’s approach to handling the situation. While many insurance companies would have dragged the process out for as long as possible, given my aunt’s advanced age, all parties involved were looking for a reasonable solution so that my aunt could return to normal life as soon as possible. While it’s difficult to put a price tag on such a terrible accident, and my aunt didn’t necessarily feel that she received as much money as she deserved, the willingness of the insurance company to move the process along was very much appreciated. It was truly a breath of fresh air to see both the lawyer and insurance company treat my aunt respectfully and professionally, while simultaneously looking out for their interests as well. After the case was settled, I took the time to call the President of Intact Insurance to acknowledge how their in-house lawyer handled this difficult matter in a professional and respectful way.

During the conversation, the President mentioned that Intact Insurance attempts to be a different type of insurance company, and treats people the way their employees would want to be treated themselves. While many companies in the industry say this, very few put their words into practice, however, I can tell you firsthand that Intact Insurance really does have this kind of culture and approach.

Again while I realize that purchasing insurance often boils down to price, I highly recommend that you at least look at Intact Insurance for your insurance needs. They are truly an excellent company to deal with.

Intact Insurance
www.intact.ca

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Dyson – A Sucker for Customer Service

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Back a couple of years ago, I wrote about Dyson when we had an issue with our office vacuum cleaner.  At the time, the vacuum was under warranty and Dyson, without causing us any grief, quickly sent us a replacement part so we were able to get back to cleaning our office.  The entire experience was friendly, efficient, and stress-free, and their customer service department was a pleasure to deal with.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, when on a Friday we realized that a small piece of the vacuum had broken and cracked, and as a result, we couldn’t use it.  One of my colleagues got on the phone, explained the problem, and provided Dyson with our vacuum’s registration number.  The employee looked us up in their database and indicated that the vacuum wasn’t under warranty anymore, but told us in the same sentence that they wanted to make sure we were happy and were going to send us a replacement part at no charge.

Since the piece had broken due to heavy use, and not necessarily some sort of mechanical failure, it made the gesture extra special.  The fact that they stood behind the product goes to show you what kind of company they are, and what kind of customer service you can expect from them.  The piece arrived within a few days and we were back up and running in no time at all, once again using our spiffy Dyson.

Presently, I have three Dyson products: an upright vacuum, a handheld vacuum, and the office Dyson, and I am extremely happy with each product.

Dyson was originally established in the United Kingdom in 1991 and has recently announced that they are moving their headquarters to Singapore. James Dyson, the founder, felt that vacuums could be more efficient, based on the fact that the one he was using constantly clogged up and lost suction over time.  As a result, he went about inventing a completely different type of the machine, and if my experience is any indication, he seems to be on to something!

Skip to the present, and Dyson now has a line of not only vacuums, but hand dryers, lights, fans, heaters, and more.  I know my wife is dying to get her hands on one of the new Dyson hairdryers, but unfortunately, given how expensive it is, she’s going to have to wait until the price comes down a bit…or I win the lottery…before I can buy it for her.

To their credit, I’ve never heard anyone complain about any Dyson product, and the reliability of their products, combined with their customer support just goes to show you why.

Dyson Canada
1-877-397-6622
https://www.dysoncanada.ca

 

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Cooking Up Five Star Customer Service

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Caplan’s Appliances, on Weston Road, south of Eglinton Avenue, is a family-founded appliance store that first opened its doors in the 1940s.  Their recently renovated store has a wide selection of brands to choose from, including:  Maytag, Whirlpool, Bosch, Sub-Zero, and Wolf, to name a few.  In addition to the long list of brands which they represent, a few years ago they opened up a separate Miele showroom right across the street from the main store.

The owner of Caplan’s, Bob Caplan, is an old friend of mine, and I have been doing business with Bob and his family for many years.  Since I know he treats everyone like he treats me…he probably treats others much better :-)…I’ve always been recommending him to my family and colleagues who have been in need of appliances.

I’ve visited Bob’s store many times before, and I felt that it was time I give his store a shout out, based on my most recent experience there.  Back a couple of months ago, I was in the market for a new stove for my aunt.  My aunt is 93, living on a fixed income, and Bob was aware of this. Instead of selling us a high-end appliance, Bob had given the salesperson a heads up and they were able to find us a good quality stove at a reasonable price.

In addition, Caplan’s will offer to deliver the new appliance and take away the old one.  In my aunt’s case, we needed added assistance because the stove was a gas range, and it’s not something you can just easily unplug from the wall.  As a result, you need a gas fitter to disconnect the old one and install the new appliance.  As it turns out, the salesperson was kind enough to find me a gas fitter and coordinated the timing so we were able to remove the old stove at the same time as they brought the new one in. The fact that they were willing to go the extra mile to help out my aunt for what amounted to a small purchase, just shows how much they care about their business and their customers.

Aside from the gas fitter, Caplan’s has partnerships with other people in the trades, including interior designers, builders, and construction companies. Bob is truly a one-stop solution for all of your appliance needs.

Caplan’s has been around for a long time, and they understand the value of having a customer for life.  Whether you’re looking for a starter or base type of appliance, upgrading to a new model, looking to redo your kitchen and get high-end appliances, Bob and his team are there for you.

Caplan’s Appliances
416-767-1655
https://www.caplans.ca/

 

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Sharing is Caring

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Brew Your Own Beer, Just in Time for St. Patty's Day

Several weeks ago, my wife and I went to a popular restaurant called Parallel. I have an upcoming separate blog about my experience at this restaurant.

This restaurant is great in many ways. During our visit, we saw something in particular that we had never seen before. They had Sharing Bottles. They are large bottles of beer, approximately 500-600 ml in size.

In comparison, a regular bottle is about 355 ml. We thought that this was a great idea, as groups of people could try multiple beers and have a small sample of each since beer comes in many different unique flavours. This makes the dining experience very enjoyable and interesting, as both food and drinks can be shared with the people you care for.

Parallel is not the only place that has these bottles available. There are a couple of breweries that have these Sharing Bottles available, and my wife and I have tried a few of them. There are two places that I recommend.

Blood Brothers Brewing has a large selection of these bottles. My wife really enjoyed the Shumei and the White Lies bottles, which are 500 ml each. The Shumei has different styled IPAs blended into it, with hints of citrus and pine. The White Lies is a sour ale that was inspired by white wine.

Blood Brothers is very convenient, as they have their own online shop. You can shop for your favourite flavours in the comfort of your own home!

Another bottle that my wife liked was from Beau’s. It was called Paper Chase and is a birchwood ale that has hints of caramel, dried fruit and baking spice. While Beau’s does not have an online beer store, they have other merchandise that could be purchased, such as apparel.

We hope that this becomes more of a trend, as this is a good way to try different beers without consuming too much. If you have a brewery that you like, you should suggest this idea, and try to see if they will start
to sell Sharing Bottles!

While trying these bottles, please remember to drink responsibly.

Blood Brothers
http://www.bloodbrothersbrewing.com/
(647) 628-6062

Beau’s
https://beaus.ca/
(866) 585 BEER

 

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