Les Schwab Tires

Les Schwab Tires
Dead battery or is it?
http://lesschwab.com/store/wa/kirkland/372

I was waiting for a store to open and was in my car, listening to my audio book, while checking some stuff on my phone.  All of a sudden the audio stopped, the stereo started blinking on and off a bit and I realized that my lights were on for about 20 minutes... I immediately turned them off, but the radio continued to blink.  I tried starting the car - the starter wouldn't even turn at all, no sound at all, totally dead.

I took the keys out, turned the lights off and went outside the car.  The headlights were flickering on and off, when I tried to put the key back into ignition - the windshield wipers started creeping up, with some delays and stop, even though nothing was turned on... I had a possessed car ;)

Luckily there was a car place around and they used jumper cables to restart my car, but recommended that I get a battery ASAP or it'll likely die again.

15 min later I was at my local Les Schwab in Kirkland, explained the situation and asked if they had a battery for my car.  They did and told me the total with installation etc. would be $191.  Considering the fact that they fixed my flat tires on about 3 occasions in the past few years and charged me absolutely nothing - I was more than willing to pay a bit more to show my appreciation.

There were lots of people in front of me that morning, but in about half an hour they called my name.  I talk with one of their folks and she tells me that they were done, they looked at the battery, tested it and even though it wasn't perfect - they didn't feel that it needed to be replaced.

I felt like a heel, thinking, I just blew $200 on something I didn't have to buy, but at least I'd get a new battery... So, I take out my credit card and she looks at me quizzically and I ask "how much do I owe you?" and I got the answer I've heard a number of times from Les Schwab before "_NOTHING_".  

They didn't charge me one red cent!

How many companies would do something like that?  Not many, that's for sure.  That's why I'm never buying tires from any other company in the future and giving them as much business as I can... hopefully, at some point, they'll actually charge me :)
http://lesschwab.com/store/wa/kirkland/372

Ford/Hyundai of Kirkland

Ford/Hyundai of Kirkland
Car charger fuse saga
www.fordofkirkland.com

My car charger died. Simple enough, I ordered a new one, one with faster charging time.  My phone will not die now! :)  Well, not exactly.

After plugging it in, I noticed that it wasn't charging.  I tried 2 plug-ins in my car - same result.  I then tried another charger - still no go... then I knew, it wasn't the charger - it was car-related.

So, I go to my dealer, Ford of Kirkland, and schedule for them to look at this.  My Hyundai was suppose to have warranty still.  The service rep told me that it's likely the fuse and it would take about an hour and a half to fix.  I was thinking that it shouldn't taken 90-min to replace a fuse, but that's what I was told.  I asked them to call me if they get done sooner and left.  Oh and no, this wasn't covered by warranty.

I went for a walk, figured they'd call soon... no such luck.  90 minutes passed and I went back to the dealer.  I walk in, the guy's on the phone, so after waiting for a few minutes, then taking care of another customer, the rep finally looks at me and informs me that they're "finishing up".  You'd think he could've uttered those 2 words a bit sooner, instead of having me stand there for 10 minutes, but I guess not.

Finally, he calls me back and tells me that the fuses were blown by using this higher capacity charger.  Me, being my inquisitive logical self, asked a simple question - "_Why would CostCo be selling chargers for cars that can't work in cars?_".  The answer was that he doesn't know.  The 2nd guy came and said that he's done and told the rep not to forget about the "rear light".  So, the guy tells him he won't.  The mechanic tried to help with the story, but didn't help much at all, although he did remind him again about that "rear light".  And I knew that one of my rear lights was out, I was going to fix it myself, just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Then we continued this for a few more minutes where the guy didn't make any sense in trying to explain it... so I figured it's a waste of time and started signing the paperwork.  It came to $10.88.  

So, I paid the entire $10.88 and left.  When I got into my car - my high capacity charger was still plugged in to one receptacle, that receptacle still didn't work, but I plugged in a regular charger into the 2nd receptacle and it did work.  This, of course, also begs the question - if you are fixing the fuse, which was blown by a charger, why would you leave that charger still plugged in?  But, perhaps that's way too logical.

My high capacity charger works fine in my van, no issues, so clearly it's not the charger that's to blame.  These clowns in the service department were not only useless, but unbelievably inept, making me wait almost 2 hours to replace a few little fuses. 

And in the end... NO, the rear light was NOT mentioned at all.  This makes it my last trip to that dealership for service - they don't deserve my business.

Loretta Green LLC

Loretta Green LLC
Shaving Soap
www.LorettaGreenLLC.com

I know what you're thinking, who gives a second thought to shaving soap, but this company is something else.

I wanted to buy some shaving stuff with my birthday money and went to Amazon etc.  No big deal, bought the essential items, including shaving soap.  It was ok, nothing special, did the job... end of story here.

Well, once I ran out, I was looking to buy soap again and saw that this one was highly rated, so I bought it.  The soap was very good, lathered much nicer than my prior buy from another company, in other words performed really well, was delivered quickly... nice.

What makes Loretta Green LLC extraordinary is the follow-up to the sale.  Shortly after getting the soap - I got a very nice email from them, thanking me for my purchase and wanting to make sure I'm thoroughly satisfied and inviting me to contact them if I have any questions or needs.  I could expect such thoughtful follow-up after spending tens of thousands on a new Lexus or such, but shaving soap?  They certainly got my attention with this email.

About a month later I got another email, and I quote:

" _Hello Oleg,

It has been about 3 weeks since you placed your order numbered
102-3909806-8920211.

We want to ensure you are still happy with your Henry Cavendish Shave Soap! 

We appreciate every customer and want you to be happy with your
purchase. We want to assure you that this shave soap has been
manufactured with commitment to use only all natural non toxic
ingredients. We know your health is important to you and so it is to us! 

We also have a small favor to ask you. Could you take just a couple of
seconds to provide feedback on your buying experience with us? 
It would be greatly appreciated. We take all feedback seriously and 
want to ensure orders are processed promptly and shipments arrived as promised. You can provide feedback by going to Product Review

Remember we are dedicated to your complete satisfaction and will
work with you through any issues related to receiving and using this 
great product._
"
These folks know what they're doing, both product-wise and marketing-wise and they're certainly hitting all the right buttons here. Every company ought to do what they're doing, unfortunately - that's far less common.  So, my big kudos to Loretta Green LLC for taking care of their customers the way it should be done.

And yes, I would definitely be buying my next shaving soap from them.  They are doing things right and thus deserve the business!

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