A few weeks ago, when I called an appliance repair service to fix a problem with my refrigerator, the technician was extremely clear about the cost of his services. The minimum for a house call was $89, and after that, he billed in 15-minute increments for his labor. He would not be charging for his travel time. However, the parts were extra, and at that point he didn’t know if any would be needed to fix a freezer with a layer of ice building up underneath the ice cube trays. I appreciated his direct approach and transparency. Upon arrival, he quickly diagnosed the problem and made the tricky repair. The total bill of $170 didn’t surprise me, Read more

A couple of weeks ago, a customer contacted us by email to report a complaint about a company. She explained that a Diamond Certified arborist did not follow industry standards, and because of their negligence, she was certain her trees would be lost. She was reasonably angry and intended to report the company to multiple agencies. She said we needed to contact her, so we did. I sent her two emails, one with our complaint form and a second to inform her that the company she was reporting was not Diamond Certified. She didn’t provide a telephone number. So, I waited… Read more

Like house painting, preparing to prepare your tax return comprises the bulk of the work. With good preparation, actually completing your tax return is a piece of cake. If you’re one of those people who carefully manage tax documents all year long, pat yourself on the back. If you’re like those of us who find tax preparation painful at best, read on.

First: Organize
Whether or not you’re using a tax preparer, having organized paperwork will make all the difference. As your W-2s, mortgage interest statements and bank paperwork arrive, put them in a large, well-marked envelope. Ideally, throughout 2014, you’ve done the same with all of your receipts for tax-deductible expenses (if you haven’t, Read more

Two things I dislike are shopping for shoes and pushy salespeople. However, on my last shoe shopping trip, I found the right kind of salesperson who transformed the entire experience.

While I was looking at the shoes on sale in a store in Durango, Colorado, a salesman asked me if he could help. After I said I didn’t need any assistance, he started chatting about the beautiful day and asked me where I was from. When I told him I was from Northern California, he asked about the recent earthquake in Napa County. He was genuinely curious and engaged with me in a sincere way. When other customers came in, he found ways to connect with them, Read more

A few months back, I told you about how frustrated I was when I had to wait nearly 90 minutes for a routine blood test. One lab tech attempted to provide service to a room full of people. I complained to corporate headquarters, pointing out that it was both a customer service AND a safety issue, not having enough staff on-hand. They responded quickly saying they were working on making improvements to that location. I promised to report back to you on whether they did.

Last week, I returned for another routine lab test. This time I’m happy to report that I had an entirely different experience. I had not one, but THREE people all pitching in to register me and draw blood. Read more

When I was out to dinner a couple of weeks ago at Carmel Valley Ranch, I literally thought about fastening my seat belt. The service was so uneven I felt like I was riding a roller coaster. I was duly impressed when the waiter offered me a black napkin, rather than a white one, because I was wearing black pants. Things got off to a good start. But then we sat there without any attention for the next 30 minutes. No waiter in sight. It started getting real uncomfortable and annoying. After the drink orders were finally taken, another 20 minutes go by. My dinner partner saw the drinks on the bar, and went to get them herself. Read more

I will always remember the first time I wrote a consumer complaint letter. It was an empowering experience.

During college, I was making Toll House chocolate chip cookies with an electric portable hand mixer. While mixing all that butter and flour, which strained the motor, the appliance started smoking and conked out. I thought that the mixer should be strong enough to handle something as simple as chocolate cookie batter.

Disgusted, I sat down and wrote a complaint letter to the manufacturer. I explained what I had done, what I expected from the product, and expressed by frustration and disappointment. The letter ended with my request for a replacement unit, so that I could continue to “impress my friends with my fantastic cookie-baking skills.” How could any college student live without freshly baked cookies? Read more