S/O I'm Never Shopping There - What Businesses Will Forever Have Your Patronage?

[violinp]

^ Yes, CFA.  So yummy and everyone I know will eat there, even 15 month old DD loves the yogurt.  And my hubby's diet book, "Eat This, Not That" states every sandwich is under 500 calories.  Woo-Hoo. But what the heck is their philosophy?  I am clueless.

Our local Tax lady.  She does taxes out of her basement and she does a great, thorough job every year.  She also charges very little to do them because in her own words she just "likes to do taxes"  It is hands down the most painless process ever.  We sit and visit and then you leave with your taxes ready to be mailed in.  Never knew tax prep could be so pleasant. 

They're Christian, so are not open on Sunday.

[DottyG]

I also like that they treat their employees well.  I know someone that works there, and she's treated very nicely.  You can tell that just by talking to the employees; they have a smile on their faces and act like they actually enjoy working there.

[siamesecat2965]

My credit union.  Never had a problem with anything, and they are always friendly, helpful and pleasant.  My best CU story; i woke up one night, in a panic, knowing I had a payment coming out taht day, but had forgetten to transfer $$ from savings to checking, so i logged on, but got their additional verificiation notice (I get it sometimes even though i say not necessary on my home computer) and managed to lock myself out of my account. 

so i called CS, and while they were not able to reset my online access, CRIVINS! some additional verbal verificaiton she was able to transfer money so my payment was covered.  And it was about 3am!

I also have to say American Express. I have 2 cards with them, and their customer service is second to none.  Any time I've had an issue its been resolved, quickly, cheeerfuly, professionaly.  And if they didn't have an answer then for me, they were able to find out when they might have one.  So even though I pay a hefty annuial fee on my one card, i won't switch as they are so good.

[Slartibartfast]

^ Yes, CFA.  So yummy and everyone I know will eat there, even 15 month old DD loves the yogurt.  And my hubby's diet book, "Eat This, Not That" states every sandwich is under 500 calories.  Woo-Hoo. But what the heck is their philosophy?  I am clueless.

Our local Tax lady.  She does taxes out of her basement and she does a great, thorough job every year.  She also charges very little to do them because in her own words she just "likes to do taxes"  It is hands down the most painless process ever.  We sit and visit and then you leave with your taxes ready to be mailed in.  Never knew tax prep could be so pleasant. 

They're Christian, so are not open on Sunday.

That, and they have very publicly supported some polarizing political views, including financially supporting a charity which takes a rather extreme stance on some social issues.  I don't eat there because I don't want my money going to support that particular charity, even though their food is good!

[DottyG]

May want to be careful if we don't want the thread closed.

[violinp]

May want to be careful if we don't want the thread closed.

Right. Back to regularly scheduled thead 

[robobecky]

The local Handyman business here.  I love them.  They do excellent work, are friendly, will squeeze you in if you have an emergency, even if you call mid afternoon, and are resonably priced.  They also didn't charge me anything, not even the standard come out and look at the problem fee when they couldn't fix a problem for me even though the worker was here at least a 1/2 hour.  I'm pretty sure that their guidelines for charging are the coming out fee plus a minimum of one hour charge for any job, but another time a job at my house only took about 1/2 hour and they only charged me for a 1/2 hour.  I will always use them.

[Amara]

It's great how many superb businesses are out there. It's far too easy to focus on the bad and forget that there really are excellent ones. My nominations include (in no particular order) Trader Joe's, Nordstrom, my local mechanic who is a Honda specialist and so honest he squeaks, Wescom Credit Union, Powell's Books, LL Bean, and probably a few more.

Great thread.

[JonGirl]

Papa Ginos Italian restaurant in Lygon Street Carlton.
Best food in Melbourne and excellent service. I've been known to leave a A$10 tip on a A$30 meal.

Judy McKay florist in Synnot Street, Werribee for my flowers.
A little expensive but they last longer then anyone elses flowers.

[cicero]

any store /company that treats me with respect will have my patronage forever (as well as my friends' and friends' friends and so on). fool me once - don't bother apologizing - i will find someplace else.

Anyway - my plumber, who unfortunately is not on my landlord's insurance and therefore i can't always use him. he is honest, fairly priced, and leaves the place clean when he finishes.

my "greens guy" - the guy in our market where i buy greens. there must be over 20 stalls that sell greens (lettuce, spinach, all sorts of fresh herbs etc). why am i in love with my green guy? when i first started buying there, i asked if he had fresh basil. and he said "i do, but it's really not nice and i won't sell it to you. you can have it if you want it (for free)".

[Winterlight]

Land's End, LL Bean and Zappos. All have great customer service.

Whole Foods- I was in there this weekend and found a product marked as on sale, but the sale date had expired. I went to the clerk and asked if it was still on special. She said no, but since we still have this up we'll give it to you for the sale price. Regular price $8, on sale $5.50. Score!

My favorite Italian place downtown. The staff there recognized me when I hadn't been in for months. Service is great and the food is delicious.

My Organic Market- great prices, great options, great service.

My oral surgeon, who made getting my wisdom teeth out as painless as possible- except for the bill. *g*

[kethria]

Navy Federal Credit Union. When I still lived in Bogota, Colombia I went to an ATM to withdraw my tuition money and the ATM ate it. 500 dollars gone. I called in a panic and the NFCU phone rep was able to issue me an "instant interest free loan" and then they contacted the foreign ATM company to get the money back. In the end I only owed 20 bucks due to a sudden devaluation in local currency but it was amazing. I got my mom and sister accounts there and they love it as well. It's the best thing that came out of the marriage to my first husband.

[carol1412]

POD Zappos, Amazon, Trader Joe's and Penzey's Spices. I also get great service at 6pm.com for shoes on serious discount (just bought 3 pairs at 70% off!) My local Half Price Books is great also and the Barnes & Noble in the mall closest to us.

[Editeer]

Sierra Trading Post is absolutely my favorite mail-order (Web-order) clothing business. They sell mainly overstocks, irregulars, etc. They started with mainly outdoor clothing, but have expanded to include a lot of very nice, office-appropriate women's clothing and casual wear. Reasons I shop there:

--The prices are great.
--Honest treatment. No surprises or gotchas; no misleading "discounts" that aren't really discounts; no overcharges.
--Never a problem with shipping, and I've been buying for oh, ten years? at least
--Never a problem with returns. No questions asked. (They do charge for return shipping, but I don't have a problem with that.)
--Some really nice, unusual clothes that have really perked up my wardrobe.

I also like Land's End and LL Bean, although Bean is a little rich for my blood.

[siamesecat2965]

Crate and Barrel. Not only do they have great stuff, a lot of it very inexpensive, they are always friendly, pleasant and great to deal with.  I broke a glass Sunday while cleaning, and decided that since I wanted a couple more, I'd order 4, one to replace the one i broke, 2 to add, and one spare.  I ordered online, and received them today.  It cost me almost as much as the glasses to ship them, but since the closest one is a 40 mi rt, i figured it w as the same as gas to get there.