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TwitterWithin a four block stretch in my neighbourhood, there are 4 coffee shops catering to the residents. Two chains (Starbucks/Serious Coffee) and two regional (Café Fantastico/Moka House). So you need to stand out. You need to have your loyalists. I’m not one of those. I tend to float from location to location based on mood [...]
Archive for the ‘My Reviews’ Category
If You Don’t Want to Be There, We Don’t Want You There Either
November 18th, 2010 
Russel 
Posted in My Reviews 
Tags: B.C., Beverage, Business, Cafe Fantastico, Coffee, Cook Street Village, Food, Moka House, Serious Coffee, Starbucks, Victoria 
5 Comments »Duck, Duck, Goose isn’t Good Customer Service
November 16th, 2010 Russel I met my friend Todd at one of the local pubs, Irish Times, just a few nights ago. I hadn’t been inside in months, not for any negative reason, there is just a lot of different places to eat in town. The night went really well. Our server (Alicia? Alisha? Something with an “A”) did [...]
Posted in My Reviews, My Tips Tags: Business, Business Services, consistency, customer, Customer experience, Customer Management, customer service, Irish Times, pub, service No Comments »RW & Co.: You Mean People Actually Talk to Each Other?
November 11th, 2010 Russel I recently purchased a fall jacket for myself (Yes, I’m a shopper) but the problem was they only had one colour…not the one I really wanted but not bad. What’s a boy to do? Well the salesperson at RW & Co. suggested I purchase the coat, have a think on it, and exchange for the [...]
Posted in My Reviews Tags: Business, Coat (clothing), Communication, customer, customer service, Education and Training, exchanges, returns, RW & Co., Shopping 2 Comments »Weber Grills: Don’t Know You But I Might Love You
November 1st, 2010 Russel I’ve never heard of Weber Grills. I’ve never used any one of their products to my knowledge. But I’d buy one. This will the second time I bring up my dad in as many weeks but since that last blog wasn’t on the greatest customer service experience…I thought it would be nice to get out [...]
Shaw Cable: A Customer Service Power Play
October 25th, 2010 Russel My dad recently signed up for Shaw Cable’s plethora of TV options. The PVR, the HD, the Movies on Demand, the blah blah…so he’s getting used to dealing with not only the new technology but the new service departments that go along with it. Last Saturday was UFC 121 and the family was really looking [...]
Posted in Follow Ups, My Reviews Tags: cable, cable package, Canwest, Corus Entertainment, customer service, Jim Shaw, pay per view, Shaw Cable, Shaw Communications, Television, ufc 121 10 Comments »FOO: A Little Engagement Goes a Long Way
October 12th, 2010 Russel I’ve had a few arguments in the past (who me, confrontational?) regarding small vs. big business and their level of customer service. But Russel, people say, bigger businesses have more money to spend on training. The more expensive the shop, the better the service. Ridonkulous! As I’ve blogged before on staff and branding, customer servicestarts from the bottom up. Cost, expense…don’t and [...]
Posted in My Reviews Tags: Asia, BC, Business, Consulting, customer service, Dale Carnegie, Dining Guides, Education and Training, FOO, Food, Recreation, street food, Victoria No Comments »Best Buy: A Comedy or a Tragedy?
September 8th, 2010 Russel I don’t want to pick on Best Buy. I really don’t. I like their products and the services they provide are usually what I’m looking for…it’s the customer service that stumps me. Or at least the 3 of my last four visits have been ripe for writing about. The first two are here and here. [...]
Posted in My Reviews Tags: 720i, 720p, Best Buy, customer service, FlipVideo, information, Models, Photography, purchase, Shopping, Video camera 9 Comments »The Brick: Given Space to Breathe…and to Buy
August 24th, 2010 Russel It’s that time again…moving. Hate, don’t enjoy it, not my thing. But as better opportunities come up, so do new places to live. Friends of mine bought a beautiful character home and offered their main floor as a new residency. Sadly, their home is a hell of a lot nicer than my furniture so I [...]
Posted in My Reviews Tags: Brick, Business, Business and Economy, Canada, Consumer Goods and Services, Furniture, Home and Garden, hover, pushy, service, Shopping, space 1 Comment »Nautical Nellies: Shipwreck Averted…by a Hair
August 5th, 2010 Russel The new social circles I’ve been able to tap into thanks to social media is unbelievable. Amazing people with so much to add to a conversation that I would never have met or connected with through mainstream channels. Yay Twitter. You may have heard of Tweetups, meetups, or clubs but what it really is, is [...]
Posted in My Reviews Tags: bad situation, Business, customer service, Interior design, Nautical Nellie, Restaurant, Social media, Twitter, Waiting staff No Comments »Motorola: The Reception is Good Both Ways
August 2nd, 2010 Russel Much like everyone else between phone contracts, I’m trying to decide the pros and cons of the various options. Is the iPhone 4 the best way to go or can I get by with the 3GS? Does Android have all the tools I’ll need? Are HTCs pretty or is it just me? Phone, operating system, [...]
Posted in My Reviews Tags: Android, Handhelds, Hill & Knowlton, IPhone, Motorola Droid, Online Communities, Social Networking, Telus, Twitter 2 Comments »