BUSINESS PRACTICES
(The good, the bad & the ugly)!
BAD PRACTICES

Hollywood Video
Canyon Park
Bothell, WA

I have been a customer of Hollywood Video for perhaps 20
years. I suspect a conservative guistimate of the money I've
spent there during that time would likely be around $1000.
Admittedly, that's not a huge amount but it's not insignificant
either, especially when you realize my video rental business
has been exclusively with Hollywood Video and not shared with
other vendors over the years. My use of the Canyon Park store
covers only the last five or six years since we've lived in
Bothell.

I received a phone call from the Canyon Park store a couple of
months ago where I was informed that they had not received a
movie back I had rented about three weeks prior. I specifically
remember returning that particular movie because I had to
make a special trip and it was an inconvenience because of
other activities going on around that time. I informed the caller
that I had indeed returned the movie. The person said they
could not locate it but that they would look again and he asked
that I would do the same. I agreed and as a courtesy I checked
to see if perhaps the movie was still sitting on top of the DVD
player and that I returned an empty box by mistake. As I already
knew, there were no DVDs belonging to Hollywood Video in my
possession. I did not hear anything further from them so I
presumed they must have found the errant copy. A couple of
months later a letter arrived in the mail from a collection
agency informing me that my bill for $46 had been turned over
to them and that they were demanding payment under threat to
do all sorts of nasty things to me.

Here's my complaint. I returned the movie but I can't prove it
because once it goes down the night drop it's no longer under
my control. They say they didn't get it and they can't prove that
either but that doesn't matter, I was still turned over to
collections. I also was not given an opportunity to pay for the
missing video they can't prove I didn't return before they sent
the bill to collections which, for the record, I would have paid
for, though you can bet I wouldn't have been happy about it. My
record with Hollywood Video over the years will show there
has never been an issue with returning videos which I would
think might be a clue that when I say I returned it, maybe,
possibly, I was telling the truth!

So, what am I going to do about it? Well, I have a bill from a
collection agency demanding money. I can't prove I returned
Hollywood Video's property any more than they can prove I
didn't, so I'm going to donate $46 dollars to their coffers. I will
however, respond to what I believe is their very foolish
treatment of a loyal customer and a very poor and unjust
business practice. I will never use Hollywood Video again and I
will tell anyone who asks me exactly why.

02-15-10
GOOD PRACTICES







Eastside Auto Care
17525 NE 67th Court
Redmond, WA 98052

Dave Matchett's Eastside Auto Care is a rare business in the
industry... an auto repair shop you can really trust! We first
discovered Dave when we were researching options after
catching our previous repair shop in a $7000 fib. Dave was
working for another shop at the time and we switched all our
business fleet maintenance there after giving him a shot and
being very impressed with his work. Eventually he struck out
with his own business and we followed him with all our
personal vehicle maintenance. What distinguishes Dave and
Eastside Auto Care from all the other shops out there is not his
mechanical skill, though he is a great mechanic. What gets him
our business is his DIAGNOSTIC skill. Anyone can fix a car but
figuring out what the problem is in the first place... that's what
distinguishes a Mechanic from a Diagnostician. And believe
me, when there's something wrong with your car, you want a
Diagnostician, not a Mechanic who will trial and error his way
through a repair job at YOUR expense!

Besides skill, Dave has character... he is a character too... but
the most important thing is that he won't gouge your eyes out
with the bill and you never have to worry about weather or not
you really needed that repair. He will give it to you straight and
that wins our recommendation. So, if you need auto service
and have neither the time or money to waste on a hack job,
give Eastside Auto Service a call... you won't regret it!

11-29-10

















The Network
22833 Bothell-Everett Highway
Bothell, Wa 98021

The Network is a family owned Verizon Wireless store. The
owner, Ryan Olson, impressed me the first time I wandered in
and I've been a customer ever since. I remember that first visit
I had to wait a while... he was spending a lot of time with
another customer and that gave me an opportunity to listen.
What I heard was a man with a lot of product knowledge and a
good handle on customer service. As he helped his customer I
thought to myself, "If he gives me this much time and attention,
it will be worth the wait". Well, he did and it was!

There just isn't a substitute for someone who cares about his
customers and is willing to take all the time it takes to service
the need at hand.

So what services does The Network provide? Ryan is a retailer
of Verizon Wireless equipment and services. That means he's
the person to see if you need a new phone or a new line or an
accessory or information for future consumption.

Now, prices on phones and services are pretty much set by
Verizon so they will be fairly uniform wherever you go.
Accessories tend to be full retail but wherever possible I pay
the full retail to Ryan for two reasons... yes, I may be able to
save a few bucks on that car adaptor if I go to Wallmart or eBay
but I buy from Ryan because I want to support all the other
services he provides. And secondly, I choose to support
Christian Owned business wherever possible.

So if need a new wireless device, accessory or just have a
question. Give Ryan a try. Don't have Verizon service? Then
upgrade now to the best wireless service in the country. The
Network can help you with that!

11-29-10

Outback Steakhouse
Canyon Park
Bothell, WA

I am not a regular customer of the Outback Steakhouse
because its out of my price range. As a rule though, on those
rare occasions I've eaten there, I've always experienced the
best food and service I could hope for. As a matter of fact, the
best steak I have ever eaten in my life was at an Outback
Steakhouse in Fresno California.

In my recent experience with the Canyon Park Outback, my
party and I happened to arrive during a busy time with about a
40 minute wait ahead of us. Maybe 15 minutes into that wait, a
waitress informed us there was a booth available in the lounge
if we didn't mind being seated there. We took her up on the
offer and shaved over half hour wait time off! We placed our
order, ate our appetizers and received our meals in no time.
My steak unfortunately, seemed to still be alive! I don't think
even a steak ordered rare could have legally left the kitchen
being that undercooked. It was literally Cow Sushi! I informed
the waitress and within moments the manager was at our table
assuring us that everything was being taken care of and even
offered additional sides to make up for the mistake. And that's
the point it was just a mistake and they are bound to happen. I
wasn't angry or causing a scene and I didn't expect the
manager to be at our table apologizing. I just wanted my steak
to make the acquaintance of the grill for a few minutes! The
class with which the Outback crew addressed this minor
problem was stellar.

So, what does this all mean? Well, the Outback Steakhouse is
still too expensive for me to be a regular customer but I can
guarantee I will eat there again AND I will gladly tell everyone
who asks that I've now experienced both the best food AND
the best service ever from this fine company!

02-15-10
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