 Akruto
Sync- If you are looking to synchronize Outlook contacts, calendars,
notes, tasks, etc. between your Windows or Mac device and all your other
devices, including iPhones and iPads, and
Android devices, without storing your data in the cloud, this is for you.
Great customer support.
Charity
Navigator - If you want to donate to a worthy cause, but also want to
know that your donated dollars are being used effectively, I highly
recommend Charity Navigator. They rate charities based on (in great
part) how many of your dollars actually make it to the intended
beneficiaries.
The Chuckbox
- Want a mouthwatering, mesquite-grilled hamburger fixed just the way you
like it in a rustic atmosphere? IMHO, best burgers on the planet
(and I've been eating Chuckbox burgers since 1977, which means I've been
eating their burgers longer than most of their employees have been alive)!
Discount
Tire - I don't know what else to say. If you don't know what
tire you need, they'll help you select without constantly "up-selling
you." If you DO know what you need, bring in the best price you can find and
they'll usually meet the price and order the tires in. They are
fast, honest, and have that "the customer is always right"
attitude (even when as customers, we are being big fat jerks!).
Free
Conference Call
- What's better getting services for free? Getting GREAT SERVICES for
free. These folks offer a great way to set up a three-or-more-way call,
with or without video or screen sharing. Please
donate
(you'll need to be logged in to your free account to do this) a few bucks
to them if you use and appreciate this service.
KJZZ -
This local NPR-affiliated radio station, run by the Maricopa Community College District, is
commercial-free, offers GREAT news (not 15 second headlines) on
international, national, and local fronts, has "intelligent
talk" programs midday, and very funny shows suitable for the family on
the week-ends. Give it a try, and
then pledge.
Morgan
Mechanical - Trevor Morgan of Morgan mechanical is everything you
could possibly want for a plumbing job (although they do HVAC as well). I
have used him three times for plumbing. In all cases; he responded quickly
to my requests for quote; gave competitive quotes; arrived when promised;
did quality work for the quoted price; and left the workplace clean. I
have NO hesitation in giving a hearty endorsement. You will be delighted!
Orion
Mortgage - Brian Yampolsky and his staff give customized, personalized
service to those looking for loans for a purchase or refinance. Brian
makes you feel comfortable and confident in a process that can be
otherwise quite intimidating. We ended up with a VERY competitive and
low-cost loan for our most recent home purchase, and then a few years
later, refinanced to a historically low rate. Orion takes customers by
referral only, so be sure to tell Brian you found out about him here.
Showcase
Mobile Detailing - Great car detailing service at a fair price. The
crew called ahead, showed up when promised, and were clean and courteous
as they worked to bring that showroom luster back to my car. And these
folks passed the acid test; something went wrong, and when I contacted
them to let them know, they jumped through hoops to correct the issue and make sure I was
delighted. I can highly recommend them to make your vehicle look like new
again!
Southwest
Airlines - This is an excellent example of a company that keeps things
simple. They treat their employees with respect, which results in happy
and empowered employees who seem to enjoy working for the company, which
in turn manifests itself in delighted customers. If I have a choice, I'll
fly Southwest every time!
Wikipedia
- Another "How do they do that?" amazing internet information
resource. This internet phenomenon relies on the COMMUNITY of
internet users to keep their information tuned, relatively accurate, and
helpful.
ZealCards
-
These folks sell gift cards at a discount. Unlike most gift card
resellers, they are responsive, honest, and just a delight to work with.
In the few cases an issue arises, they always work with the customer to
resolve problems fairly. I highly recommend!
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 AntOnline.com - They have twice shipped the
wrong product and refused to issue a refund. Good thing I paid with
a credit card and the bank came to the rescue!
Arizona Republic/AZCentral - You don't have many
choices if you want a daily paper in the Phoenix metro area, but this
company sets new standards for poor customer service. They have limited
hours for talking to a person. When you DO talk to a person, that person
doesn't seem to care. They usually send you to their website, where you
will go in circles in a fruitless search for pages that actually
accomplish anything, such as changing your subscription, suspending
service, making accounting changes, etc. Despite nine email unsubscribe
requests, they continue to barage this customer with unsolicited emails.
Coldwater
Creek
- This company went out of business in 2020, partly because of poor
customer service, ridiculous shipping charges, poor return and exchange
policies. They have reappeared, but their reincarnation suffers from all
the miserable policies and incompetence of their predecessor. They charge
for shipping (and will NEVER refund it, even if they shipped the wrong
item); they charge for return shipping (even if they shipped the wrong
item); they take nearly a week to process orders; they take two weeks to
respond to email inquiries; they don't post their return or exchange
policies on their website (why should they, when they are so terrible?).
Comerica
Bank - Their tag line is "Raise
your expectations." You can raise your expectations, but that
won't improve their performance. I continued to lower my
expectations during the short time I dealt with them and they still
couldn't seem to perform. Yes, they actually tried to transfer money from
my other bank to the Comerica checking account which was closed at my
request three weeks earlier! 20th century systems, limited customer
service hours, and representatives who won't t take responsibility for the
bank's poor service. I suggest you find another bank.
Mazda
Financial Services - OMG. It's
simply astounding how painful my interactions with MFS have been. First,
to speak to a person, it took me two calls and nearly 15 minutes to find
my way through their maze of telephone voice prompts, during which I had
to input information only to have to repeat that information to the
representative with whom I eventually spoke. Believe it or not, there is NO WAY to see, on their website or on their e-statements,
how much of my payment is principal and how much is interest. You have to
call EVERY MONTH (and spend another 15 minutes!) to speak to someone to
find out how much of your most recent payment was applied to the principal. I asked for a full amortization schedule so that I could have
this information in advance. In fact, I asked twice, about two months
apart, AND THE SCHEDULES WERE DIFFERENT, meaning I cannot rely on the
information they provided. I can't believe it's even LEGAL to have a
consumer loan where the statements don't show how much interest was paid
each month. Stay away.
myotcstore.com
- Years ago I had AmericaRX.com listed on this hall of shame list, but
when they disappeared from the Web, I removed them from this page. It
turns out that like many bad businesses, they keep re-opening under a
different name - and now they are doing business as myotcstore.com. This
company is unresponsive to phone calls and emails, and they don't confirm
orders. Worst of all, they don't ship your paid-for product or they send
the wrong product. STAY AWAY!
Nationstar
Mortgage - (Now MrCooper) Yet another company who gets five stars for infuriating
their customers. If and when you can get through their telephone menu to
speak with a real person, you will have been transferred from department
to department, asked to enter or repeat your social security number,
property address, and zip code several times, and finally end up with
someone who can provide you no useful information whatsoever - only excuses
for why something cannot be done or was not done. Unfortunately mortgages
are often sold or transferred so you might end up with Nationstar not
through choice. In 2017, they changed their name to MrCooper, perhaps in
an effort to discard a well-earned terrible reputation; we'll see.
OptumRx
- This is the prescription benefit side of Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Arizona (and many other prescription drug plans). These folks have a web site that just plain doesn't work. And
their automated telephone response technology doesn't work either. And
their live representatives, when you can reach them, don't seem to know
what's going on. Other than that, I guess these folks are okay.
Sears
- I am amazed that these folks remain in business. My efforts to purchase
two pairs of jeans from their internet site resulted in two shipments by Sears (without tracking
numbers and neither of which contained the proper merchandise), several
chats with people who did not appear to understand English, several phone
calls, two trips to the UPS store to return the wrong merchandise, two
charges to my credit which I had to dispute in order to get my money back,
and a message on my phone that the UPS shipment was being held for me at a
FEDEX location (no, really!). In the end, they never delivered the proper
merchandise and I had to dispute the charges with my credit card company
because the refunds for returned merchandise were wrong.
SmartOnBudget
- Finally, a new company bad enough to be added to this page. Their
ordering process duplicated my order, then failed to acknowledge either
order. After accepting the order, THEN they offered 10% off because they
thought I had left an item in the shopping cart. They then never sent any
shipping confirmation. When queried about the missing shipment, they
promised to get back to me with the shipping information or cancel the
order - neither of which happened, of course. Be afraid; be VERY afraid!
US
Bank - After applying for a credit card,
a representative from a local branch made an unsolicited call to me and
asked what assistance she could provide. My first request (to expedite the
credit card application) received the reply "That's not my department." I never got a human to
answer any phone call made to the local branch. And after making an
appointment to meet to put a checking account into the name of our family trust, US Bank
provided only reasons why the documentation I provided was insufficient -
even though I provided the same documentation that every other financial
institution accepted as sufficient. This is a company that, instead of
empowering its employees to serve their clients, provides only excuses why
requested services cannot be provided. After applying for an additional
checking account, I received a postcard telling me "If you did not apply,
please call the numbers(s) listed" but no phone numbers were provided.
Woman
Within - On the surface, this would appear to be a typically poor
mail-order merchant. But they go from poor to terrible quickly. Items
listed in their catalog are often not available. Some which are available
don't ship for four months. When you place the items in your digital
basket, one portion of the page says expected date is three weeks
and the other portion says four months - which is right? And even for
large orders, they charge shipping (and a LOT!). And their return policy
is poor, and their return process is even more painful. You must pay for
the return shipping (even when it's their error) and no refunds for the
outbound shipping. Stay away.
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