Love this pic!

I got a call this morning from the owner of Standard Auto Wreckers (www.StandardAutoWreckers.com) and was told that Ziya Tong would be there doing a segment for Daily Planet.  I am a fan of The Discovery Channel (including some of the embarrassing reality stuff), so I jumped at the chance to head over to the Ontario junk yard for a visit!

I tried to introduce myself during a break in filming but barely managed so mumble out a few words about how I was a big fan and enjoyed the show.  Hope the episode airs soon!

YTV showed up to Ontario’s biggest auto junk yard, Standard Auto Wreckers to have fun and video tape a segment of some fun crushing!  With halloween just around the corner it looks like they wanted to crush helpless pumpkins!!!  Stay tuned to find out what else they crushed!!

Surprise, more bad service this time from Sony Canada.  I ordered a laptop online around 4 days ago and made payment through Paypal but I never got a confirmation, I never got a cancellation, I didn’t get any correspondence at all!!  I looked in my account on sonystyle.ca and no pending orders.  So they are just pretending that my order and I never existed.  Booooo!!!  Your stuff is already very overpriced.

Let’s just say I think hell just froze over!!  It must have because I actually received superb customer service today.  The past two years have been a huge let-down customer service wise for me.  I had a huge blow-out with a Niagara based motel chain, terrible restaurant service at many of my local favs (Pickle Barrel, Steeles Deli Warehouse), disappointed by Starbucks as you can see in a previous posts, Mandarin really got me angry with their holiday cash grab.  Walmart tried to trick me with some fraudulent pricing and the list goes on and on….maybe I am just a crabby customer as I grow older and wiser?

Anyways, I noticed my brakes have been squeaking a bit lately in the rain but I thought it might be normal but then I figured I had the car for almost a year so maybe I needed new brake pads.  I went to the dealership and they told me “of course you need new brake pads, you have almost 30k right?”  I was at 27k but hey the dealership must know their stuff.  I asked for a quote and it was $200 just like the quote I got from the local Speedy Auto Service near my work, at 5829 Hwy. 7 East. I asked them if they give the same warranty as Speedy and they said they don’t but they will give me better brake pads.  Then they tried to tell me I should get my rotors ground or something for another $300, at that point I figured they were trying to scam me.

So I made my appointment with Speedy for just the pads and went today at 5:10pm (I should also note they agreed to stay a bit past closing time to accommodate my schedule!).  Anyhow, I dropped off my car and went next door for a burger and asked them to call me if there was any problems.  Sure enough 15 minutes later I got a call, “we looked at your brakes and you have 85% of the pad left, you definitely don’t need any brake pads.” Awesome, honest customer service.  They could have charged me $225.00 and left my old pads in and I probably never would have found out.  So thanks again to Speedy Auto Service in Markham, you have earned a life long customer and I will certainly spread the word about your great customer service and honest business practices.

Shameless plug, give them a call at 905-294-7874!

I bought a Bissel Easy Vac at Wal-Mart a few weeks ago and thought I was getting a pretty sweet deal because it was $10 off the regular price of 49.88 - but after taking a closer look I noticed the regular price which was on the floor sample was $39.88 - so I complained that it was fraud to show a falsely high regular price in order to trick consumers into thinking they got a deal.  The manager apologized and gave me $10 off so the new price was $29.88 and I was sure that was a deal!!!  I totally forgot about it (and don’t even remember which Wal-Mart this happened at) but am pretty sure it is the one in Richmond Hill, on Major Mackenzie Drive.  Anyways, I saw this picture on my iPhone and remembered how upset I was, so here is your warning!

March 16, 2010 - Manassas, VA – William (Bill) J. Tolpa of Tolpa’s Auto Parts in Remsen, NY, took on the role of President of the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) at the 66th Annual Convention and Exposition which took place near the end of 2009.  As part of the international association’s Executive Committee since 2006, Topla has been a steadying force of the association. He, along with other executive team members, helped to guide the association through its busiest year in recent history – negotiating through the legislative process of the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), generally known as Cash for Clunkers, and also the purchase of a new ARA headquarters.

Tolpa’s first exposure to automotive recycling was as an owner of an auto repair facility, opened in 1976. “I often bought recycled parts to use in the business,” he recalls. Finally, after years of thinking about it, Tolpa started Tolpa’s Auto Parts in Remsen, New York in 1985. Today, it is a 50,000-square-foot facility employing 12 people. Primarily a wholesale operation, they sell to auto repair shops and auto body shops locally and nationwide. Tolpa recently added e-Bay auctions to his business, and opened Tolpa’s U Pull U Save Auto Parts in 2007.

Tolpa is proud to be a Certified Automotive Recycler (CAR) and Gold Seal through ARA and URG-accredited, and his company participates in the national Green Vehicle Disposal program as well as a national charity car donation program. Big on community involvement, the company has held Earth Day events, adopted soldiers in Iraq, invited local school groups to tour the facility, and assists in training central New York K-9 units.

Much of his business success Tolpa attributes to the friends he made in ARA and the techniques and tips he learned from them. Early on, he joined both ARA and the Automotive Recyclers Association of New York (ARANY). “As I attended ARA and ARANY meetings and conventions and got to know the organization, I liked the people more and more,” he says. Over the years, he has served on a number of ARA committees and task forces and also was President of ARANY. His ARA experience culminated in his being asked to join the Executive Committee as Secretary for 2005-2006.

Tolpa’s focus as President will be to “continue the forward positive momentum we have gained this year,” referring to the media coverage that Cash for Clunkers brought to the industry. He plans to do this through press releases and videos. He wants to increase membership by developing and marketing ARA’s programs, believing if an auto recycler can see a value to what ARA offers, they are more apt to join.

Since 1943, the Automotive Recyclers Association (“ARA”) represents an industry dedicated to the efficient removal and reuse of “green” automotive parts, and the proper recycling of inoperable motor vehicles. ARA represents over 4,500 auto recycling facilities in the United States and fourteen other countries around the world. With programs such as the Certified Automotive Recycler Program (CAR) and other partnerships, ARA members continue to provide consumers with quality, low cost alternatives for vehicle replacement parts, while preserving our environment for a “greener” tomorrow.

So Starbucks has tasty coffee right?  But it is kinda expensive right?  But the service is good and it is high quality?  Ok, I admit it, 4 out of 5 days I hit Starbucks for some coffee and I have been pretty pleased with them for a while now.  But my local Starbucks has dropped the ball and I sent in a complaint back on Feb 11, 2010 and never received a reply.  Here is my complaint:

I regularly visit the location on 9th line in Markham, ON - not sure of the exact address but you can see where I go on my Starbucks card 6054 0402 5851 ****

They never have those green cup plugs in stock (they are out of them about 80% of the time) - I am usually in a rush and get an extra hot coffee so I can drink it at work.  I have had the coffee spray out on me about a dozen times (and I ask for no foam) and have had to dry-clean my winter jacket twice already because of coffee stains (it costs $30 plus tax each time) - I have asked them why they seem to be the only Starbucks to never have these in stock and they tell me that it is the corporate office that gives them fewer than they ask for every-time.

I do enjoy your coffee but considering the premium prices you charge I would think you could at least make sure they have those plugs in-stock.

Hoping for a response soon….

Toronto, ON (Portal4Canada) March 5, 2010 — CharityCar (www.CharityCar.us and www.CharityCar.ca), green vehicle disposal a charity car donation company, today announced that its total donations processed for 2009 exceeds $91,000 USD. Over the course of the year, 50% of customers traded their vehicles in for cash while the other 50% donated the money to charity. This trend is expected to continue in 2010.

CharityCar would like to thank its many generous donors across North America who, despite the economic downturn, contributed to its success; more importantly, the success of its supported charities and the betterment of the environment.

David Gold from Standard Auto Wreckers and the founder of the program said: “We originally started this program to give back to our local community in Toronto, Ontario and when friends in the business heard about what we were doing they all wanted to join in. Now, three years later, we have over 150 partner charities and more than 70 member recyclers in both Canada and the USA participating! It really is heartwarming to see.”

About CharityCar
CharityCar (CharityCar.us and CharityCar.ca) accepts the donation of old vehicles on behalf of charities and non-profit organizations across North America. CharityCar utilizes its partner Green Vehicle Disposal’s eco-friendly recycling technology, offers ‘free pickup’, does not take any fees for processing or handling charity vehicles and donates 100% of the recyclers value to the customers’ chosen charity in the United States or Canada. CharityCar’s purpose is to provide its customers with an eco-friendly solution for the disposal of old vehicles. All vehicles donated through CharityCar are disposed of in an eco-friendly manner which meets and exceed all recycling rules. For more information, visit: www.CharityCar.us or www.CharityCar.ca.

They are proud to practice environmentally sound processes when dismantling and recycling our vehicles. This is achieved by properly draining all hazardous fluids from the vehicle thereby not having them drain into the ground. They remove Mercury switches and other dangerous substances from the vehicles and dispose of them in a safe way in accordance with local laws.

I write this post with a heavy heart and a full stomach.  I have been enjoying the food at Mandarin for the past 20 years and have rarely left feeling ripped off.  The food is usually fresh and tasty and the service is very good.  I admit I was a little disappointed when my local Mandarin on Woodbine Ave. stopped taking those instant pictures for birthdays and special occasions but I complained and directed to the local Walmart for Instamatic film (they said their supplier no longer carried it).

I was just at Mandarin last weekend and the $23.99 price tag was quite steep and I did tell the manager they should change over to grilled steak instead of the roast beef because it was very bland.  I also noticed the lunch menu was an affordable $11.99 and figured I should give the lunch menu a try since I have not been there during the daytime in a while.

I pulled in and noticed the sign had a couple of Christmas decorations on it and I thought that was a bit odd but I assumed Mandarin was just getting into the spirit.  When I got inside they had signs posted saying it was the holiday buffet and the price had jumped to $15.99?? Wow, over 40% increase and most places have holiday sales, not holiday gouges….

I asked the hostess what was different for the ‘holiday buffet’ that was priced so much higher and she said she did not know but to look around.  I did just that and did not notice anything special except lamb chops (which I don’t eat) - I was on my lunch break from work and did not really have time to start lunch elsewhere, plus it was minus 8 outside so I figured I would just cough-up (excuse my language) the extra cash.   I saw a manager just then and asked what was so special about the holiday buffet that warranted the extra change and he said,”you will see”, I told him I found the lamb chops and didn’t like them, was there anything else?  He gave me a very cryptic answer to the effect of: “If I did not come here all the time I would not notice”.

I ate and the food/service was pretty good, although the black forest cake was still frozen and chocolate dipped strawberries were replaced by chocolate dipped marshmallows.  On my way out I grabbed a few business cards for the managing partners of that location (Mandarin Box Grove) figuring I would send off an email complaint about the price grab but then lucky for me I saw one of the managing partners at the front, so I asked Jeff Cui why the price was so much higher for the holiday and I didn’t really notice anything different from normal.  He told me it was the equivalent of the weekend buffet and that is why it was more expensive.  When I asked him what was different other than the lamb chops he didn’t reply.  He just said that Mandarin has been raising prices for the holidays for the past twenty years. I then told him that it would be considerate to put a sign outside to notify people so they don’t park and come in out of the freezing cold to find that price has jumped 40% - he told me they put something on the sign to cover it but I told him if they were going to do that why not cover it with the new price or better yet post a new sign.  He asked me quite sarcastically whether I knew the price of a new sign.  I told him to give me a break and I was sure Mandarin could afford it.

In closing I want to say that I think raising your prices at the holiday season is a bit shady and I do understand going out to eat is a luxury I just think a 40% price increase without posting it outside is sneaky and it definitely made me leave with a bad taste in my mouth.