Colleen's Recommendations

I like to think I am an informed consumer. I’m not afraid to do research when I make purchases, no matter how big or small the item. I’d like to share some of the highlights of recent experiences with purchases and customer service. So far, these are all positive experiences with customer service, but I wish the companies would do a better job in the first place so that I wouldn’t have to complain later on (send me enough screws, engineer a more robust design for a vibrating flosser, etc.). Feel free to add your own positive or negative experiences in the comments section!

I have a woman who shops out my insurance needs. Her name is Anu and she is with Answer Financial. I tried to shop out auto and condo contents insurance myself but she does a much better job. She gets quotes from lots of companies and then e-mails me the best deal. She is based out of California and her phone number is 888-878-8111 x4660. Susheela, my mom, and I all have been very happy with Anu. Insurance isn’t fun but it’s nice to feel like I’m not getting taken to the cleaners. Thumbs up for Anu at Answer Financial!

Over Memorial Day weekend, I bought a chandelier that I loved from Home Depot. The best part about it was the finish (aged crackle), a sort of brown, sandblasted, stone look, which fits my dining area well. The maker is Hampton Bay. Upon opening it to install it, Jamie pointed out that one of the glass “cups” was chipped. It wasn’t a huge defect but when I buy something new, I’d like it to be in new condition, ya know? So I called Hampton bay customer service and they sent me a new glass cup in the mail and it arrived within 2 weeks! Thumbs up for Hampton Bay!

After I bought and installed the chandelier with the beautiful but odd finish, I began shopping for accompanying hall lights, foyer lights, etc. This turned out to be difficult since Hampton Bay didn’t make anything that I liked. After browsing online, I found a light I loved, at a great price, but I couldn’t tell if the finish was close enough to what I had and no local stores carried the finish for me to see. When I e-mailed Sea Gull Lighting customer service, they mailed me a free metal sample chip of the finish! After I received it, I deemed that their golden isles was close enough to HB’s aged crackle and I bought three new light fixtures. I received the light fixtures and after I installed all the fixtures, I realized I didn’t have enough screws to attach the glass globes to the fixtures (they sent three screws for the glass and I needed those, plus another two to attach the fixture to the ceiling). I went to the hardware three times and even with the help of a hardware expert, I could not get screws that were compatible. I had no choice but to e-mail Sea Gull Lighting customer service again, this time politely asking for 6 extra screws (haha). To my shock, they replied and sent the screws in 3 business days! My lights are beautiful!!! Thumbs up for Sea Gull Lighting customer service!

I had a Reach Access vibrating flosser which stopped working after 3 batteries (maybe 8 months?) When I complained to Johnson and Johnson, they sent me a check for my purchase price! Thumbs up for Johnson and Johnson customer service!