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beware "Extra Car"
It's been many months now and I had all but forgotten this experience but when I saw the post asking for recommendations for airport parking and someone mentioned Ace Extra Car (which I think may be...
It's been many months now and I had all but forgotten this experience but when I saw the post asking for recommendations for airport parking and someone mentioned Ace Extra Car (which I think may be a different company with a similar name?) I had to put in my two cents! I tried this place for the first time last year and it seemed great--easy in, fast trip to the airport, quick pickup on return--until they brought my car back to me at the end of my trip with the front bumper hanging halfway off. The bumper had apparently been caught on the curb in the storage lot and had been yanked off on one side. The driver admitted that they did it, and even admitted that they were instructed to park the cars way up close to (that is, on top of) the curbs at their storage lots to make more room, because "it's cheaper to fix front bumpers than back bumpers that stick out too far and get clipped." He was great, very apologetic and very helpful and I had no doubt the manager he referred me to would make it right. I assumed they would offer to pay to fix the problem for me or at the very least would comp my parking fee. Sorry, but no. There was basically no desire to remedy the error and certainly no desire to keep me as a customer. The manager got in touch with me a couple of days later (after I called twice) and first claimed I must have some kind of unusual tricked-out car (which if you saw me or my car you would realize is ridiculous--I have a bottom-of-the-line Jetta wagon, and while the bumper is on the low side it's standard issue, no frills and no tricks) and after a bit of back and forth reluctantly suggested that I bring the car down to someplace he knew about down by the airport and they would fix it for me. Of course, this is about a half hour drive from my house, not the least bit convenient, and who are these guys who would be fixing it anyway. I sent him pictures of the damage via email and told him I would like to have my own dealer fix it and send them the bill; the whole bumper has to be removed for it to be fixed properly, and it's a relatively new car with low miles. I suggested in the alternative that he should put me in touch with his insurance company. I never heard back. Some other stuff happened in my life just then and I let it slide, since I was able to shove the bumper back on so it's more or less ok (I have to re-shove it on every so often)(yes, I am too cheap to get it fixed properly). It still bugs me though and I probably should follow up one of these days. In any case, beware! Apparently, returning your car to you in the shape you left it with them is not part of the service they are offering.
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Build it--they will come...
The Queen Anne Fiore has been open only a few months but has slipped right into place in the neighborhood. Who knew we always needed a coffee place in exactly that spot? Despite being only a couple...
The Queen Anne Fiore has been open only a few months but has slipped right into place in the neighborhood. Who knew we always needed a coffee place in exactly that spot? Despite being only a couple of blocks from maybe 7 other coffee shops on QA Ave, it is always well-populated (so you can interact with other humans if that's what got you out of the house)--but not overcrowded (there always seems to be a free corner where you can sit with your coffee and toast and read your newspaper in peace). Plenty of south-facing chairs outside too--so any little bit of sun we have can be enjoyed on nice days.
Another reviewer dissed the pastries; I think this Fiore (don't know about the Crown Hill one) has one of the better selections on QA hill with items from Essential and several other worthy places. and TOAST. Good bread = good toast.
It's a tad more expensive than some but if you're already paying two or three bucks for a cup of coffee what's a few cents more for organic fair trade beans and really nice baristas? (they even refilled my coffee for free when I spilled a full cup running for--and missing--my bus!)
The mix is a comfortable melange that seems slightly more diverse than QA usually feels--stay-at-home moms and little kids, serious-looking hipsters with their laptops, business types having business-type meetings, dog-walkers, middle-aged girlfriends catching up, students, guys on break from construction jobs in the neighborhood--a range of ages and styles. All are welcome.
You can even share my table.
and did I mention the toast?
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BNGS: responsive, reasonable, competent
Ballard Natural Gas Service just completed an oil-to-gas conversion at my home, including gas hookup and new piping, new furnace (with new thermostat), new hot water heater, hookup of new gas stove,...
Ballard Natural Gas Service just completed an oil-to-gas conversion at my home, including gas hookup and new piping, new furnace (with new thermostat), new hot water heater, hookup of new gas stove, and piping to dryer area (yes, thanks to years of deferred maintenance I had to replace not one, not two, but three major appliances at once! but the dryer can wait...). They were prompt and thorough in their response to my request for a bid (in contrast to some who conducted a "drive-by" bid process rather than actually look at my house and its size and existing features, others whose bid did not explain what that $3000-4000 number was for beyond "install furnace," and still others who never even responded to my phone calls). They thoroughly answered my many questions at the time and subsequently. They scheduled the work as quickly as possible given the vagaries of PSE's schedule for installing the meter. The technician who did the work came on time, worked efficiently and neatly, and got the job done in two days. A minor item he forgot to finish was taken care of within 24 hours of my call to the office. They weren't the cheapest but they were well within the range of the other bids and I felt a lot of confidence before, during, and after the job that the work was being done properly--very important to a newbie gas customer!
A couple of minor quibbles--I felt the technician--or someone--should have taken more time to explain the equipment before he left (for example, I had to figure out on my own how to program the thermostat and I can only hope I've ascertained how to change the furnace filter when the time comes), and the final furnace "product," combining as it does some old and new ductwork and piping of various colors, sizes, and materials, is not pretty, .But it all works and I feel confident it was done right. I would definitely choose this company again.
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still waiting
I've been researching an oil-to-gas furnace conversion. This is about a $4000+ job so I've called about 5 companies. Olson is one of the companies that came to give me an estimate (and of course I...
I've been researching an oil-to-gas furnace conversion. This is about a $4000+ job so I've called about 5 companies. Olson is one of the companies that came to give me an estimate (and of course I had to take time off from work to meet with the various furnace contractors) but they never followed up with a bid. They may be fine but the lack of followup is worrisome--I'll be using one of the companies that seemed to want my business instead...
UPDATE: it's several weeks later and I never did get that bid from Olsen! But I got comprehensive and detailed bids from Ballard Natural Gas, Greenwood Heating, and Seattle Natural Gas. I did pick one of these, but the work won't be done until later in the summer, so this is only a report on the front end customer service--stay tuned!
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