In this world of huge corporations, many of us feel like pawns or peons when
trying to get a good deal or to make sure we get our money's worth. In this
little space of mine on the Internet, I can express my opinions on the various
businesses that I've interacted with. While I don't expect that this will
change the way that companies will do business, at least I feel better about
it and perhaps someone else can benefit from my experience.
Consumer Stuff
Cars
- My current car: A 2018 Dodge Charger in the indigo blue that I bought at
Watertown Toyota in
Watertown. My wife had bought her 2020 Toyota hybrid Rav4 there and the salesman
asked us to give him a chance to sell us another car. I wasn't having much luckpo
finding the car I wanted (I saw a few in Michigan or Wisconsin that also wanted $1700
for delivery). I found this one about a mile down the road when I expanded my search.
The car had only 12,000 miles on it and we joke about the previous owner needing to
trade up to a more "responsible" car.
- Previous cars included:
- 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix GT
Basically I got the same car as the 1997 except that it was 10 years younger. Same 3.8L Supercharged V6 with 20 more horsepower. :-)
- 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP when they changed the body style ("wider is better")
- 1991 Chevy Beretta - Never thought I'd buy a Chevy but it was a great car for what I paid for it. Also bought it
at the old no-haggle Porter Chevrolet. I paid $75 over invoice. What a deal.
- 1984 Pontiac 6000 - great car, though I probably should have gotten the STE model.
- My favorite car to rent was the Oldsmobile Intrigue. Too bad they're
not making it anymore.
Other stuff
The Diner at 11 North Beacon in Watertown, the former Talk of the Town
Diner, is our favorite local venue for breakfast.
However, when we travel, we will always look for
Bob Evans.
Always awesome service, always awesome food.
-
Florist:
I've been buying flowers from Irving Glick at
31 Clarendon Street in Boston (617-338-9271) since my junior prom.
I had to send flowers recently (unfortunately, it was for a funeral)
and I was in California. I picked a price range and they took care of
the rest; my friends kept telling me how nice the arrangement was.
They also specialize in flower events for Asian events (weddings, funerals,
etc.)
Opticians
I recommend Jim & Bernie at Two Opticians
in South Boston. They used to be part of the great crew at Gopen's in Chinatown; I've trusted
these people for almost 30 years for my glasses. They have no problem with trying a set of frames on
you and telling you they don't look good on you. And they don't have any compelling reason to sell
you the most expensive glasses (unless they *really* look good on you).
Chimney sweep
I recommend
The Chimney Doctor in Concord, MA at 1-508-369-7072.
- Replacement Windows
I recommend Stormtite in Watertown
at 170 Belmont Street, Watertown. 617-924-2254. I had noticed them
in the Boston Herald's list of Better Business-recommended businesses.
Owner John Karnikyan, while a little free with his language, is
very opinionated and is
more than willing to give you the honest low-down on what it takes to
make you a happy customer. He'll also tell you exactly how good another
company did on your windows if you had any other work done (as I did).
His workers are instructed to ask the customer during the job what they
think of the on-going job.
- Computer suppliers:
- In the Boston area, I go to the MicroCenter in Cambridge.
They don't always have the best prices but I like their service. Sometimes you get surprised
at the cash register because they forget to post the sale prices on
their shelves but you get charged LESS than you expected.
- In Silicon Valley, Frys Electronics (Sunnyvale,
Palo Alto, and Campbell) and Action Computer (lots of
computer hardware for cheap) in Sunnyvale. Check their posted prices
to make sure of the price you pay at the register and not after the rebates.
Frys had the most complete
selection of SIMM memories I've seen anywhere.
- For general electronic supplies, I can't think of a better place than
U-Do-It Electronics in Needham.
Last updated February, 2022