The job was started and finished on time with no surprises. The new windows are really nice. They are all double-pane. Some have low-e coating and argon gas between the panes. The thing that really put these guys on the "cool list" was that all the installers were aware of our concerns about our birds and made sure that they didn't freak them out or expose them to any nasty fumes and vapors from the glues and cleaners they use.
Frontier Ford
Raif Saghieh: Salesman
The old Mercury Topaz died. I was leaving for work one day
when I noticed a big green and black puddle with chunks-o-metal under the Merc. I went
into the house and announced to Ro: "I need a ride, I'm getting a new
vehicle!" Ro dropped me off at Stevens Creek Blvd. and San Tomas Expwy. I walked
all the way down to Lawrence Expwy. and back, stopping at all the AMERICAN auto dealers
along the way. I finally decided that the Fords looked most appealing so I started nosing
around. I was dreading the eventual meeting with the salesperson as they have always
gotten on my nerves. I have had some real bad experiences with salespeople. So there I am
looking at cars and trucks and SUV's. A salesman approaches me. After the usual small-talk
he asks me: "So what are you looking for?" I replied: "I think I want a
truck... well maybe a Mustang... no, a truck" He suggested looking at the Ford
Rangers. He pointed them out, and then said "I'll be over here waiting... let me know
if you fall in love with one of these." I WAS DUMBFOUNDED !!!!
I have never gone to an auto dealer that didn't have a bunch of salesmen circling like
vultures waiting to swoop down upon their prey. They try to snarf your car keys from you,
pressure you into something... anything - as long as they make a sale. Frontier Ford is
not like that at all. I picked out a blue/green super-cab A/C, EFI
,ABS PRS, AM/FM/CASS, PS, PB, CC and OD. and we went for a test drive. Ooooh six
cylinders (Two more than before and more is better) I LIKED IT! This was THE lowest
pressure, low-stress purchase of a vehicle ever made. Badabing-badaboom I gotta new truck!
Renaissance Stone and Tile <dead link>
This is the guy who did the countertops in our kitchen. He did a REAL NICE JOB on time, for a good price and no problems. He told us how to take care of the granite and called a few weeks later to see if all was well. We would recommend him to anyone who wants a real nice counter or any other stone work.
I used to shop at Home Depot for lumber. I would look at the wood and worry about our forests... Could they really be in such bad shape that they only yield crap-for-lumber ? No ! Southern Lumber is the big kahuna of wood-stores. Ash to Zebrawood they got it all. No knots, wane, twists, warps, pitch-pockets or cracks... it's real nice stuff. The wood at the depot is OK for firewood, but we don't have a fireplace.
It's not really a company, but it's a great place to live... The utilities are all on one bill except for the gas. PG&E... that's Pacific Gouging for Energy supplies that. The electricity is 40% cheaper than PG&E and WE USE A LOT OF ELECTRICITY !!!! We get other "bennies" too like: Once a year you can throw all your crap in front of your house and they pick it up ! So for one month a year the whole city looks like hell. It's fun to see what people chuck. We also time our major home improvement projects to align with the pitch-it campaign. The city council meetings on the government channel also can provide some real entertainment at times.
So I called these guys after the PU incident with my hard drive. They said it wasn't really covered under the warranty but they would replace it for free if I shipped the dead one to them. They gave me an RMA number and I had my new drive in a couple of weeks. NO PROBLEM ! (This was back in the days when a 125 MB drive cost around $350... I just an ad for a 6.4GB drive for $160)
Wayne Shetler and Claudia Montalban <dead link> : Real Estate Agents
These are the agents who helped us find our house. They drove us all around the valley for two weekends looking at houses. I was really starting to get discouraged at not finding "our house" but they said "...just one more..." We pulled up... I heard the angels singing in the background and a rainbow forming across the house THIS WAS IT !!!! Wayne and Claudia were very helpful in all the negotiations, inspections, applications, forms, forms and yes... more forms you must do to get a big wood box on dirt (house).
J M Robles Landscaping
He did our front yard on time, for a good price and no-problems.
WJ Communications, or the company formerly known as Watkins-Johnson
After more than 40 years in their current location in Palo Alto, WJ will be moving to a location in San Jose that is only 5 miles from our house !!!!!
Update 2009:
After 9 years at its current location in San Jose, with three regimes of executive leadership, WJ Communications has gone pffft.
WJ Lasted a little over 50 years: 45 years of excellence in electronics, 3 years of incompetence and 2 (long) years of arrogance.
In the end, it was acquired by TriQuint Semiconductor.
|
Watkins-Johnson 1957 - 2000 |
 WJ
Communications 2000-2008 |
They pay me. We pay the bills. That's cool.
We got our blinds in three days !
Mountain View Garden Center
The guys are friendly and know their dirt. They have earth-products with a selection and price better than the depot. You can back your truck right up to the pile of whatever and load it up. We bought our rocks for the backyard here. We ordered the stuff and the guy asked if today would be soon enough for the delivery... I like instant gratification.
Saturday, May 23, 2009 07:48:11 PM
