What companies have won you for life?
 

Or at least made a very good impression on you? I'd like to find a list good companies/businesses to deal with and let's all reward them with future business.

I'll keep mine short:

1) Costco: How can one live without one? A place where you can return anything at any time (aside from computers) for not being satisfied with the product. Plus they're always friendly and will do what they need to in order to keep you happy. Not to leave out the fab snackbar.

2) Velocity Micro PC: A boxmaker that I have been so happy with after buying a PC by them 2 years ago. I've called twice with what seemed like major BIOS issues (my fault) and not only did I not get a Level I in Bangor, but got a live person to take my call after practically no wait time. Super friendly staff and the person you speak with will fix your problem without putting you on hold, without transferring you to a Level 2, and without needing to call you back.

3) Reid's Honda Doctor, Redlands CA: They are the reason I just purchased another Honda. I used to own a Honda and took it there for service. I sold it for a Nissan and after 2 years of crappy mechanics I bought another Honda just so that I can go to a place I trust. They fix little stuff for no cost, they explain what that noise is and why it doesn't need repair, and they just great guys. They are the only ones allowed to touch my car.

Explain how these companies have won you over so that they can win us over too.

1) Samsung. I now have a Samsung TV, 5 dvd home theater, and cell phone. They know what they're doing big time. I've never been so impressed with a consistant electronics line.

2) Mac Pros, a shop for Mac lovers here in SJ. They know Macs in a way that that teenager at the Apple Store coulnd't dream of and they LOVE what they do!

3) Sci Fi Channel. Battlestar Galactica has single handedly saved TV for me. If it weren't for them , I'd be 100% books and internet now.

4) Yamaha: the best piano ever, ever.

What companies have lost me for life?
Costco, Haliburton, Fox News, Dell and eMachines, Sizzler and Taco Bell, and WalMart.

General Motors
AMD

Agree with the others but why Costco?

Ya gotta explain why.

Hmm...."for life" is too long. ;) things always change. :sad:
Anyway, Costco is a pleasant store to shop in, but they totally bug me by making you pay to shop there. That is so dumb....paying to shop! :grumpy: We've been brainwashed! :eek:
I like Trader Joes because they make shopping fun, Lego makes a cool product and keeps fresh.

newegg.com

I've spent over $20,000 in the past year, once i had a product come DOA, cheep product only like $20. i called them for an RMA, they told me they would just credit my account $25. i also bought an open box lcd monitor, it came damaged, they took it back and payed for the shipping.

Check my last journal entry here: http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/journal...wjournal&j=827

Good one with Trader Joes although Whole Foods has been taking my business from them lately. More fresh foods.

Let's see....off the top of my head:

1) Glaceau - the makers of Vitamin Water!!!! I am so hopelessly addicted to that stuff. If they ever stop making it, I don't know what I'll do.

2) Trader Joes

3) Whole Foods (called Fresh Fields in the East)

4) Aveda - Best hair products ever. Expensive, but way worth it.

5) The Swedish Car Clinic (I also feel like my next car has to be Swedish, just so I can keep using them.)

6) JET BLUE!!!! How could I forget this??? It's a really great company.

7) OK, OK, I'll admit it: Starbucks. What can I say? A cheap and legal central nervous system stimulant, consistently prepared, consistently good, and available on every corner anywhere you go (the first thing I ate in Tokyo was at a Starbuck's, I'm embarrassed to say!). So what's not to like?

That's all for now....I'm sure I'm forgetting some...

Heh. You gotta go off hours. I live about 1 mile from one so I go during an odd evening or if I must go on a weekend I got on Sunday morning before the churchies get let out. Friday afternoons are great too, the place is empty and samples abound. And like someone else said in a response, it's a very ethical company.

B&B Liquor Warehouse.

Publix Supermarkets.

Best supermarket in the southeast, bar none.

1. Bounty Paper Towels (I'm a paper towel whore)

2. Nissan (I am a big fan of Hondas too, had 2 of them)

3. Villainess Soap

4. Overstock.com

5. Jet Blue (I love them too, can't beat watching TV all the way to your destination.. the single reason I became addicted to 'Project Runway' in one trip from NY to Florida)

6. GoDaddy - I love those guys!

Oh, Dude! Sounds like me in Lowe's....

The only company I had loyalty to was Minolta and they're no more.:grumpy:
A 4.0 Minolta compares to at least a 6.1 of anyone else's. And their 35mm lenses were topshelf.
I more of an 'avoid' companies for life, either for bad service or bad experience, like Willravel's.
I do seem to sway toward Kenmore appliances, but really, how many appliances do ya buy?
Oh! Jerry's Artarama, an online arts supplier. Prices are dirtcheap, shipment is quick most times and the stuff is good.

Don's Tire and Auto.
-they are in a city over an hour drive away from here. But the next time I need tire or brake work, I'm returning. Customer service, earned trust, and therefore earned loyalty.

MemoryExpress. A great local computer shop. Brilliant service, and are willing to beat any price posted by thier competetors. I was at the checkout a year and half ago buying a new case. The price came in higher than I thought it would, so I commented on it, and said 'not a big deal, that must have been at (your main competetors)' He used the checkout computer to check the competetors's site, saw the lower price, and gave me an even lower price. Also great on 'store stock instant RMAs'

Costco--Very ethical company, great deals, and I love the bargain surprises as well as the old goodies. Excellent olive oil, consistently good Kirkland-brand products, AND they're good employers.

Nordstrom--I've been shopping here since I was a kid and even the one bad experience my family did have at a Nordstrom's turned out okay because of their excellent customer service.

Target--They're a good employer (I should know, I worked for them) and they have great prices. I certainly like shopping there a heck of a lot more than other discount stores.

Starbucks--Good coffee, consistent, everywhere. And the customer service is usually good, friendly, and effecient.

Google--Gotta love Gmail.

Apple--I love my iPod, and I was raised on Macs. I wish I had one now.

Volvo--I love my Volvo more than my iPod, and I've been riding in one since I was 2. 'Nuff said.

Companies That Have Lost My Business for Life:

Wal-Mart.

1) MicroWarehouse for my place of worship.
2) Farmer Jack keeps us well fed.
3) Borders informs my children, keeps me exercising.
4) Blockbuster Video for family bonding sessions.
5) PetSmart or PetsMart keeps my pets well fed.
6) Target is cool for a ginormous store. We approve of the Target Vibe.
7) Michaels keeps us busy. That freakin store has so much cool shit in it its unbelievable.
8) Rider Hobby is another cool store. I enjoy building models with my family and reliving my youth.
9) Comcast can do whatever they want with me. They own me.
10) Apple and AMD keep me in the tube, 5x5.

oh yeah, netflix is almost there, I've only been a customer for a few months, but they are well on there way. some dvd's come damaged, but they are replaced ASAP, fixed rate for as many as i can watch.

Peugeot cars - have always been a part of my life, they drive well, and have almost no mechanical problems for YEARS - Mine is going on 8 and it's still pretty perfect.

IKEA for value furniture with clean contemporary lines and niftly storage solutions. I haven't been disappointed so far.

I can't think of any more as I'm not that trusting. If I do later I'll come back and post some more.

Not necessarily "won for life" but currently favorable:

Jack Daniels
Something about the sour mash

Harley-Davidson
Their bikes hold their value for a long time

Sears
Good service for appliances, lawnmowers, etc..

Amazon
Never had a problem returning something

Aladdin Oil Lamps
Reliable light when the electricity goes out

Dell Computers
Lots of support on the web

Colt Firearms
Primarily for the AR-15

One company I will not be doing business with anytime soon is Panasonic because of their refusal to fix defective surround sound equipment.

In no particular order:
- Trader Joe's: can't get everything but what they have is great
- BevMo: mmmm, beer
- B&H Photo: excellent store in all respects
- Skype: the only way when you're in an international relationship
- Ebay: actually makes shopping exciting

I'm fond of L.L. Bean. You can return a product 15 years later and still receive a full exchange for any other product you might want.

I'm also fond of American Science and Surplus. I went there often as a kid. I still order things from them online.

Amazon.ca--always a great experience shopping there.
Miller Genuine Draft--a beer I discovered in Scotland 3 years ago, now its officially "my beer".

Tigerdirect.com: Might not be as cheap as newegg.com, but when I was overseas in the Air Force, they were the only ones who would ship to me!

Pete's Pot and Poncho Emporium: Best Pot and Ponchos you can buy!

Thanks for this link! I've been looking for a place to order lab/science supplies online to do small-scale experiments with to teach the kids I care for about science. Time to place an order for agar and petri dishes.

Eheim: I am unashamadly an Eheim fanboy, all the filters in my house are theirs (including some big boy ones), they're undestructable (unless you actually really decide to be an idiot, like me on occasion) and generally just rule.

Besides, their filter media is stupidly kick ass, the old efisubstrat had 500m2 surface area in 1litre, that means in one tray of my filter, i have 1000m2 of surface area, and in the tray above, which is the new stuff, theres even more! *grinning like an idiot*

Fry's Electronics - Best electronics store ever.
TiVo - I might not buy a HD box from them, but my TiVo is great.
Yahoo! - Except for Google Earth, I don't see why Google is better.
Whole Foods - I don't have one around me, but the one in Austin was great.
REI - Great outdoor gear store.
Performance Bike - Good selection of biking equipment
eBay - I can find anything on eBay.
In-N-Out - Their Lemonade is great

There are probably a few other ones that I am forgetting.

I find that for almost every company that has "won me for life", there is at least one that has lost me for life.

Swiss Army (vs Fossil) -- I love SA watches, but I think I might like their luggage even better. Every SA product I've owned has been incredibly durable and well-made, not to mention I love their style. However, I have found Fossil products to be incredibly cheap.

Volvo (vs VW) -- As good as my experience with Volvo has been, my VW experience has been its opposite. As they say, "Volvo for life."

Samsung (vs Sony) -- I used to be a huge Sony fan, but their recent business practices disgust me and now I will go out of my way to avoid their products. Luckily, I really like Samsung, which provides me with alternatives for almost every Sony product (except for their movies :-/ ).

Yamaha -- I don't really have an opposite to Yamaha, but I have been impressed with their speakers, ATVs, motorcycles, personal watercraft, and generators.

Apple :thumbsup:

Once you go Mac you never go back!

Leatherman & Victorinox - highest quality tools available, and they've both bailed my butt out in times that could have been serious trouble.

Scotiabank - They have consistently made what could have been truly painful, embarassing & stressful banking encounters into pleasurable ones. I was dealing with the CIBC for years, but when the life insurance money for my wife came they were dicks. Scotiabank said "We're so sorry for your loss... how can we help?" Then only a couple weeks ago I was in a city far from home and needed to write a cheque from another bank and deposit it with no hold on it. The lady looked up my account from my home city, and said "Sure thing. Can I do anything else to help you?". I'm a customer for life.

I can't think of a brand or a label to which I could pledge undying love.

The closest might be IKEA but even then, it's my love of clever design and their ability to deliver it cheaply that keeps me coming back. I do find that some of their stuff is just crap so I can't say I can't live without them. Their good things and their omnipresence make them my current choice.

Wegmans .....By far the cleanest, most comfortable, and best run Supermarkets I have ever seen. In the top ten companys to work for every year, and contribute to the communities they are in.

Steve and Barrys....Yeah , Yeah, I work for them. But the model of buisiness is damn cool, and the quality vs. Price ratio is fantastic.

Hewlett Packard....Dependable Machines, Helpful Humans, and they stand behind what they make.

Pelican Cases - They take a beating, but still work great. And their lifetime replacement policy is really good.
POR-15 paint - I won't use anything else on my car. It is 12 years old, driven in Michigan and Ohio during the winter, and there is no rust on the underside/engine compartment. The panels are plastic (Saturn), so they can't rust.

Smith and Wesson:

They recently sold me a pistol with a bad defect. When I called to complaign they sent me a UPS overnight air shipping label and I had my pistol back, fixed, six days after I mailed it to them. It didn't cost me a dime and they gave me $160 tritium sights for free as compensation for the inconvenience.

That is above and beyond customer service.

Target - They keep their store clean and the prices aren't bad at all as opposed to the superconglomorate wal-mart. I find the people there are more clean and the aisles aren't beaten to hell, call me snobby but when I go somewhere I don't want to be in a messy unkempt store.

Volkswagen - I drive a VW new Bug and I absolutely adore my car. It has taken me so many places and it is so nice I just love it. I prefer European over American or Japanese any day. Bring on the German cars!

T-Mobile - They build my sidekicks and I've used those phones for nearly three years now, I feel lost without mine. Hooray for mini-laptops!

Mercedes Benz, Safety, beauty and value.
Levis jeans, best american product.
Kingsford brickets. never fail

Fossil - I've owned two watches in the past 10 years. Both have been fossil. Out of the two I've changed that batteries a total of twice. That's right. The first one I had for seven years and only changed the battery once.

Jeep/Chrysler - The best built American cars. Ever.

VW - The best built European car. Ever.

Yamaha - My scooter will never die.

Peugeot cars rock! I'm from France, and over there, people are often either loyal to Peugeot or Renault...or Citroen, but ehh..
I love the 306, 406 and 607. Nice durable cars, and they pack a nice little punch.

Jeep- Im pretty sure my jeep will die after i do. Together we are mostly indestructable

Canon- Both cameras have together survived two car accidents and two years of bar party photography (with owner getting blazing drunk and camera being bump, dropped, hit, everything a camera should not do) and tehy both still perform perfectly.

REI- Outdoor gods. nuff said

White Lightning strobes - (sorry nerding here) as a photographer, these damn things are affordable and reliable! what a concept! oh and service dept are fabulous as well.

Agreed. They won me over and over again, every time I came down there. (Too bad I don't live there.) I think it's way cool of them to make every one of their employees shareholders in the company. That's a brilliant way to foster stewardship in the company and get their employees to really invest (pun intended) in their work. Not everybody is able to accomplish that sort of mission... it seems that few rarely even try.

Others on my list, in no particular order:

1) Trader Joe's. Quality products, and always guaranteed the lowest price in the area. Plus, their specialty food focus makes for a lot of interesting stuff to try. What more could you ask for?

2) In-N-Out. Again, why don't I live near one (anymore)? This is the only kind of fast food I can really condone. It's all actually made fresh on the premises, short of keeping live cows out behind the restaurants. It's nice to go through the drive-through and watch actual potatoes being cut up for the fryer. Also, I knew a lot of people from my high school who worked there and it was another place where they treated their employees as valued assets. People work hard there, and when they put in the time to move up the ranks, the rewards are there in the form of actually competitive benefits for the full-time employees.

3) Jamba Juice. (sigh... another company that seems to elude me in my current city) Their smoothies are tasty and delightful and the stores are all painted a very happy color. No specific reasoning for this one other than it makes me really happy and I like to drink their stuff.

4) Netflix. Now there's a smart idea. Wish I had thought of it!

5) Google. This one is mostly self-explanatory, but I've also done a some research into their latest endeavor for work (Google Apps for Your Domain). They always seem to be a step ahead of the curve.

6) ING Direct. That's how banking should work. I just opened a checking account with them a couple of days ago (new feature).

7) Commerce Bank. (Mid-Atlantic area only, I think, and dipping down into parts of Florida.) Despite the fact that they are still spreading and there are currently only two branch locations in the DC area, they are more convenient than any bank I have ever dealt with. They are open until 8pm on weekdays and are open on weekends as well. (!!) In fact, last Friday, I went downtown to the nearest branch to deposit my paycheck at 7:45pm because the stupid Bank of America is closed at that hour and usually puts a hold on all my live checks for a whole week (screw you, B of A). The checks usually clear at Commerce in one day, but since I had brought in three of my past paychecks to this location, it was available immediately. Immediately! On a Friday night! Amazing, I tell you.