Customer service is important!

A business that has good customer service is beneficial for everyone. I mentioned Amazon's great customer service in this post concerning the way they make up for mistakes or shipping promises that hadn't been met. Because they are so good at compensating for any problems, it makes me want to shop there even more. I feel confident that I'll get what I'm paying for...or they'll make up for it if there are any problems. I keep going back because they ultimately provide peace of mind in my shopping experience. I encountered some more good customer service, so I thought I'd share. This is in no way a paid review or endorsement of any kind.

Today's good customer service experience came from Discount Tire. Johnny ended up getting a flat tire the other day on his way to lunch. So...time to get new tires. BLAH. We have a Discount Tire just down the street...so we started looking around their website. Shopping for things like this is always super fun because...well because I'm frugal and Johnny is not. :P But we finally compromised and I picked the tires. ;) 

Anyway...I ordered them online, set the date for the appointment, and then it said I had to pay in store. Then I got a call the next day saying we would need to go in and put at least 10% down before they could order them. Johnny had already left for work, so I told him I'd have to take it in the following morning. Then I get another call back saying that they just realized the tire we ordered had been discontinued. Um...then why is it on your website?! He did say in the voicemail that he'd try to find us a deal on a different set of tires. Since Johnny was already at work, I decided to wait until he got home to decide what we want to do. 

I went back on their website and started looking at similar tires. While I was looking at a set that I liked, I found that they have a link where you can submit a link for price matching. I found the $72 tires on a different site for $60.78 per tire (including shipping) so I submitted the information. I kept waiting to get the email response, but then I got tired of waiting so I went ahead and called. I spoke to the guy who'd left the voicemail and let him know which tires we wanted and that I'd found them online for a cheaper price. He said that they could definitely honor that price and they'd just have to change it manually in the store. He didn't even ask for the information about the website or anything (although I already have it printed out to take with me to the appointment). 

So...the point of the story is that even though there was a problem, a better solution was found in the end. With their price-match guarantee, I was able to find a better deal. And because of that, the next time I or someone I know needs tires, I'm going to recommend them. While they may have made less money on my purchase than they would've without the price match, they also earned future business. It's focusing on the long game instead of the short play...that's how you win.   

There's the old saying that the customer is always right. Well...not really. There are a lot of times when the customer is wrong about something. BUT...the customer IS always the customer. And if you want to keep that customer, then keep the customer happy. And if you keep the customer happy, they can bring you other customers as well. 

I attended a required customer service training session at a previous job. I didn't even have a customer service position, but it was required for everyone. I'll always remember the video that talked about "just give 'em the pickle." No really...that's the entire premise for the video. The idea was to find something that your business can provide the customer to make them happy...and he just happened to run a restaurant. After a customer complaint about being charged for extra pickles, it created the policy to "just give 'em the pickle." It's the same concept as price match guarantees, promotional credits for items that were not delivered by the stated time, etc. It provides the customer something that keeps them happy...and will likely keep them as a customer. 

Like I said, I'm not getting paid for this "endorsement" at all. I simply had a good experience and felt compelled to share that experience with others. That's what good customer service will do for your business. 

Holiday weekend ended with a...scratch!

Johnny didn't sign up to work the holiday weekend, so we were able to have three whole days together! The girls went to the football game Friday night because Aubry was working the concession stand. Aubry had to work on Saturday so Ashlyn watched the puppies while Johnny and I went to his mom's old house to get some more of her stuff out of there. Then the girls went to a WSU game with my mom and grandparents on Sunday. After the game, they spent the night at XH's parents' house...mostly because Aubry wanted to see her boyfriend who lives out there. :P

So...Johnny and I had a lot of quality down time together. We didn't get as much done around the house as we'd planned, but it was nice to have some time to ourselves. Sunday night we ordered delivery from Applebees and continued binge watching How to Get Away with Murder on Netflix. ;) It was a nice "date at home" night. :)

And then Monday night I ended up in the ER. I'd let the dogs outside to go to the bathroom. Neko is a little jerk and won't come back inside when you call for him...he just stays where he is and shivers until you go out and pick him up. It was dark, but I could see his eyes glowing out by the fence...so I didn't take a flashlight out with me. Well, when I bent down to pick him up, I misjudged how far away I was from the bush and one of the branches poked me right in the eye. We spent almost two hours trying to flush my eye out with water and eye drops at home before I gave up and asked Johnny to take me to the ER.

They gave me some numbing eye drops and then some dye to get a better look at my eye. And just as I suspected, I had scratched my cornea. Unfortunately, the numbing eye drops only last about 5-10 minutes...and a scratched cornea is PAINFUL. It feels as though you have a rock in your eye and every time you blink or even move your eye when it's closed, it hurts. And then, immediately after they shined the light in my eye, I got a hemiplegic migraine. My face instantly went numb along with my right shoulder and arm. Then the headache came over me. After they treated my eye with an antibiotic ointment, they also gave me a shot of Phenergan and Toradol for the migraine. Then we came home and since I couldn't see and my eye was still in so much pain, I just got an ice pack and went to bed.

I had to follow up with my eye doctor today. He said that I have two pretty bad cuts on my cornea; one at the top and then one right in the middle. He gave me a contact lens to wear until my follow-up appointment on Friday. He said it'll act as a bandage to protect the wound and help it heal. It basically eliminated the pain associated with my eyelid moving over the cut...so that was good! Then he prescribed me some antibiotic eye drops to use four times a day since it was a stick that had gone in my eye.

So tonight I've finally been able to keep my eye open for more than a few seconds at a time and I can even sit in a room with the lights on and not have to keep my eye closed. The sunlight still bothers it a lot though. Luckily corneal abrasions heal quickly! Especially considering I'd picked up a file for work before all this happened and have a deadline to meet!

So...that was my eventful start to the week. :P

Brand Spankin' New Carpet Cleaner!

First, this is NOT a compensated review. I bought this carpet cleaner because we desperately needed to clean the carpets. :P

We have had a LOT of dogs in this house (and kids)...and some were not so potty-trained. Unfortunately, when we got the Chihuahua puppies, they started marking by the sliding glass door where the previous dogs had gone before. And when Bandit was so sick a few months ago, there were several messes in the living room as well. We talked about hiring someone to come in and clean the carpets, replacing the flooring, etc. We priced flooring and decided to get a carpet cleaner for now and then hopefully replace the flooring in the dining and living rooms next year (or whenever we can afford it).

So I researched different carpet cleaners and found one that I thought I would really like and that had good reviews. My decision was solidified when I found this deal that offered 5 monthly payments instead of paying a large amount up front. I could fit that into the budget a lot more easily than $200 all at once!

So...the Hoover SmartWash is what I chose. It is super easy to use. You fill the clean water tank with warm water and fill the dispenser in the back with detergent. Then you just plug it in, turn it on, push forward to wash, and pull back to dry. You can't go to slow forward or it will automatically switch to dry. It's also better to pull back slowly to dry in order to get as much water out as possible. Then when finished washing, remove the soap dispenser to rinse with the same forward and then back to dry motions. After that, press the "dry only" button and keep going until water is no longer being pulled from the carpet. It only took about an hour for the carpet to dry after I was done.

I will say there is definitely a lot of suction with this carpet cleaner. I had vacuumed the floor really well with our Dyson pet vacuum, but there was still SO MUCH dirt and hair pulled up from the carpet that I didn't even know was there. I feel like our floors are so much cleaner just based on that fact alone! But you can also see the difference. This photo is from just one pass using the carpet cleaner. You can see a definite line between the left and the right side of the photo that hadn't been cleaned yet.


One of the best things about this carpet cleaner is that it is very easy to clean. All of the compartments lift away. The dirty water tank opens completely and is easily cleaned out. It has a screen that needs to be cleared during each cleaning. The front cover lifts away which can be rinsed out. The brushes are also easily lifted to be rinsed out and cleaned as well.

I only have a few minor complaints about the new carpet cleaner. There's no notification when the clean water tank is empty and the cleaner just makes a louder noise when the dirty water tank is full. The blue wash should turn red when the clean water tank is empty and the green dry should turn red when the dirty water tank is full. It's a minor complaint...but it would definitely add to the "smart" of the SmartWash name. Another minor improvement would be some sort of a handle on the bottom portion of the dirty water tank. It would just make it easier to empty if there was a logical spot to hold it. But...those are just minor improvements that could be made.

Overall...it's a great machine and I'm very pleased with my purchase. :)

Recipe: Chili

Today was the first snow of the season and that means chili and cinnamon rolls for dinner! I love making chili because it's super easy. You just brown the hamburger and then dump everything in a pot. Everyone seems to make their chili differently, but this happens to be my favorite recipe. My recipe makes a lot because we like leftovers, but you could adjust it to make a smaller batch. You can also freeze some of it as well. 

Chili 

Ingredients: 

2 lbs ground beef (we actually use ground turkey)

3 cans chili ready diced tomatoes (you can use petite diced tomatoes if you prefer smaller tomatoes)

1 can chili starter (seasoned crushed tomatoes)

1 can tomato sauce

1 27oz can chili pinto beans

2 can dark red kidney beans (drained and rinsed) 

1 pkg Williams chili seasoning mix for 2lbs of meat

Directions: 

1. Brown hamburger and drain. 

2. Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot. 

3. Simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

I like to top my chili with lots of shredded extra sharp cheddar and Fritos or my new favorite: cornbread. It's DELICIOUS. 

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A post shared by Candi Pride (@tinycandi) on Oct 30, 2019 at 6:36pm PDT

New Sims 4 Pack Ideas

I got my first computer as a high school graduation present from my grandparents. That same year was when "The Sims" was first released...and I fell in love with it. I had all the expansion packs from the first three installments of the game...most of which I got on sale after the next installment was released. Out of all of them, Sims 3 was definitely my favorite. I liked all the extras you could get from the Sims 3 store and the wide variety of custom content. I actually didn't even get Sims 4 until January 2017 (more than 2 years after it was released) because I was enjoying Sims 3 so much.

Sims 4 has been a bit different than the other three...as they have expansion packs, game packs, and stuff packs. Basically the expansion packs are full of lots of new items as well as new gameplay. They really change the game entirely. Game packs are a sort of smaller expansion pack...some new stuff and just one or two gameplay changes. Then the stuff packs have only items, clothes, etc.

For my birthday, I just got the newest Sims 4 Expansion Pack: Island Living. And I just found out that they'll be releasing University next month...which I've been waiting for ever since I started playing Sims 4. So I'm super excited about that! I don't have the time to play all that often any more, but I enjoy it when I have some free time. I especially like the build aspect and recreating houses. I've remodeled our house a lot in my Sims game. ;) 

But the new Sims 4 Expansion also got me to thinking about the other packs that I'd like to see in the future. So...I've come up with a list! ;)

1. Tiny Homes Game Pack - Being able to build houses out of shipping containers, on wheels, or even in trees. Having the ability to make lofts with ladders without a full-size second-story wall. Being able to capitalize on small spaces with built-ins, pocket doors, and Murphy beds and bunk beds. It could also include new careers in architecture, construction, and/or interior design. There could be a new active career as a real estate agent. They could even include a freelancing career in flipping houses. 
They actually released a Tiny Living stuff pack in January 2020! It doesn't have everything I would've liked...but it's still pretty good. 

2. Midwest Expansion Pack - I live in the Midwest and I think there are enough "rural" things to make a complete Expansion Pack with a brand new world. One of the most obvious ideas would be the addition of farms. They could add tractors and tending crops. They could add livestock...pigs, cows, goats, chickens, even ducks. Horses would also be a nice addition. Farmer could be added as a freelance career. Something like 4-H could be an after-school activity for children and teens. And, of course, it wouldn't be the Midwest without tornadoes. There could be a focus on rebuilding after. They could also add a new career as meteorologist and/or storm chaser. They could add hobbies/skills like crafts, sewing, and/or canning. They could also have something like county fairs where people could buy/sell their goods and compete for ribbons in livestock, crafts, etc.
They released the Cottage Living Expansion Pack in July 2021 that had a more "country" feel to it and includes cows, chickens, alpacas, more gardening, and cross-stitching. 

3. Careers and Hobbies Game Pack - This would be much like the Ambitions Expansion Pack from Sims 3. It'd be nice to add firefighters and mail carriers...they could replace the NPC (non-playable characters). Having a daycare center where Sims could not only work but also drop off toddlers would be nice as well. Perhaps they could bring back the stylist career as well. I think they also need to bring back the sculpting hobby...and maybe include a pottery wheel this time. Scrapbooking would be a fun addition. I'd also like to see them add more after school activities for children and teens: art, debate, cheerleading, sports, school newspaper, etc.
They are releasing a High School expansion pack in July 2022 which includes sports and extracurricular activities for teenagers. 

4. Carnival Stuff Pack - I think this one would be a lot of fun. It could have rides like a carousel, Ferris wheel, and a roller coaster (bonus if the user can design it) then carnival games and face painting. And things like the claw machines where you try to pick up a stuffed animal or whatever...that would be an interesting addition as well.
They are releasing a High School expansion pack in July 2022 which includes a fair in the trailer. 

5. Zoo Game Pack -  I'm not sure that it will ever happen, but a zoo pack would be fantastic. Creating exhibits and even having an active career as a zookeeper would be fantastic.

6. Vehicle Stuff Pack - I'm not sure if Sims 4 will ever make an open world where Sims can actually drive between lots again, but they could still utilize vehicles in the game like it is. Adding garages and of course garage doors. Vehicles that can be repaired and restored would add to skills/hobbies. They could have an auto mechanic career and/or a car salesman career.

7. Get Married Expansion Pack - I think an expansion that focuses on relationships would be nice. More romantic encounters...even something as simple as holding hands and going on a walk would be good. Being able to plan an elaborate proposal and more wedding ring options. Lots of items and new attire for a wedding and utilize wedding planners. DJs and musicians could play at wedding events. Chefs and mixologists could cater weddings. A new career as psychologist could offer marriage counseling. They could introduce churches and preachers. Maybe there could be some honeymoon suites or something.
(They released My Wedding Stories game pack in February 2022). 

So...I guess we'll see what they come up with next!