William E

This company did an excellent job in obtaining a passport for me in minimal time. However, they do not make it clear that the cost they advertise is ONLY what you will pay the US Government. They essentially charge you twice the cost of a passport for processing the passport application and submitting it for you: TOTAL COST TO YOUR CREDIT CARD IS $138.95 PLUS $149.00

You can do this yourself through the State Department at Travel.State.Gov. It is not necessary to pay another $138.95.

Recently purchased a new All-in-One PC from HP. I'm giving away the oldest of the 4 I've owned and will keep the youngest Windows 10 Machine which is about 10 years old. I also have two All-in-One printer/scanner/copier machines.

The new All-in-One PC is going back to Costco. Time to try perhaps a Dell.

I really haven't had it long enough to complain about the PC itself. However, the keyboard is absolutely junk, and neither the keyboard nor the mouse work. They've had me jump through every hoop imaginable to keep from having to replace a $20 keyboard and I'm done.

Between the bot named "Sage" which wasted an hour last Saturday only to tell me that it couldn't really do anything other than trouble shoot, nor the two chats for about an hour total, nor the second phone call to India where, try as I might, I could not understand a word that the gent was saying, other than I was the wrong person...enough.

Do yourself a favor. Do not purchase from HP. The customer support is worthless, and the keyboard and mouse they provide with their equipment is manufactured so cheaply that it's pathetic.

UPDATE:

Contacted the sales department by using a bogus purchase ID. Explained the situation. Was assigned a Tech to resolve the problem. He opened up a case file, and after I told him I was done trouble shooting and chatting and speaking to India, he agreed to replace the mouse and keyboard.

That was mid December. He closed the case file, and every week I get another email telling me that the shipment has been delayed--now until February.

If you mistakenly purchase ANYTHING from HP and it doesn't work properly, return it to the retailer and have it replaced. DO NOT RELY ON HP TO RESOLVE A PROBLEM!!!

I decided to begin taking GLP-1 Tirzepatide injections (the compounded version of Zepbound for weight loss, identical to Mounjaro for Type 2 Diabetes). Forbes magazine rates the 10 Best companies, and this company was rated by them a 9.6, and #4 out of a dozen or so.

Hey, Forbes says it's OK, so it's probably good, right?

WRONG!!!

If you have no administrative issues this will likely work ok. Just know in advance that if you call, the phone will ring 4 times and then go to voicemail, and no one will return your call. I've only called 100 times but that has been the case each and every time with no exception. My guess is that there is a single employee doing everything and that leaves no time for listening to voicemail much less returning calls.

I needed to change my billing info. After 48 hours I got an email response, but we apparently are looking at entirely different websites, although I don't know how that's possible. You log on by entering your email, get a magic link VIA your email (no password required) and there's the site.

For nearly three weeks it's been impossible to update billing info.

I dropped my vial of tirzepatide and it broke, leaving me without half of my monthly medication. That was a week ago. I've had no luck getting assistance so I could replace it and couldn't order it because my billing info has changed. YUCK!!!

The lady/gent? who has been sending me emails (Jahallil?) said she'd have IT contact me immediately. That was 10 days ago and no one ever has...so you understand what "immediately" means to this company.

I have no issues yet with the health care because I haven't had the need to contact the physician other than exchanging emails to state that I'm OK--I've had no side effects other than feeling a very mild and persistent nausea for several days after the injection--so I can't really say anything negative about the health care side of the house.

Just know in advance that there is no possible means of communicating with ANYONE for ANY administrative or IT issues. You will be totally on your own once they begin billing you. I've easily called their phone number 100 times: 833 496-4020. It rings exactly 4 times and goes to Voice Mail, and no one has ever returned a call. NEVER.

As for the meds...they've shown up twice as advertised, and I'm losing weight. But I would not begin this program with Sprout again, and if I have any other issues I'll be going elsewhere.

We decided to purchase a combination washer/dryer to make more space in the laundry room. I subscribe to Consumer Reports, and naturally thought that would be a good place to begin the journey. The SAMSUNG unit received the best review by them, and a link took me to their website.

On the SAMSUNG website, they offered a promotion to purchase the pedestal along with the unit for a $150 discount. They offered an open box discount as well as a 5-year extended warranty for an additional $99. We declined the $29 fee to set it up as there was so little required to do so.

I spent about twenty minutes trying to purchase these items on the website, and invariably I could never purchase all of them at the same time.

Finally, I began what became a one hour chat with a gent in India. He was pleasant, knowledgeable and definitely didn't want to lose the sale. However, he agreed there was a technical glitch that would not allow the pedestal to be purchased with the unit, apparently because they would not have the same delivery date, and the site would not allow it. He instructed me to purchase these units separately, and he would get the $150 returned to my American Express account. He opened up a case file explaining that a management team would have to actually returned the funds.

Perhaps two days later I returned to the website only to find that the 5 year extended warranty had been reduced to $29. Further, at one point I'd been charged for the $29 installation fee I'd declined. I called, got another gent in India, who opened yet another case file promising to have someone look into this for me.

To date I've had two $30 refunds to my American Express account, a far cry from the $150 promotional discount, not to mention the $70 that virtually any retailer would have refunded due to the decrease in the cost of the extended warranty immediately after my purchase.

AVOID THE SAMSUNG WEBSITE. Stick with a retailer who understands customer service and who is not using a Beta website to sell product.

BTW, while we like the unit so far (we got the 5.3 cubic foot heat pump combo VENTED washer/dryer), the unit was delivered with an owners manual for a washer and an owners manual for a dryer. It was delivered a day early, so we couldn't install it, and the crew who dropped it off just left it in the foyer in its original packaging. For the first day we actually thought the wrong unit had been delivered because when opening the door of the unit the embossed lettering on the door seal says WASHER. Given the total chaos involved, including several hours on the phone with another hour and a half “chat” SAMSUNG is not ready to be a retailer.

FYI: CASE FILE #302819128 and CASE FILE#302820209 don't seem to mean a thing

I ordered and paid for a product with their online service based on the Trustpilot reviews. Everything seemed wonderful when I set up the account and ordered the product, which was to be delivered in about a week.

The product never arrived, and searching back through my wife's email I found that a day after the order had been confirmed it had been canceled. I called, and listened to the usual horrible music and after several minutes was told to leave my phone number for a callback.

Perhaps 10 minutes later I received a call from a polite lady. After another 5 minutes she said she could not understand why the order had been canceled but would happily take my order over the phone.

I declined. As companies continue to develop automated logistics systems it's too easy to shrug off the lack of commitment to service. Amazon isn't perfect but when things get screwed up they don't throw a "my bad" at you and expect you to just get over it.

This kayak adventure was a Christmas gift, and I must say we enjoyed it immensely. My wife had never kayaked before, while I had once kayaked several miles of the Marne River in France.

Blackwater Creek gets its name from the color of the water, which looks very much like freshly brewed tea. The creek source is Lake Norris, which is spring fed. However, the abundance of Cypress trees and plant life that comprises the swamp which, where navigable is called Blackwater Creek, gives the creek its name due to the tanin content of the water.

We put the kayaks in the water near the entrance to a county park near Eustis, Florida, and began paddling against a very slight current as we headed upstream toward Lake Norris. It was fairly effortless but, novices that we are we had to learn to work together to steer as we worked our way toward the lake against perhaps a 1 mile per hour current. At 9:00 AM it was still cool so we didn't see any gators on the way to the lake. Once we exited the swamp (Blackwater Creek is really just a channel through a swamp that is perhaps 10 feet wide, with trees and plants all around) and made our way into Lake Norris, we were immediately drenched in sunshine, a balmy breeze and unlimited vistas of Cypress Trees lining the shores of the lake. We explored the shoreline near the creek mouth and after about a half hour headed back to the creek.

It's surprising what a difference paddling downstream is compared to paddling against the current. Because so little paddling is required except to steer, it is incredibly quiet. The temperature had warmed considerably as the sun climbed higher in the sky, and as a result we saw several alligators, a few turtles and far more bird activity than on our way upstream.

Our Tour Guide, Astrid, was a pro. Having abandoned advanced degrees as a software engineer, her motivation is to share the importance of habitat and wildlife preservation as she encourages her kayakers to enjoy the amazing natural beauty of Florida.

This is an excellent and very safe adventure, and Blackwater Creek is quite beautiful. I highly recommend it to people of all ages. We plan to kayak on the Wekiva River to see the manatees next.

Fellow airline employees, we booked a cruise at an Interline rate via Vacations to Go on Holland America. It was an opportunity to spend time with a close friend who has dementia, so the point of the cruise wasn't about the destination but the time together. It happened to be an inside passage cruise out of SEA to Alaska r/t. Both couples paid in full for the cruise June 7, and booked airfare and hotels. We even bought cruise insurance. The cruise would depart SEA on July 30.

On July 27 Holland America canceled our cruise with no explanation. After many phone calls (my daughter knows the wife of a HA Captain) we think they had overbooked but we aren't certain. They offered our money back or a cruise at a later date none of us could take due to scheduling conflicts.

We were finally able to get last minute cabins on another cruise line out of Vancouver, Canada but at a much higher price for basic rooms instead of the suites we'd reserved with Holland America. We each lost serious money due to multiple reasons: Non refundable airline reservations, having to pay last-minute hotel rates in Canada, having to drive to Vancouver from Eugene Oregon due to the cost of trying to book another flight at such a late date (after already losing $1000 due to losing the first non-refundable flight), having to pay for parking while on the cruise etc. My wife and I had used points to fly; it cost us an EXTRA 100,000 points APIECE (normally enough for 4 r/t flights) PLUS $50 APIECE to reserve seats VCR to SEA at such a late date, in order to preserve our return flights to Orlando. Our cruise insurance has covered none of this expense as of now…still investigating but not holding my breath.

Holland America doesn't care. They don't care that they ruined what should have been a wonderful, effortless experience, cost us thousands of dollars to try to preserve an opportunity to share a friendship that will soon be lost to such a terrible disease, or imposed so much stress upon us that it was difficult to enjoy the time together on the other cruise line. To Holland America, it just meant that they were able to fill every cabin at the maximum price that they could extort from the traveling public. Unlike the airlines, there is no cost to them for overbooking. They just give you your money back or put you on any random cruise where they have cabins that aren't already sold.

I asked the Travel Agent if she had ever heard of a cruise line doing this. She had not. I asked another Travel Agent (the one who booked the cruise for us out of Vancouver) if he had ever heard of a cruise line doing this. He had not.

I've reached out to Holland America via the Travel Agent who booked this Holland America cruise. She has had no meaningful response from Holland America.

So, Interline Cruisers, beware: Holland America cancels cruises after you've paid in full. I have no way of knowing for certain but I imagine that the first suites and cabins to get canceled are those sold at discounted rates such as Interline rates. Remember, we're not in a typical airline oversold situation where we're trying to get this flight out on time, and we offer serious money to anyone to voluntarily give up a reservation for a later flight. This was done days in advance, so logically they bumped those who had purchased the cruise at a discount.

Regardless of how much money you lose due to such a major inconvenience, regardless of how badly they injure you financially or emotionally, they will apparently only refund your money or give you the opportunity to cruise at a later date.

So BEWARE...Holland America has given a new meaning to Dutch Treat!!!

We bought these OTC hearing devices for my mother in law because of the fact that we'd been unimpressed after spending $6000 with a full service hearing aid company whose hearing aids were not that effective. We had their audiologist do a hearing test and give us a copy, then sent it to Audicus.

We wanted devices that would bluetooth to her iPhone. This is not only good for her but good for us--we don't have to hear her yelling on speakerphone, nor do other diners in a restaurant for example. We had planned to get the optional transmitter for use with the TV but did not because the third party app that is used on the phone is from yet another hearing aid company and must be reset for volume each time the devices disconnect from the phone...at least once per day, and often several times a day. She's not tech savvy, and cannot synch them herself. Spending more money on the extra transmitter didn't seem to be a good idea afterall.

They sold us on a lease agreement which, though more expensive than buying the devices outright, allowed us to upgrade them after 18 months or to send them back and terminate the agreement.

20 months later, they want us to take her to an audiologist before they will allow us to upgrade the devices. They even encouraged us to take her to Sam's Club or Costco for a "free test". Not impressed.

I was very specific with the questions I asked before we entered into this agreement. We've paid like clockwork each month, and these are not cheap to lease. Now suddenly there are strings attached.

Be careful when you lease from these people. This is not what we were promised, and while we haven't decided yet to terminate the agreement, I'm not sure I want to proceed out of principal.

Vitas Healthcare
Orlando, Florida


I've been contemplating this letter since Roy, my late Father-in-Law passed on September 15, 2021. As you can see it's taken me some time to complete; even now I doubt you will appreciate the perspective of our family.

You are running a business, and some of the things you do are timely and effective; however, given that this was before the Pandemic became widespread, your company may not even be the same organization it was at that time, and has likely only gotten worse. My chief complaint is that you employ far too many individuals who are inadequately trained and are easily intimidated by the attending physician. Such was the case with my Father-in-Law's hospice care.

I made the decision to initiate hospice when, after managing his healthcare for five years, Roy developed Weeping Lymphedema as a result of his Congestive Heart Failure and Chronic Kidney Disease. I knew his kidneys were failing.

When your case worker arrived to initiate this service Roy was having a great day, sitting on a love seat next to his wife and daughter, eating a Wendy's sandwich and chattering like a jaybird. Unfortunately, this did not reflect the extremely difficult night before when he'd been in excruciating pain and kept everyone awake all night. The takeaway: The morphine dosage you subsequently prescribed was the absolute minimum.

That night he was again in excruciating pain. Calls for assistance yielded nothing, and when someone finally arrived the next morning she was a novice who was intimidated by the doctor. This would continue to be the case until I had you move him from his upstairs condo, with great difficulty, to your facility in Winter Garden to titrate his morphine dosage. He was heavily sedated but I knew I did not want him to die in that terrible place. I spoke at length with his nurse and gave her my cell phone number. Just as I was preparing to go there the following morning she called and advised me that he was running out of time. I am eternally grateful for her attentiveness.

Your protocols would not allow the movement of your hospital bed in his condo to my house in the time I feared Roy had remaining so I enlisted the help of a friend and moved it myself. Roy arrived at my house in the early afternoon of September 14th and died shortly after midnight September 15, 2021.

Suzette, the lady who attended him in our home for the last dozen hours of his life was absolutely the very best possible representative for you company. From St Lucia as I recall, she was lovely, caring and professional, and in all honesty could not have done anything better. Had those who came to his condo been this well trained your company would be superlative. Unfortunately, she and the nurse at your clinic were the only two healthcare workers who met my expectations.

This is as trying an experience as most people face in their lives unless they see combat in the military or are first responders. It will always be difficult for hospice workers to satisfy families about to lose their loved ones. You must do better or, in the age of social media, suffer along with us.


W J E

We purchased these excellent products when we remodeled our bathroom over ten years ago. They are high quality and have provided great service. However, they came with a lifetime warranty which the company no longer honors.

I would have recommended them without question until today, when they refused to honor this warranty.

So far not impressed. Haven't slept on the mattress yet but have spent the last two weeks trying to get it delivered. Saatva uses third party contractors to deliver that "white glove" service. I was told it would arrive in 9-21 days, and set aside many days to accept delivery within that time frame, as well as several others after it, just in case. It was over a month before I was contacted and informed that it would actually be delivered.

The company charged to deliver mine was Massiano Logistic and they suck. They deliver it when it suits them, and if you aren't available when it suits them then good luck. No matter how often you convey to Saatva and this contractor your availability, they attempt to deliver it on the day that suits them.

I live in Orlando, Florida. They tried to set up delivery for it while I was in a rental car line in Reno on a day I told them I wouldn't be available. They tried to set up delivery while I was riding a train in Yosemite on a day I told them I wouldn't be available. Later that same day they tried to set up delivery on a day I'd already told them I wouldn't be available while I was hiking to Vernal Falls in Yosemite. A half dozen other times this continued. The people at Saatva say all the right things, but this abysmal process continued. I saved a little money by purchasing the bases separately, and ordering this Split King Solaire on line, but I'm not sure I'd do this again. And trust me, if this doesn't knock my socks off it's going back. I'm into this mattress for $4500 and I've gotten better delivery service on one I purchased locally for $499.

So here I am, writing this review, and the latest chapter is it is finally delivered--the delivery window was 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM, and they finally arrived at 6:40 PM. They carried the mattress upstairs but they would only haul away the old mattress, not the two twin box springs that had supported it. Further, they tried to get me to sign an electronic form that stated I had thoroughly reviewed the product and found it to be undamaged. One side of this is still inflating, and I was told to wait until the first side finished and then inflate the other side. How can I tell if there is damage if it hasn't completely inflated? Of course the "white glove" install crew can't wait around to confirm the integrity of the system.

While their product is good, this company offers one week, two week and one month licensing agreements. What you may not realize is that if you don't cancel the agreement (which you may not know you've agreed to), they begin billing your account for $39.95 monthly usage. If you dispute the charge with PayPal or your credit card they will no longer communicate with you, nor honor their unconditional 30- day money back cancellation policy.

Additionally, they retain a copy of whatever document you've modified using their software. You do not want to use this software to convert a pdf with proprietary or personal information such as SSN, credit card numbers, addresses and phone numbers unless you're ok with that being accessible by an employee of this company.

I ordered a panel-ready dishwasher from appliancesconnection.com. Due to all of the crazy stuff going on in the country and economy there was little to choose from at the big box stores. The unit was ordered 12/15/21 and was to be delivered by 12/27/21. If finally arrived 1/7/22 and included free installation, with "white glove concierge service."

Unfortunately, the old unit was directly wired to the electrical cable (romex) coming out of the wall below the counter top, and the "installer" was not authorized to install it that way. Instead, he required the installation of a plug (duplex outlet) and could not wait while I installed the plug myself (I had the materials in the garage).

I installed the dishwasher myself, but the installer thought I was entitled to a refund.

I called Appliances Connection and was politely told by a nice lady that there would be no refund, but she would credit me half of the $29.99 I had paid to have the old unit hauled away.

I declined that offer but was subsequently contacted by Santiago who was not only very sorry for the mix up but promised to provide advance notice for future purchasers (there must be an outlet already installed for this concierge service) and refunded the cost of the installation and provided me with a 3 year parts and labor warranty.

I will definitely continue to do business with Appliances Connection!!!

Ordered 7 tops ( Nov 28 and received them in Jan,) but only kept 2. Quality of the material is poor. Don't waste your $$ on this site. Trying to send them back now. Website not easy for returns and you pay to send them back!!!

Had used this site many times before with few issues. Just booked a room at the Red Lion in Billings, MT, which Priceline advertised as a 3 Star Hotel.
No elevator, filthy carpet, stained bedspread, toilet seat cover came off when it closed, popcorn ceiling was stained, sagging and cracked, security doors to the outside freely opened without keys, semi idlling in the parking lot behind my room--I could go on and on, and would post pictures if possible. Just as bad, I tried contacting Priceline, and their first number was inop, and the toll free number dropped the call multiple times. Attempting to chat with "Sergio" was a total waste of time. He basically stated that it was my responsibility to confirm the quality of the property by verifying it on competitor's sites. To add insult to this injury, we found the property listed for $69 (we paid $84 plus tax) elsewhere. I'm an airline pilot, and have spent 40 years on layovers at hotels. Does this sound like a Three Star Hotel to you??? I can promise you that it doesn't come close to deserving that rating, much less Two Stars.

Use Trip Advisor or Expedia. You can actually get someone to stand behind what they market at these sites!!!