I have been with Mick Hogan now for 10 years, initially I came to him after my last mechanic who had had been dealing with for the last 5 years told me he didnt know enough about diesel engines and because diesel vehicle at the time was drinking alot of water. I searched through the local directory and came up with Hogan Automotive as specialising in diesel vehicles. As a result my vehicle had to come off the road for 3 weeks as it had blown the head gasket with $3000 worth of damage. I decided then and there to keep with an honest mechanic whom I have used regularly ever since.
Last year I replaced my older HiAce with a 6 month old Hyundai iload and didnt want to go to a hyundai dealer as I had so much trust in Mick Hogan. I rang Mick and said how much do you know about the iload and he said not much to which I replied you'd better learn as I am buying one, he has so far serviced it 3 times with no problems

Why do I rate Mick so highly, when I used to take my vehicle in & I would always walk the 5kms home and walk the 5kms back to pick it up (that was when i was fit) then I had an accident that prevents me from walking long distances, so I take my van in and usually one of the staff brings me home, then when the vehicle is ready they give me a call to say they are on their way to pick me up... absolutely spot on service to which I am entirely grateful.
Also you could eat off the floor, this mechanics work shop is spotless, you cant see any grease, oil, NOTHING, I wish I could tell him he could come round and clean my house, but as he already transports me i wouldnt dare. Highly recommend Mick Hogan Automotive has integrity, is honest, trustworthy & the best mechanic I have had in all my 40 years of driving.

Approximate cost: $various

I have been buying from brandsexclusive since its concept and I'm glad they changed their policy allowing all purchases made on the day to have the one postage where it used to be individual items were charged seperately.
I have found their clothing for adults and kids to be really great as some things I have bought I havent seen elsewhere and I've been complimented on the fact how well it suits. I bought a new set of kitchen pots and pans for a steal, likewise some of the stuff on their sister company livingexclusive to be wonderful

BUT there is always a but isnt there, they dont communicate with the customer if something doesnt arrive which you've paid for. All you get is an email explaining the fact that your bank account has been reimbursed with no reason as to why. They do now give a $10 voucher for any inconvenience.

I am going through a hassle at the moment with them over some alcohol that should have arrived over 2 months ago, I got part of the order but the other half was coming direct from the supplier (which you dont know about until it goes missing) where they had purchased it from. when I contacted customer service the first time they offered a refund, but I said no as it for a neighbour, I waited 3 weeks & heard nothing from them, surely 24 hrs should have been sufficient. I rang again this time i got someone else and she would this follow up with the buyer but said technically it was out of their hands as it was being sent direct... I dont think so! you have my money, I expect the goods... still heard nothing back. I rang the third time this time I accepted the refund and the customer service officer said if it arrives just accept it... stupid really, they also gave me a $10 voucher for my trouble. Then another two weeks later I get an email, still havent heard anything from the buyer, nor the supplier. I will try and follow up again.. heavens this is now well over a month and me as a small business owner, would never expect to let my customers wait with virtually no explanation as to what is going on

My belief is this when brandsexclusive and livingexclusive branched out into NZ their customer service went down the gurgler. Did they not expect things to get busier than they already were. Get too big too quick and something suffers in the interim, but as I said initially their clothing is pretty special and not seen elsewhere.

I would just look carefully at purchasing something that comes directly from the supplier (if you can find out before you purchase & dont in my book purchase rekordlig cider, unless they have a new supplier and it doesnt come direct) Have been very disappointed in what I had deemed a very good online store

Approximate cost: $various

I love graysonline, have bid & won on all sorts of things, jewellery, laptop, blue ray player, the sink & taps for my recent renovation, bedding, manchester & wine. Its a great all round site and if you are looking for something you desperately need ie I needed a sink for my kitchen, I paid $59 for s bowl & a half where its retail is over $600, its the taps one I paid $129 and the other $119 retail $350, delivery depending on where you live and the weight of the item, is reasonable and when you are bidding you have a buyers premium of 15%. Just prior to Christmas I bought a leather recliner valued at $1400 for $299... bargain... have to share this site.. yay!!
On reading some of the reviews in here that seem to be pretty negative, you have to know what you are buying, you need to check elsewhere if you are getting a bargain and if you are not sure 100% then dont buy it. I have had no issues with them, except once when they were on the ball straight away and in the end it was me not understanding how a sat nav works. Read the fine print and you wont pay more than you initially thought. All auctions have a buyers premium, both online & in the real world

Jamie, was the plumber recommended by Jamie Moore, (Briar Hill Cabinets) to do all the plumbing work on my recent renovation.
It wasnt a small job which Jamie is better known for, but the whole house needed to replumbed. He recommended a storage tank which was better suited for a single person but I opted for an instant unit as I thought it had a better resale value if I ever thought of selling. he also had to fit a double oven, part gas, part electricity, plumbing for the sink & laundry units, plus my older front loader, dishwasher, glass canopy exhaust fan & gas hot plates.
You can imagine my delight coming home home from work one night late and a weekend to see the exhaust canopy & hot plates in when I thought it wasnt going to be done for another week. Also he needed to put in new flashing as I didnt know there was a leak in the roof, also pointed out that my old Bosch instantenous system was leaking & showed me how I can tell in the future. For my being not aware of what to look for I really value his information

In a previous review I put once you have found a decent tradesman you want to tell others about it and I now have his number on my phone just in case of an emergency

Approximate cost: $3500

As a patient, CWH is a godsend to people like myself that need medicinal drugs constantly. I have got to know most of the chemists personally and some of the staff. They are courteous & helpful & in saying this I mean, I needed to get some irrigation solution & some topical gel, which they didnt carry but ordered it for me... that is a definite thumbs up when other chemists say they cant. The medicine that I constantly have to take is half the price of other chemists and because i dont have a health card its a godsend as my tablets cost me in some instances over $100 per week
They have an SMS service to remind you of what medicines you have to take, which is really good because when I am busy it does slip my mind.
All the staff say hello, & when I get to pick up my scripts the chemists always address me by name

Approximate cost: $100 plus

I have used appliancesonline a few times, firstly to install a new fridge, the guy that delivered, took away my old appliance, wheeled my new fridge in and turned it on with instructions on how to use it for the first time. I had problems with it and contacted appliancesonline and within 24 hrs there was a technician there to replace the part that caused the chiller to freeze. i knew one day I would use them again.. excellent customer service and FREE delivery

When I knew I was going to start to renovate, i looked once more at their website for the appliances I knew i would need and contacted them, I said I didnt need any of the appliances until May, I rang in January at the end of their NY sale, I ordered double oven, gas hotplates, exhaust glass canopy and dishwasher. they held them in their warehouse until I was ready, I was suitably impressed
When they arrived took away all old appliances including an old gas water heater plus it was all FREE DELIVERY, but the nicest surprise of all the warranty was marked 1st May, not when I initially purchased them in late January
Since that time anybody that has told me they are getting new appliances I have referred them to appliancesonline

Also if anyone is interested they do have the renovation photos on their website under Lynnes renovation

Approximate cost: $3-$4000

I contacted Brett Clark because of word of mouth thru one of the neighbours that had had his floor sanded and polished by Brett, so instead of ringing around getting quotes. I opted for his services. Brett suggested I go away for a few days because of the varnish used and seeing I was having lounge, hallway and bedroom, there was no other place to sleep except the dog kennel.
I came back after 5 days to this awesome job, the icing on the cake after major renovations, highly polished and looking like new, the old floor has I think shellac that had worn considerably. Now really easy to keep clean and constantly looking like a million dollars I am really happy to recommend Brett for a sensational job

Approximate cost: $1800

In late June I picked up 4 honeycomb blinds from blindsonline. 3 were floor to ceiling north facing windows where the sun in summer just streams in making it unbearably hot and a smaller kitchen window that gets equally hot, so needed something that would block the heat.
I started on my research looking for something and contacting a number of companies that could help. I kept coming back to blindsonline mainly because of the cost and also for the number of swatches they sent out. To save on the cost you had to install them yourself
Now we have had one of the hottest summers on record, let me tell you about these blinds, I chose honeycomb because of the aluminium channel that is a complete solar block. If you entered my house you could swear i have aircon which I dont. I have a fan that doesnt get switched on until 7.30pm at night. The house is wonderfully cool and am getting ready to orderanother 4 honeycomb blinds to cool of the south facing windows. If you are looking for blinds of this nature I highly recommend blindsonline and the honeycomb blind which has come into their own. Also I have done my research on blindsonline and can vouch they are the cheapest.

Approximate cost: $2016 for a whole house it is around the $4000 mark for another well known company it was over $7000

Mick Harrington was the electrician that was suggested to me in the renovation of my kitchen/laundry renovation, May 2012 by Jamie Moore.
Outstanding team of professionals that had to put in new points, rewire the whole house, safety switches, put in new light fittings including two fans, where they had to go into the roof by lifting the tiles, because my manhole was missing by a previous renovator of the bathroom and under the floor
There were a 6 double points, you can never have enough, They put in an LED spotlight and put in all the new covers even though I could have done it myself. We had to call Mick back right at the end of the renovation to move the power switches from one side to the other because of a newly constructed door
I also recently had to contact Mick due to a noisy fan and although it wasn't a tradesmen's fault he came to see how he could eradicate it. January 2013

I was so lucky to get excellent trades people where in the past I have had duds. I will keep this tradesman phone number, just in case and would recommend if you are looking for an electrician Mick Harrington

Approximate cost: $5000

Briar Hill Cabinets won my quote, because of their thoroughness to detail.
Jamie Moore called on me nights, with plans & at one time with the plumber, because of the amount of work as this was a major renovation. for kitchen & laundry. I needed 2 walls knocked out, one being a load bearing which needed a beam inserted into the roof. All new cabinetary, tiles, both floor & wall, new kitchen appliances & I waited for the fun to begin.
When it came to choose the colour I was adamant I didnt want cream or white & chose something similiar to my personality. Check Dulux colour Red Passion & you'll know the colour, its more of a rustic red with cream walls and bench

The whole job took just over 3 weeks, and watching everything taking place from ripping out the old kitchen and knocking out walls I start to look at my palace with glee. While one worked in the kitchen the other worked in the laundry. Being a house from the late 60's it had about 5 layers of flooring from vinyl to odd tiles and some awful sticky black stuff that was almost impossible to remove. Trying to keep two dogs away from the construction site with one small frisky Jack Russell putting his feet into the tile cement they were banned from being inside.
My kitchen has gone from drab to fab & I love being able to work in its charm. I have mainly drawers due to a disability and cupboards up the top in a L shape, there is a double wall oven, a pantry directly behind the hot plates which incidently is a bench in the middle of the kitchen area with an exhaust fan with glass canopy. The benches are a buttermilk caesarstone, the walls cream & the wall tiles look like a sandy granite, with floor tiles in an ochre.
The laundry is tiled throughout has a bench with my washing machine underneath & a double cupboard that not houses the brooms but also the freezer.
Jamie would sit on one of my stools just prior to completion and say this is just awesome, it goes without saying the enormous pride he took in even the fiddly details.

If I could upload a photo of my pride & joy I would, I simply love it & would recommend Briar Hill Cabinets in the first instance without any doubt

The renovation was summed up by a realestate agent not long after it was finished this is the best renovation I have seen to date & has now valued the house at over $500,000

Approximate cost: $28,000, without electrical, tiles, plumbing, appliances, & sink