We have had problems with our air conditioner & Mark has been very professional & friendly. Nothing was a problem & he has kept in touch with us while sourcing parts. I am pleased to recommend this business to anyone.

Although the above review was an initial summary of my experience of this business, in the meantime, another problem has surface & hasn't been solved. Communication has to be prompted & I am left not knowing if the issues will be solved. At one stage our issues was completely forgotten about. I hope it is solved pronto. I will leave an ongoing update as time goes by.

Approximate cost: $400

This Gloria Jeans Cafe is my favorite. The manager is very friendly & the staff are great. Very good atmosphere here & always clean & tidy. My regular cafe.

Approximate cost: $20

Sale items eg. sheet sets etc., different sizes thrown in together so time is wasted sorting through just to find they don't have the size you are after. No staff available to assist. They are either serving at the checkouts or other counters & not enough people on the shop floor. I wanted sewing machine bobbins & there were any available. I was overcharged $9 for fabric as the cashier scanned a more expensive fabric nearby. When I realised & asked for a refund, she wanted to serve another customer while serving me as if I wasn't important. Then she made errors with the refund & it took longer than normal for my refund. No apology was offered for her mistake. Very poor customer service. I hope when I return again that I will be treated as a valued customer. Accuracy is very important & an apology is even more important. Service with a smile will encourage customers to return also. It was like I was a nuisance. I am disappointed with their customer service. I hope they can change to make customer's shopping experience more enjoyable. Just a tip: Bunnings staff do acknowledge their customers with a smile or friendly greeting.

Approximate cost: $100

McDonalds at Bakery Hill has a great restaurant like no other McDonalds. Great friendly service inside the restaurant & in the drive through. The only thing I can say about the drive through is most times we don't get serviettes but otherwise... the best McDonald's Restaurant I have been to.

Update since:
I love this McDonalds because of it's amazing decor & how it's set out. Very modern while still keeping in with the Ballarat historical architecture. However, I would have to saying most of my drive-thru experiences has huge room for improvement. The staff are always friendly but most times our meals don't have serviettes & the burgers or wraps are just thrown together with all the contents falling out of the boxes; it would seem that the kitchen staff might need re-training on how to construct a burger or wrap & then how to pack it correctly so it doesn't fall out & make a mess in the bag. Quite a few times I have gone back to get replacements because of careless kitchen staff. I hope the management crew read this & help to improve food preparation to a standard that doesn't disappoint customers. Otherwise, this is my favorite McDonalds. Practice your "A" game folks & you will be one of the best Maccas in Victoria.

Approximate cost: $20-

I would recommend everyone using eBay to purchase/sell used/new products. Although I have had a couple rude sellers that I've had to deal with, my experience with eBay has been awesome. Ebay has saved me mega $$$. Ebay customer help is extremely professional & prompt in helping solve any issue you may have. Thank you eBay.

Approximate cost: $$$$$$

Being new to town, we didn't know which Fish & Chip Shop to try so we gave J J J Fish & Chippery On Victoria a go. The first order we have was very under-cooked with a taste of raw batter & the second order was very much over-cooked. Our third order will be with another shop.

Approximate cost: $20

I am new to Ballarat & need my haircut. I read the reviews & thought I would give Vanilah Hair Salon a try. I told the lady on the phone that I was new to town so she told me where the street the salon was on. I had parked at the wrong end of Camp Street. Upon entering the salon, I told the lady at behind the counter who I was. She asked me to take a seat first. She didn't introduce herself. We discussed what would be done with my hair. She washed me hair then I received a short complimentary head massage which was nice & then she started my haircut. Still no name. I read online that the salon was open to 8pm but was told it would be closing at 7pm because of lack of clients at a busy time of the year. I thought it was odd that there were only 2 customers on their salon. I believe the way to know if a business is good is to see how many customers they have. In all the salon I have been in, I am always asked it I would like coffee/tea & it seems like a standard thing these days. I had to ask for a coffee. And then I was charge almost $70 (which I knew about ahead of time) & felt there was no special treatment with me. No coffee/tea offered & no introduction. I also have a problem with significant hairloss & asked for advice. She gave me a minute sample of product that they sell without showing it to me or telling me prices so nothing was solved. I didn't feel important in this salon & the haircut was ok but nothing special. I only had a re-style. Maybe because I only paid $67 dollars, I was just an ordinary client. I will not return. Maybe one of the other salons in Ballarat will know how to treat their clients. Also my details are usually taken down so when I come back next time, they will know what I had. Very outdated for such a nice looking salon.

Approximate cost: $67

It was the 12th December & mid afternoon at the Telstra Shop. We waited for 25 minutes to be served. They could have put on more staff for the silly season. Anyway, we were there to upgrade our mobile broadband plan & the service we received from the young staff member was very good & he didn't take long & we were on our way. However, cigarette smoke in his clothing was very offensive & his finger nails were extremely dirty. Maybe it's time for a personal hygiene reminder for ALL Telstra team members. You need to look your best when dealing with the public. Otherwise we were very happy with the service we received, other than the extra waiting time.

Approximate cost: $175 pcm

The staff are very friendly, helpful & patient at this store. I had to go back the next day after my eye sight test to pay & confirm my order. The card with all my details & the choices of eyewear that the staff member had taken the time to do, was missing from their filing system. I was just as well I was given my eyewear choices & cost to take home because they have floor to ceiling eyewear & I wouldn't have remembered which pairs (2) I selected. While they madly looked for my card, 45 minutes later & 4 people had come & gone in the next service area, I nearly walked out & went somewhere else. Filing customers cards under the correct letter of the alphabet isn't rocket science & the staff member wasn't trained well to deal with the specifications regarding the focal point determination & required constant assistance. At one stage, she was left unassisted so I just hope my order has been completed correctly & that this was just an isolated incident. Generally they are very professional but no this time. Room for improvement & better filing skills required to ensure customer's details don't get misplaced. Efficiency & competency is the key to all businesses running smoothly.

Approximate cost: $500

Sometimes we have to wait for our food to be cooked in the waiting bay & haven't had to wait long like others have had too, so that's good. But several times our drive-thru orders have been wrong & we find out when we are already at home. The hamburgers aren't made with care & sometimes have fallen out of their boxes & come apart in the carry bag. We always have to remind them to put straws & serviettes in the carry bag & even then they can't get that right. Some of the staff don't smile & look as if they hate their job & are so disinterested. And it would be nice, considering I keep McDonalds, Melton in business, that they always farewell me with a smile & a friendly "enjoy your evening"... sometimes they seem more interested in socialising with fellow team members than providing excellent customer service & getting the orders correct. The Owner/Manager needs to teach their staff the importance of getting the orders correct, the presentation of the food & the importance of providing excellent customer service. Also the car park looks like a rubbish tip with adequate rubbish bins provided & more McDonalds rubbish on the ground than in the bins. Just a occasional surveillance of the car park by a senior staff member with ensure that anyone litter & anyone dumping litter, can be reported to the EPA & fined. Have signage stating that fact & watch how clean the car park becomes. You need to lift your game to "A" game standards.

Approximate cost: $20