Reviews by seccombe

This review is for Siobhan Patrick, Summer Hill NSW

verified email - 19 May 2011

Siobhan is passionate about music, very experienced and very well educated and a fantastic teacher. She's got a great manner, is very easygoing and explains things really well. I thoroughly enjoyed my first lesson and can't wait for my second.

Approximate cost: $35

This review is for No Gaps Dental Artarmon, Artarmon NSW

verified email - 20 Apr 2010

I went there this afternoon to have a filling which fell out replaced and a tooth-cleaning, having missed my last checkup appointment with my regular dentist (not these guys). I didn't have to wait long either for the appointment (only 2 days) nor for the dentist (about 15 minutes after my booked time), the premises seemed clean and modern, but that's where it started to go wrong. The entire staff appear to be Asian with English as a 2nd language. Not a big deal on it's own, but read on ... The dentist could not manage to numb my tooth despite trying 4-5 times. This was painful to say the least. Then he said I had 4 more fillings which needed attending to which surprised me as usually I don't have any and it had only been a year since my last checkup. He tried to tip me out without doing the cleaning and when I asked if the cleaning I'd booked couldn't all be done on the same day rather than come back, he agreed, I got back in the chair and he proceeded to instead drill and fill my 4 'cavities'. Again, he couldn't seem to numb my bottom teeth, though he did successfully numb the top ones. I've never had so many injections at the dentist and never by someone as rough! The tooth cleaning was surprisingly painful, which I don't remember any other cleaning being and afterwards he applied sodium flouride which I had not asked for and didn't really want. When I went to swipe my MBF card, the receptionist entered a tonne of item numbers, exceeding my limit, 3 of which I did NOT ask for, then proceeded to badger me for the extra money in front of other patients, which I refused as I had been told there would be no charge beyond what my health fund would pay. They got $350 from my health fund for half an hour's work which I don't think is too shabby. When I got back to the car I realised that my mouth was really quite sore (which again is unusual for me) so I had a look in the mirror and there is a line of raw flesh all the way along the inside of my bottom teeth (the only ones I could see in the car rearview mirror) I presume from too vigorous a cleaning and worst of all, the fillings appear lumpy and do not cleanly connect with the tooth! I can see areas of dark at the join which I am concerned is decay that should have been cleaned out prior to the filling going in. In trying to save a few dollars by going to a 'no gap' dentist, I now have to go and see a dentist I trust to check that this work is sound (which I suspect it is not) and I am wondering if it is some sort of scam - charge for more item numbers than are requested in order to turn more of a profit. Another suspicious thing, was they refused to give me a receipt for what my health fund paid. All up, the dentist I saw (John Fung) was very rough and probably not very good, though I'm not qualified to judge. I have never had a filling protrude in such a manner nor with such a gap between it and the tooth which concerns me though. My jaw feels bruised now with some teeth feeling very painful. If you do need to go to a no-gap place - I strongly recommend going in for just a clean first, to see how they are. I have a feeling that I've made a really bad decision just trying to save some money here.

Approximate cost: $900

This review is for Exetel, Sydney NSW

verified email - 26 Mar 2010

We have had naked ADSL2+ and VOIP for 18 months. Unfortunately the teething problems never went away due to line quality issues and Exetel was unable to rectify them. In the end they terminated our service rather than try and provide us with a working service and have been very difficult to communicate with. They have moved most of their customer service to Sri Lanka now and in my experience, the Sri Lankans have been very poorly informed and generally rude. If you can manage to speak to an Australian, you will probably have a better result, but it's not easy. Sadly, I no longer recommend Exetel, their standards have slipped atrociously and they do not value their customers at all.

Approximate cost: $50

This review is for Bar Humbug, Toormina NSW

verified email - 17 May 2009

A pleasant cafe, convenient to stop by after grocery shopping. Their coffee is excellent - all organic and the decaf is swiss water decaffeinated, organic coffee and very well made and reasonably priced. Food was delicious as voted by myself and my two friends.

Approximate cost: $10

This review is for Bygone Beauties, Leura NSW

verified email - 17 May 2009

A beautiful morning tea although we were at times drowning in Asian tourists. The collection of antique teapots is astounding. It was a real pleasure to spend quite a few hours in the warm looking at the pretty things of days gone by.

This review is for Secrets Hideaway, Blackheath NSW

verified email - 17 May 2009

We stayed with Jennifer & Andre for a weekend with my partner's parents over a year ago. The premises were cosy, the woodfire in each room was very welcome as was the freshly baked bread in the morning along with an assortment of eggs from the chickens and ducks on the property. Overall a very enjoyable stay, although there was mould in the bathroom of our room and there are definitely comparable properties which are much cheaper. But the gardens and ambience are beautiful and we will no doubt return again at some stage.

Approximate cost: $400

This review is for More Than Just Curry, St Ives NSW

verified email - 05 May 2009

I've been buying take away Indian food from this shop for several years. They use good quality ingredients and the food always tastes fresh and delicious. The staff are friendly (and permanent) and the food is delicious. It's not the cheapest around, but it is in my opinion one of the better places to go.

Approximate cost: $16

This review is for Ozecostore, Frenchs Forest NSW

verified email - 05 May 2009

I've been buying bits and pieces (himalayan mineral salt, cinnamon scrub, kombucha, apple cider vinegar etc) from Paul for a few months. He is very passionate about health and also helping those less fortunate. A percentage of the profits from his enterprise goes towards helping people in Ecuador improve their standard of living.

This review is for The Cheapskates Club, Ringwood VIC

verified email - 05 May 2009

I subscribed to the free newsletter which comes roughly every week with lots of tips to save money, do things the natural way (make your own detergent etc), recipes and a help section where you can answer and have questions answered for you. It's a great resource. I've yet to pay for the full version, but may do so in the future.

This review is for Frenchs Forest Organic Markets, Frenchs Forest NSW

verified email - 05 May 2009

We buy most of our fruit, vegetables, bread, meat and dairy from the markets each Sunday. There's a great variety of stuff - chopping boards, hemp clothing, rides for kids, skin care - all sorts of things in addition to the usual food and grocery items. It's so much better to buy your food from people who grow it in the open air and the sunshine, having a chat as you go around - beats Woolies or Coles hands down.