Reviews by selenamc

This review is for Df Johnson Real Estate, Carlingford NSW

verified email - 02 Jan 2014

This would have to be the worst real estate agents I have ever dealt with and Ive had some shocking ones in the past.

In June 2013 our family found a great house in Carlingford to rent. We were approved and we moved in. We only had a few days of freedom in the house before someone from the agency called my husband up to inform him that the owner was selling the property. The guy that called claimed he didn't realise we had just moved in. (so either he was lying or they really don't care at all as if they had taken the time to look at the file they would have realised this and been more sensitive when they called).

We got a letter about a week after that phone call confirming that they are under orders to sell and that we may have people coming through the house to look at it.

Weeks went by and we had not heard anything and no-one had come to see the house other than our neighbour (just curious) who was renting next door. They finally let us know the house had been sold. As nobody had come to look at the place we stupidly assumed that it must have been sold to an investor. It was then several more weeks before we got a knock on the door by our neighbour to let us know that they had in fact purchased to house and that we had until our lease runs out to find a new place (our lease was only 6 months and ended on 20th december).

We had not received any correspondence from the real estate, however our neighbours (the new owners) had told us they were not going to have DF Johnson manage the property as they were not happy with them funnily enough. It took me several calls/emails before they finally sent a letter confirming they would no longer be the managing agent.

The previous owner had stored their piano at the property so they got in contact with us to pick it up. When this happened we got confirmation that they had already told DF Johnson to sell the property a few weeks before we moved in so they were actually lying to us about it being a snap decision by the owner as we suspected but had no evidence.
I then decided to take the matter to the tribunal to get some compensation as moving is a huge cost and they flat out lied to us. The day before the tribunal they called us to try and make an offer outside the tribunal, we declined as it was less than what we asked for. On the day they called me again to offer what we asked however I said I wanted to go to the tribunal anyway as I didn't trust them at all to give the money.

We got $1000 compensation which doesn't exactly cover moving costs but it's better than nothing.

Weeks later when it came closer to us moving AGAIN. I wondered what happened to our bond, of course it hadn't been transferred so yet again they didn't do the right thing and I had to chase that up.

During this whole time not one of them actually said sorry or acknowledged the stress they put my family under having to move twice in 6 months, they are heartless and unprofessional. I honestly have no idea how they manage to stay in business!

AVOID ever having anything to do with this agency as they will mess you around in some way, they did it to the previous owners, the tenants (us and previous) and the new owners.
Worst Real Estate ever!

Approximate cost: $EXPENSIVE

This review is for A Taste Of Tuscany, Carlingford NSW

verified email - 20 Oct 2013

I ate here years ago (several times) and it was brilliant. The food was amazing, service was great and the menu is really good.
Recently I ordered home delivery. The service was fast and the food arrived hot and tasted amazing. We ordered pasta and garlic foccacia, both were really yummy! You can tell it's been made fresh and the flavours were great!
It is a little on the expensive side but for a special treat it is well worth it.

Approximate cost: $25

This review is for Carlingford Medical Clinic, Carlingford NSW

verified email - 04 Oct 2013

Went to see a doctor as I had been off sick and needed a medical certificate, they got me in that afternoon. When I went in I didn't have to wait long and they doctor was great. They listened to me ands I felt like I had my needs met.
They bulk bill which is great and are opened 7 days per week.
The doctor I saw also does botox for migraines and discussed that with me.
Call ahead to make an appointment as I walked in thinking I'd get straight in/wait for first available but they don't work that way, they make appointments which is actually better and hardly any waiting time. Also it's easy to park and free parking available.

Approximate cost: $Bulk Billed

This review is for Doorstep Organics, Marrickville NSW

verified email - 04 Aug 2013

Have been using these guys for several months now. I used to order the mixed boxes which I loves and you get an extra 5% in your box if you have no preferences. I now order individual vegies as I have food intolerances. The quality of the food is amazing, so fresh and great tasting. I also order meat including preservative free sausages and nitrate free bacon which is great for me as I can't tolerate any preservatives. Ive also ordered cheese and other non perishable items. Great selection of food and so easy as it gets delivered to your front door. They also send reminder texts which is good if you have forgotten to out an order in to ensure you don't miss out.

Approximate cost: $Boxes from $35-$100 depending on your needs.

This review is for Carlingford Court Medical Centre, Carlingford NSW

verified email - 03 Aug 2013

I generally don't like medical centres but some are better than others. This one however Ive been to twice in the last month for my son as he was sick. They didn't even really listen to me the first time and my son took a major disliking to the doctor which is unusual for him, Ive never seen him react that way before. They barely checked over him and didn't really give me any advice just told me to get some nasal spray but didn't tell me what it was called or write it down for me or anything helpful like that. Had to go back at the end of the week to get clearance for my son to go back to childcare. The doctor we saw the second time was better but still not great, he at least did more checks but I had to ask for everything, the letter for my son and the letter for myself to get carers leave. The letter was pretty bad, didn't even say that he had been sick or that he had been examined, just that he was fit to return to childcare. I only went back the second time as I had already seen a doctor there so needed the certificate which I would not have been able to get at a new doctor as they hadn't seen us.
They do bulk bill though and they are open both Saturday and Sunday so may come in handy in the future if urgent, but will definately be looking for a new doctor. (just moved to the area)

Approximate cost: $Bulk Billed

This review is for Envy Cafe & Gallery, Summer Hill NSW

verified email - 03 Aug 2013

Great cafe with a great atmosphere inside or outside. Ive been here a few times over the last few years with friends and mum's and bubs. The menu is really good, lots of healthy food and tasty cakes. Ive mainly had coffee and the coffee is really good. The staff are really friendly and the service is pretty good. The last time I went I only ordered coffee and my friend ordered a drink. Once we had finished we chatted for ages and they didn't mind at all. (not like some cafes where you feel you have to move on as they clear your table and start cleaning up all around you). Very welcoming and in a great location with plenty of parking in the carpark.

Approximate cost: $15-$20

This review is for Tropic Oasis, Korora NSW

verified email - 03 Aug 2013

Stayed here last year in November for a family wedding. The villa's are lovely and all set in beautiful private locations throughout the area. My family all stayed there in 3 different Villa's and they were all lovely and unique in their own way.
We stayed in a 2 bedroom Villa which had it's own kitchenette and balcony. The BBQ area and pool's are great, we all had dinner in the BBQ area one night, good large area and nice vibe.
The staff are so helpful and friendly, just go and ask them if you need something and they will help you out. Great with kids also, when we went our son just turned 3 and they were great with him.
The Villa was great, lots of room and comfortable. I would definitely stay here again if in the area.

Approximate cost: $110-$150 per night with cheap weekly rates.

This review is for Big 4 Holiday Park, Gerroa NSW

verified email - 03 Aug 2013

Stayed here about 3 years ago when my son was only 3 months old. Stayed in one of the waterfront spa cabins and it was fantastic! Great sized cabin, deck and BBQ, was a great as we were staying with family in other cabins and camping and in the afternoons/evenings we could all hang out in our cabin as it was large enough. Air conditioning was fantastic. Great location, close to the beach. We didn't use the pool as it was too crowded, but we had a spa in our cabin anyway and the beach was close by to swim in.
Not too far from Sydney, lots of nice beaches to visit. Cabins were lovely, clean and different options to suit different budgets.

Approximate cost: $130-$180 per night for cabins

This review is for Hotel Grand Chancellor Adelaide On Hindley, Adelaide SA

verified email - 02 Aug 2013

Stayed at the hotel during a conference from a Tuesday night until saturday morning.
Checked in and the staff were fantastic, gave me a map, explained how to get to the conference venue, made me feel like a valued customer.
My room was mostly great although there was a joining room and when I first got there I could hear the next door people talking, but only really noticed this the first night, I put some pillows under the door and that seemed to get rid of most of the noise.
I stayed on the 10th floor, great views! The bathroom was extremely clean and well stocked. My only real issue was the hot water. Didn't get anywhere near hot enough to my liking, and as I get a sore neck, especially when travelling due to staying on different beds/pillows I like to take a really hot shower to loosen my muscles up.
I like that they have an option to not have your room cleaned, to save energy/water etc, a green option. I don't really care about having my bed made and fresh towels daily, but got my room serviced once during my stay which was enough to feel looked after.
I got room service for breakfast most days. The breakfast was pretty good apart from the last day when my eggs were so overcooked and rubbery as well as the bacon. The pancakes I got the previous day though were amazing and they came with plenty of maple syrup! The choice of meals is pretty good although would be good to have some simple sandwiches or something. They say they cater for individual requests but I didn't ask apart from during the conference dinner which was held at the hotel. The dinner was amazing and even though I gave them late notice of my food intolerance they were more than happy to cater for me. There were 350 people at this dinner and they served everyone is a reasonable time and the service was also good.
When it came to checking out on my last day I left my bags with them to do some shopping as my flight wasn't until later. They were more than happy to do this for me. When I asked for taxi they took my bags out and flagged the taxi down, put my bags in and let the driver know where I was going.
Overall the service was fantastic, I felt valued.

I noticed a couple of people mentioned noise on the weekend. I did notice the noise on the Friday night but as I was on the 10th floor it wasn't that loud, I had no trouble falling asleep. They did also warn me when I checked in that it can get a "bit crazy" on Friday nights. It was no issue though.

Approximate cost: $140 per night

This review is for GreenCo Carpet Cleaning, Sydney NSW

verified email - 06 Jul 2013

I specifically chose this company as they also did curtains which was required as we were moving out and we didn't have time to do it ourselves.
They came late, about an hour late. When they came the guy came and looked through and that's when the annoyance started. He said the carpets in the lounge and dining area were heavily soiled so would need heavy/industrial cleaning. He said that the bedrooms were fine but that they couldn't just do an industrial clean in one area then a normal in the other (obviously a rip off tactic).
He looked at the curtains and said he thinks I would get a better result doing it myself. I said I didn't have the time which is why I requested their service. The backings on our curtains were the problem area but he said he could only do the front, I said no I want the backings done only, he obviously wasn't keen on cleaning curtains so I don't know why they say they do them.
He went on and on about the carpets needing industrial cleaning, at this point we were running out of time before our final inspection so I said fine, however the price he quoted me was much less than what the final cost was. I had to leave it with my husband who went through the exact same conversation with the guy, it was rather annoying.
The final cost was more than quoted. He said the carpets did look good so I guess they did a good job but it's not like it was better than other places.
My advice, if you don't need curtains cleaned don't bother with this company and if you have time get the curtains cleaned yourself as they really didn't like doing them and it wasn't really worth the price of $180 for 2 sets of curtains.
I did look a the reviews beforehand and they seemed to have good customer service but that was the opposite to my experience. I walked away with that feeling that you just got ripped off.

When I went to post this review it told me that Greenco were in some kind of happy customer program and did I want to wait to get a response from them first before posting so I did wait but had no response so here it is, my review, honest and true.

Approximate cost: $400