Star

#61 in Ferntree Gully VIC

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This review is for Aussie Farmers Direct, Richmond VIC

verified email - 30 Jan 2008

We have been using them for a few months now. Just for bread and milk (except an unfortunate cheese overload when I kept forgetting to cancel the cheese each week and we ended up with so much cheese it wasn't funny)

I like that I don't have to remember to buy the milk, so we never run out.... I'm a bit torn between supporting farmers and paying a bit more, or getting cheaper supermarket stuff. They are about the same as a standard middle range supermarket product, but more expensive than generic brands.

I like to pick my own fruit and veg and get it from a cheap greengrocer, so the boxes aren't something I'm interested in - I'm not into a mystery box... if I could pick (a kg potatoes, 1/2kg tomatoes etc.) then I'd be more interested in that, and we are only a small family, so don't need as much as larger families, (we have our own chooks, don't drink juice, don't use butter etc), so that makes it a bit hard to get up a big order with them with their current line of products... and because we only want a delivery once a week (you only get free delivery if you order 3 things or more), our delivery is on Friday morning... which means the bread is stale by Monday, so that's inconvenient... in our area if you have 2 deliveries a week you have it on Tuesday and Friday. We've actually stopped our bread delivery since we've been having problems with it going moldy quicker than supermarket bread.

I hope they expand their range and suburbs they deliver to, as it's a great idea. I would prefer a system where they leave an order form with you, you can fill it out and leave it with your bags and they deliver that to you next time - it would make it easier to try new things and change your order, as I find it inconvenient to ring up to change my order (because I keep forgetting... and that leads to things like the too much cheese incident - good thing it had a long use before date!) I was advised by the guy who signed me up that e-mailing can be slow, so to do everything over the phone.

This review is for Digger's Club, Dromana VIC

verified email - 30 Jan 2008

I wanted to be really impressed with Diggers. I like the idea of heirloom seeds and they have the best variety of the other similar seed places I looked at. So many wonderful unusual vegetables! Their catalogue is also very helpful.

So I placed my order on the website and everything was listed as being instock (I specifically didn't order a few things that had sold out that I'd wanted). A week goes by and I still don't have my order (we're in the same state, so I expected it would take less than a week). So I called them and my order hadn't even been processed yet. The lady on the phone was a little gruff and couldn't tell me when my order would be likely to be shipped, and made no apology or gave no reason for the delay. My order took 2 weeks to arrive, and when it did some of the seeds were out of stock - on back order, so I had to wait another 2 weeks for them to be sent.

I understand that things can sell out, so I don't mind that I had to wait for the backordered seeds, but I don't think it's acceptable waiting 2 weeks for seeds marked as instock to be sent from just across the state. I literally could have walked there and back quicker. At the very least they should have some sort of note on the website or in the order confirmation that shipping will take so long.

I don't know if I want to order from them again. Particularly since this was my first dealing with them

This review is for Animal Medical Centre, Boronia VIC

verified email - 30 Jan 2008

We had a bit of a cat emergency, so we called around to find a vet open at 8am, and this was the only one we found. The vet was nice enough (I did like that he explained everything to me not assuming I was dumb)... but there were a few things I didn't like. Our cat came down with the flu a few days after being there, so we had to take him back and get medication - which we had to pay full price for, despite the fact he must have caught it from there (he's an indoor cat). I also was not impressed that when we called to ask if we needed to bring him in about the flu, they made the appointment for the following day and didn't mention that there was a weekend surcharge for that day (only mentioned it when we were paying) - which I found a bit dishonest. We've never had to have any animal in hospital (he had to stay for 3 days), so I don't know how their price compares to other vets.

This review is for RSPCA Victoria, Burwood East VIC

verified email - 30 Jan 2008

We got our cat and dog from RSPCA when they were young, and we took them back to the Vet there for their boosters. They also offer (or did, not sure if they still do) a free behavioral consultation - where you can go and get some free advice.

The staff have always been friendly and have always been acting kindly towards the animals. The vets have been willing to answer questions and I never felt that we were brushed away or pushed through quickly like you can feel in some places. The facilities are always clean and we've never had to wait long.

As far as adopting from there goes, we've been very impressed, and would not buy another cat/dog from anywhere else. The cost is far cheaper than you can buy a cat/dog from a petshop, and they come desexed, microchipped, vaccinated and most of all they do a temperament check before they adopt them out. We originally were looking at different dog to what we got, and the staff talked us out of it, saying that the dog was too energetic for our household and not suitable around our then toddler. Which was sad at the time, but was the best decision for us. We've also taken advantage of their puppy preschool, which we found very useful.

One thing I think they could improve on though is the addition of some sort of program for socialising adult dogs.

This review is for Naelfran, Ferntree Gully VIC

verified email - 30 Jan 2008

They have a factory outlet shop that sells mostly disposable nappies, incontinence pads, menstrual pads. Also some other things like baby wipes, lotions etc. Their nappies come in several levels of quality. You can get branded prepackaged bulk nappies (highest quality), and you can also get what appears to be a generic or their own brand of nappy in bulk, which you can get in what they call a "premium seconds" or "standard seconds". The latter being cheapest. The prices depend on the size of nappy, but we were paying about $18 for 100 large nappies with the standard seconds. At the time the newborns were $10 for 100. It is a bit hit or miss though, sometimes all the nappies would be fine, and sometimes you'd end up with several missing a sticky tab on one side (occasionally we got one with no sticky tabs at all). On a younger bub we just kept stickytape on the change table, but thats not so effective on an older child. Still, even if you have to throw some away, we found them to be the cheapest nappies around. We only stopped using them because we switched to modern cloth nappies.

They don't always have the seconds nappies though, so it might be best to call before you go, and make sure you buy the next batch before you run out.

This review is for Kidz Play, Wantirna South VIC

verified email - 30 Jan 2008

We go to this play centre a lot. I like that no matter where you are sitting, you can pretty much see the whole play area - which is very handy. They have the usual jumping castle, ride on cars and climbing equipment, but also a nice little "home" area with a cubby house and some toy ovens, a washing machine etc. which is a nice addition, also a few dressups. They also have a couple of video game consoles for the older kids. The babies section is quite large and has a swing and huge ball pit which is a favourite.

We've only tried a couple of their meals (nachos and chips) and they are quite large servings, so good value for money.

There is often only one staff member, so if planning to catch up with a lot of friends its a good idea to ring ahead so they can get more staff in, otherwise it can get a bit slow with service. The carpark just outside the playcentre is usually full, but being in a shopping centre there is plenty of parking around, even if you have to walk a little.

This review is for Billy Lids Indoor Playcentre, Hawthorn VIC

verified email - 30 Jan 2008

This is one of the best play centres we've been to. Mostly because of the beetle ride! It really makes the entry fee value for money. Quite a range of things to do for all ages. Jumping castle, cars to ride, airhockey table, dressups, ball pit and of course the beetle ride. Their babies section even has actual toys to keep them occupied, as well as some bigger playthings for toddlers.

I also liked the way shoes and belongings were able to be kept in an individual crate, rather than having to leave them at your table. Plenty of tables, and it's good that you can sit in the babies area or the older kids section.

We've only been once, and it was reasonably busy, but I noticed there was not as much noise as other centres we've been to. This could be because it is a converted town hall and is divided into sections.

While their carpark is very small, we found plenty of (unmetered and unrestricted) parking further down the street.

The only negative I can think of is that the climbing activity area is harder for adults to get into than other centres we've been to... so if a child gets stuck or scared it is a bit harder to get to them, but that is only a problem if you have younger kids and aren't nimble enough to climb through the small areas.

This review is for Blessed Earth, Maleny QLD

verified email - 30 Jan 2008

I've only ordered from them online, as unfortunately I found out they had been close by just after they moved to QLD. I'd liked to have visited their actual shop. They have a great range of products, and it's good to see a store specialising in organic fabrics. My order was shipped quickly, and I had no problems with it. Luckily I managed to get specials which helped the price, but organic cotton is expensive - just one of those things.