Companies I Refuse to Do Business With (And past experiences with them)

As you go through life, you're bound to do business with many companies.  And unfortunately, not every single one will give you great service.  I'm going to talk about a few companies I've bought things from or done business with, but now I refuse to anymore because of a bad experience I had.  Of course, a recent one is what inspired me to do this post.

Best Buy
I've been in a Best Buy since my bad experience, but I haven't bought much since.  Maybe something like a CD that was on sale.  But I mostly try to avoid the place. 

I had gotten a PC game from my parents for either my birthday or Christmas (they're close together, so it's hard to distinguish sometimes).   That PC game was Star Wars: The Old Republic.  I tried to load it on my PC, and it technically worked, but it was so slow and there was just no way I could enjoy it.  Therefore, I went to Best Buy with my dad to try to return it.

Now here's where it gets interesting.  They would not let us return it (because it was "open"), not even for store credit.  I know we were in the right, as their return policy stated so long as it was within the time period, which it was.  They explained how we very easily could have made a copy of it or something, and my dad just exploded.  I had never seen him yell at strangers like that before.  I think the part where they borderline accused us of trying to scam them was what made my dad mad.  In the end, my dad said he wouldn't do business with them anymore, although I think he's been back to a Best Buy since then (although not as much, like me).

I ended up selling the game online for a bit of a loss and shipping it away.  It was better than holding onto it for no reason, because I was never going to play it.

Car Toys
The unfortunate thing with Car Toys is that there's not really any other business around the area that does what they do.  They install car stereos, speakers, alarm systems, any car accessories.  I originally had a pretty decent experience with them when they installed the car alarm on my car.

However, in recent years, their service has greatly lacked.  I can't remember what exactly happened with my sister's car, but she had her stereo taken out of her old car (because her car was basically totaled), and they I think ended up damaging a part of the speakers and claiming they didn't do anything to damage them.

But more recently, I bought the stereo and speaker system from my dad, who then said I could take it to Car Toys to get it installed.  They were pretty darn unprofessional about it.  It's hard to remember exactly what they did wrong, but they first said they'd be able to install a type of speaker called tweakers, but then afterward they said they couldn't.

I do remember that my stereo was having major trouble connecting to the speakers and kept displaying an error message and I wouldn't be able to listen to music.  I had to go back and get them to fix it.  I think I ended up approaching them four separate times to get them to fix something.

Fortunately, they finally got it to work.  I have a cable that's sticking out inside my glove box that wasn't before, which is oddly a USB plug-in.  I just know that every time either me or my dad has gone to Car Toys for service recently, it's been a huge headache.  HUGE.

The Bradford Exchange
This was the most recent one.  I saw a Mickey Mouse limited edition coin in a catalog I wanted to get my grandma for Christmas, but on the catalog's website they were sold out.  So I looked online for another place to purchase it and found The Bradford Exchange.

I purchased it for about 40 bucks and got it in the mail a few weeks later.  Over a month after that, I received a giant display case and another coin in the mail from them.  I went to check my bank statement and saw two charges of 25 bucks on there.  Apparently, I had enrolled in a subscription with them, even though at no point in the checkout process did they say I was doing that.

I then got shipped a third coin just a week ago or so, and another charge on my card appeared.  I have emailed them many, many times.  The time I was trying to return this third coin, I was told a barcode that came with it would work as a return label.  It did not.  I had to ask three or four times for them to send me a return label until they did.

They also say on their website that the return and refund won't be processed until close to a month after they receive it.  For an item I purchased for Christmas, I won't be able to receive a refund until April at best.  And right now, I'm constantly checking the status of the shipment back to them, and the first display case hasn't been updated in over a week.

I left them a 2/5 star review on ConsumerAffairs.com, only to see everyone else has rated them a ONE star.  They may have high quality gifts, but they suck at business.

Honda of Kirkland
I have to point out the location because I doubt every Honda dealership is like this.  I purchased my Civic from them years ago.  I've taken it in to them twice for a service since then.  The first time, they supposedly found something like a hole or that my fan belt needed to be replaced; I can't remember.  But I ended up paying much more than I thought. 

The next time I took it there because I had no other choice.  My girlfriend borrowed my car from my work's parking lot (which is across the street from this Honda), and when she got back the steering started acting up.  I asked my parents for advice, and my dad took it to the closest repair place, which was this Honda dealership.  I don't remember exactly what they said was wrong with it, but my parents suggested taking it elsewhere for a second opinion.  I had it towed to a Midas, and they gave me a different answer and told me it would cost much less.  So I ended up having Midas fix it and not Honda.

In other words, I think this dealership does whatever they can to earn more money, at least in their service department.  I refuse to go there, even when they mail me coupons for services like oil changes.

Thoughts on My New Job

I was just thinking the other day that on this blog I have yet to talk about my current job.  I talked about Safeway quite a bit while I worked there, going over the various departments, talkedabout my favorite and least favorite customers, and a couple others as well.  But I have not yet talked about my current job.  So, I will do just that, starting out by going over the company, going over my day-to-day responsibilities, and finishing with my thoughts on working there so far.

I currently work technically with two companies.  My official employer (the one that appears on my paycheck) is Aviation Spares and Services International Company (ASSIC).  I’ve always liked how they had to add the “International Company” because otherwise the company is ASS. 😂😂  Anyway, ASSIC is pretty small, at least in our office, comprising of only two in-office employees, who I work next to.  Then, there is Global Inflight Products (GIP).  They comprise of about 15 employees.  Then there are three boss people, the Chairman/President: Zine Badissy, the CEO: Liza Benzaoui, and the Vice President: Farjam Majd.  We also have a downstairs office that has accounting and marketing/design (two people each).  ASSIC provides spare airplane parts (generally small ones) to different aviation companies, and they often ask for quotes on parts and people ask for quotes from them.  GIP manufactures and distributes airline products for international flights, everything from cups, plates, towels, blankets, utensils, and headphones.  ASSIC and GIP work together under the Air Transport Support Group (ATSG).

My official position is office assistant.  I am technically also a receptionist, but I feel that has a bit of feminine connotation.  Nothing wrong with a guy doing a job typically done by a female, however.  I answer the phone and transfer to the appropriate person if necessary, and I occasionally will answer some basic questions.  Aside from answering the phone, the main thing I do is special projects for Mr. Badissy, the chairman and president of both ASSIC and GIP.  He has me compile financial reports for his farm business, for his business expenses, and for his travel expenses.  Generally, those projects take 3-5 days to do, which is good because Mr. Badissy is out of the office on most Thursdays and Fridays.  I have also emailed different people for him and even mailed a package for him. 

I am also slowly transitioning to being the office administrator (not officially) by doing tasks that help the office run smoothly.  I often go down to the storeroom to get supplies such as jugs for the water cooler, paper towels, and toilet paper.  I am now the person people tell to order office supplies, although I do not order them myself.  Instead, I give a list of supplies to accounting and they order them.

As for my thoughts on my job, I would have to say I like my job pretty well.  It’s certainly not perfect, but what job is?  Sometimes my boss, Mr. Badissy, can be hard to understand in what he wants, but I do my best, and he’s been pretty understanding and patient with me as well.  I don’t make as much as I did in my final years at Safeway, but it’s a consistent paycheck with consistent hours.  I am no longer an hourly wage employee; I am a salary employee now.  And instead of getting paid every week, I get paid every two weeks.  That part does not bother me, but what does bother me a bit is that my paycheck every two weeks is an actual check; I must go to the bank and deposit it and there is no direct deposit option. 

I don’t know how long I plan on working with ASSIC/GIP.  They have this thing in my agreement of employment that I have to pay back any bonuses I earn if I quit within two years.  I have yet to see a bonus and I think those are more for sales managers.  Not only that, but if I want to quit, they want me to give them a month’s notice.  So, with that and my Monday-Friday 7:30-4 work schedule, it becomes very difficult for me to potentially get another job.  Honestly, after not working for almost five months, I am just happy I have a job and one that pays steadily.  There’s not really an opportunity for advancement, not that I’d really want to.  I’ve never been a good person for sales, having dipped my toes into the sales swimming pool and not liking what I felt. 

I have the added bonus of working near Amanda.  She is about a 15-20 minute walk away, and I work exactly one hour earlier than her, so I can wait for her to get off if I want.  I have the option of taking the bus to work if I desire.  My commute is fairly short, taking 15-20 minutes to drive in the morning (usually), and 20-30 minutes to drive home.  So location-wise, my job is pretty perfect, considering alternative jobs I looked at could have me commute to downtown Seattle or south Bellevue.

I honestly like my job.  There have been a few times that I haven’t liked it, but as a whole I do like working at ASSIC/GIP.  I like the people I work with, and I get to interact with people from a wide variety of backgrounds as we have a very diverse office.  I’ve even gone out to lunch with them a couple times already.  I am going to continue working at ASSIC/GIP and see what happens and what skills I can pick up.