Ben F.'s Profile

Bayou dog + triple truffle fries. Ridiculous.

Brilliant dining experience. Although this is listed as $$$$, the lunch menu is extremely reasonable, as most entrées are between $14-$18 (more like $$)--and at that price, this food is a bargain. The lobster bisque was one of the best I've ever had.

I was a moderately satisfied customer here last November when they altered a pair of jeans and a corduroy jacket of mine. The quality and turnaround time were satisfactory; the price was somewhat outrageous ($60) but whatev. I probably wouldn't have gone back simply because I can't afford it.

What has ultimately sealed the deal for losing out on my patronage was a spam text their owner sent me today advertising an upcoming sale.

Not cool at all. Andrea Vangna people, if you're reading this: Stop doing that.

Also: Is it Zeglio? Is it Andrea Vangna? Totally confusing.

Easily one of the worst customer experiences we've ever had. I could have used that description simply for their price gouging and their pestering us to take out our old AC days--even weeks, at times--before they were planning to install the new one. Hello, it's late June. No, we do not want to go voluntarily without AC for absolutely no reason.

But no. I could have used that description for the above shenanigans plus their constant assurances over the span of weeks that our new AC would be coming soon ("on its way!" or "shipped yesterday...should be there tomorrow or the next day!" or "will be there Monday!") despite never actually having any real idea as to when or whether it had shipped or when or whether it would be arriving.

But no. That description goes for all of that plus what's happened today, which involved them taking more than 9 hours to install our new unit, randomly leaving for up to 30 minutes at a time, talking on the phone, and being generally clueless. It's still up in the air as to whether it's working, and this is almost a week after they removed our old one.

So yeah. Easily one of the worst customer experiences we've ever had. Don't ever use Heatcool for anything.

Update 1: So it turns out that they locked our cat in the bathroom for pretty much the whole nine hours, where she crapped on our bath mat because, you know, she's a cat and she will crap on the ground in the hours-long absence of a litter box.

Update 2: They also "failed to replace" the extension cord behind our washer/dryer (which we use to power our microwave) when they moved them. So yes, I'm saying they stole it.

Update 3: It continues. When my wife called about the extension cord to ask if she could take $20 off the bill so we can replace it, they said, "We can just send you one. $20 is a lot, and we're dying here." That's a direct quote. As a reminder, the total cost to us with the AC unit and labor came out to almost $8000.

Update 4 (six months later): We discover that, because I wrote an "intentionally damaging review", we're being rebuked and delegitimized on Yelp by its employee(s). Of course I wrote an intentionally damaging review! Our entire customer experience was horrible. What does Heatcool think Yelp is for? My goal was to intentionally but appropriately damage their standing so this doesn't happen to other people. Anyway, we wrote them a conciliatory email, both because we felt slightly bad for having written a harsh review and also because--you guessed it--our furnace wasn't working properly. After waiting for a response and never getting one, we decided to have it looked at by another company.

Diagnosis? It was wired incorrectly.

$120 later, we are not only warm but also resolute in our decision to never, ever patronize Heatcool again. We strongly suggest you save yourself the trouble and look elsewhere for your heating/cooling needs.

I won't repeat all the good things everyone has already mentioned other than to say that this was easily the best dentist visit of my life. Believe the hype.

Holycrapthisplaceisamazing.

I'd never been to Frank's before today, but I'm hereby making this my permanent barbershop. It's a no-frills, old-timey barbershop that gives good, cheap haircuts and good-natured conversation at the same time. Can't beat it.

I'm getting too old for cheap haircuts at Supercuts that don't always (or ever) end well. It's not worth it to me anymore. So, I started searching for an actual barbershop several weeks ago with little success--until I found Franks.

Franks is one of the most old-school barbers still in existence. (At least in Chicago.) Checkered tile floors, bulky leather chairs with footrests, a sink at each seat, individual barber registers, issues of Playboy and Penthouse in the waiting area, and barbers yelling across the shop to bust each others' balls (where applicable) just for the sake of it. WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT.

An expert haircut--I'm not kidding when I say it was one of the best cuts I've ever gotten--a neck shave, and a hearty conversation will run you $24 with a tip.

Or, $8 more than a hit-or-miss 10-minute job from a stylist who's been working at Supercuts for 6 months and needs to move the masses on the signup sheet.

Where I typically dread it, I'm excited to go get my hair cut again. I kid you not.

It is not hyperbole to say that RCN is the worst company I have ever dealt with--not the worst television/internet company, but the worst company period.

Their website sucks, their support sucks, their services suck. My internet cuts out or slows down regularly, and HD channels randomly just shut off. The audio for another few channels regularly starts clipping after it's on for more than 10 minutes; the only fix is switching channels momentarily.

Not worth it. I sincerely hope my building switches to another provider because it sucks being stuck with them.

I've been to Dr. Willerman a few times now, and while, sure, he's a bit short and rushed while examining me--he's got a busy practice--his staff is extremely nice and thorough, and to be honest, I don't go to the dentist to be coddled; I go to get my teeth cleaned.

The views from his new office are amazing, and I leave with clean teeth and an appointment six months in advance. I've never been emotionally abused like some of the other reviewers seem to have been, so I'm not really sure where that stuff is coming from. Definitely not a deal breaker, in my opinion.

One word: Meh.

More than one word: This place is not amazing. The decor is a bit strange, and it needs to decide if it's a chill hangout bar or an upscale nightlife bar. The menu and half the space would suggest the former; the other half of the bar the latter.

For my money, I'd much rather go to Grace O'Malley's right up the street. Or even Wabash Tap, for that matter.

We've been taking our dog here for a little over a year now, and we've had nothing but positive experiences. The staff is always extremely friendly, and it's dead simple to drop off a pet for daycare--just sign a sheet, drop off a leash/treats, and come back in a few hours. They even give report cards with who your dog played with and how much fun he had.

It's not the cheapest place on the planet, but I don't mind paying a little more for such convenience and confidence in a boarding joint.