Andrew "Motian" R.'s Profile

This is purely a review of V-MODA's customer service as seen through my recent purchasing experience.  Rarely have I had such a pleasant experience with a resolution of a problem while making an online purchase.

I recently purchased a pair of "verified like new" Crossfade LPs on the V-MODA website.  I had been thinking about the purchase for a couple of days, so I had the exact webpage ready to go without having to navigate through their homepage.  As I placed the order, however, the page displayed an error message.  Unsure about whether or not my order had actually been placed, I emailed V-MODA to see what was up.

Within moments, I received an automated reply complete with a ticket number, informing me that I would soon be helped.  Minutes later, I got a personalized email from someone at V-MODA.  Turns out their website was undergoing an upgrade, and that everything was okay.  The email was clearly not simply some sort of form letter (it had a few typos, seemed more direct and to-the-point than a legal department would allow, and was quite personalized to my specific situation).  In the email, the rep explained the situation and thanked me for my purchase, asking if I wanted to proceed with my order.  I wrote back indicating that I did, and soon received a reply thanking me again and apologizing for the confusion.  Though it would seem that this review could go both ways at this point, as I experienced technical difficulties, their immediate and very personal assistance won me over.

The package arrived two days later, even with free standard USPS shipping.  The headphone box was nicely packed in a large shipping sleeve.  V-MODA even included a free set of their Faders, which are a snazzy pair of earplugs that allow mids and highs through without exposing eardrums to harmful volumes.  Pretty nifty little random gift.

Again, this is review of my purchasing experience.  The headphones, which already fit and sound great, are brand new and haven't had a chance to be broken in yet or anything like that.  No idea on reliability or sound quality in the long-term.  Many reviewers thus far have been pretty harsh on this site concerning these very points.  I'll be sure to provide a brief update in the future, but I feel that headphone reviews are not necessarily what I come to Yelp for.

(Incidentally, the specific headphones I purchased, the Crossfade LPs, are well reviewed on electronics sites, particularly for durability.  Anyone reading these V-MODA Yelp reviews for headphone buying advice should check out some more headphone-oriented sites for a broader range of critiques.)

This little dumpling store may not look like much.  It is a bit untidy looking, many menu items are handwritten on pieces of paper and taped to the walls, and the seating area is shared with dumpling freezers.  However, judging this establishment purely on appearance does it a great disservice.  Having eaten here many times, I have come to recognize the dumpling store as a true neighborhood institution.  In this largely Chinese-immigrant community, Family Dumpling serves the role of the local pizza joint.  Kids stop in for a snack on their way home from school, often picking up a sack of frozen dumplings to bring home for their parents.  Local workers stop in for a bite at lunch.  Elderly gossips pass some time here.  Even seemingly random Caucasian visitors frequent the shop, ranging from locals to curiosity-seeking hipsters.  All the while, the two owners (a sweet couple) are hard at work behind the counter, chatting up the customers, churning out more delicious dumplings, and even chiding the kids to study harder.  They speak Chinese to most customers, but do a great job at English as well.  They play the role of cute mom and gruff pop to the T; truly a classic mom and pop business given a Chinatown twist.

Many reviews written already cover the dumplings well.  Just to quickly re-iterate, you can eat them freshly cooked in many varieties of filling, served both fried and boiled.  Also, you can get a large pack of frozen dumplings to bring home as well.

To me, the standout item on the menu, however, is the "Shrimp wrapped in a Scallion Pancake."  The best comparison for the flavors here, I think, is the Cajun Shrimp Po'Boy of Louisiana fame.  You've got the same greased up bread substance, the refreshing splash of lettuce, the amazing shrimps, and the kick of hot sauce.  Sure, it leaves your fingers almost greasy enough to see through, but the thing is pretty ridiculously tasty.  Be sure to grab one when you visit.

Years past, I had been relegated to traveling long distances to visit the few Lego Stores that had existed.  Trips to stores in Chicago, IL, Bellevue, WA, and San Mateo, CA were a regular part of my reality.  Recently, however, the Lego Group seems to have been on a wild expansion kick, opening up all sorts of Lego Stores everywhichwhere.  This one at the revitalized Queens Center is located right near where I grew up.  You can imagine my boundless excitement.

Now, Lego Stores in general are a pretty amazing thing, even at the smaller, local-store scale.  This particular Lego Store features the ever important "Pick-A-Brick" feature at the back of the store.  Customers can grab one of two sizes of container, walk up to the assortment of clear bins recessed into the wall (each filled with one particular random brick), and then fill this container with as many such bricks as they can fit inside.  Compared to the larger flagship Lego Stores, such as the one in Chicago or in New York's Rockefeller Center, the Pick-A-Brick experience here is much more relaxing.  As an adult fan of Lego, I occasionally feel a bit out of place while pushing away excited children to get at the sweet bricks I so desperately crave.  At this less touristy location, there are way fewer crazed children for me to push aside in my even-more-crazed rampage.  I can more calmly fill my container to my heart's content.

A couple more Pick-A-Brick tips: (1) You can re-use a container from a previous trip.  The store credits you with a small discount, and the store employees will also know you are a total insider and will treat you like royalty.  (2) Pick-A-Brick is a great opportunity to stock up on many copies of one specific brick -- a practice that is very important for acquiring the repeated elements needed for larger creations.  (3) If you need even more than a Pick-A-Brick container can hold, you can buy the featured bricks by the case.  Just talk to a clerk.

As I have already alluded to, this is a smaller Lego Store location.  It does not have all the glamor and excitement of the larger, tourist-attraction-type flagship stores.  There are no gigantic custom models to provide backdrops for family photos.  There are no humongous displays.  Like other local stores, the Queens Center Lego Store still features, in addition to the Pick-A-Brick, displays featuring certain retail models, displays of smaller custom models, and computers to use for the Lego Digital Designer (LDD), a CAD program to construct and order custom models   directly from the Lego website.  The store is also pretty extensively stocked with current Lego Group retail models.

The store itself is relatively new, and I would love to see the store include more community-oriented features. Certain local stores I have visited in other cities, such as the store in Bellevue, WA, had displays called "Window on the Community" that showcased the work of local builders.  It was pretty fantastic to see a build that I recognized from an internet image on flickr.  The best part about this particular store, however, is the wonderful staff.  All are really friendly and helpful.  They are helpful with helping parents select sets to buy for their kids, energetic and friendly with the kids themselves, and welcoming of adult fans as well.

If you are looking for a more personal and less intense Lego Store experience, or want the convenience of a store near you, the Queens Center Lego Store does not disappoint.