Companies I've had great customer service from ... WOLF Answered endless pre-sale questions and post-purchase has also been equally top notch. I actually received a replacement part before I got the notice of its shipping (overnight). GAGGEANU Outstanding. I will preface this by saying it was five years ago, before they more throughly combined with Bosch, and I also think it had a lot to do with the amazing rep I was just lucky enough be directed to. But, having said that, it was absolutely above-and-beyond. MIELE Only had a tiny issue but it was handled quickly, politely and completely. Probably not a coincidence but the three products from the makers above are, at least so far, the ones I've also been the most happy with, performance-wise. Good products + good service = win, win. The Wolf and Miele are relatively recent additions to my kitchen though, to be fair. Now for the absolutely lousy ... WHIRLPOOL (includes KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, etc.) Don't even know their own products. While, in the end, I did eventually get some resolve, it's not been ideal and it's been way, WAAY harder than it should have been. When I think Whirlpool major appliance service, the words that come to mind are: slow, frustrating, expensive and stressful. BLUESTAR Bottom of the barrel. Embarrassingly so. Enough so that I have said, 'Never again' despite a product that is pretty damn impressive WHEN it works. ... That last bit is key. And those that are a more mixed bag ... GE MONOGRAM The opposite of Bluestar, in that the products seem to be pretty poor, but the service I've received pretty darn good. Maybe I've just gotten lucky and dealt with some amazing folks, but I've never felt left out in the cold, despite a HEAP of problems, and the on-site service people are the best I've worked with. Professional, conscientious and well-trained. In the end, we ended up ditching our Monogram ovens in favor of Wolf cause we just couldn't get em working right, BUT they definitely tried. BOSCH Actually, up until the end, the service was pretty poor, perhaps even hostile, and definitely illogical. Refused to do things like directly sending me an easily self-replacable part, but would pay for a contract service person to come out and install it charging me "only" for the $50 part itself when the call, even at their rates, had to be 2-4x that. But they did stand behind their product in the end ... Rather surprisingly so, given my earlier experiences but, gotta give them credit, cause they did eventually take responsibility. We chose to go with Miele upon replacement and, so far, I think it's a far superior product, BUT I also wouldn't rule out Bosch for a future purchase either.

Just to let you all know. Sunsetter customer service is pretty darn good, I'll tell you that. After installing the awning, DH noticed a small hole slightly larger than a pinhole in the fabric. It wasn't a huge deal, but concerned that it may run or become a weak spot as time went on and the sun continues to beat down on it, we called Sunsetter to see if there was an easy fix for this. They offered us #1 a clear patch to go on the outside of the awning, making it less noticeable from underneath or #2 an entirely new awning fabric. We didn't want a patch for a couple reasons...First, the people behind us are elevated slightly and have perfect view of the top of our awning. Also, over time, we were concerned the patch would loose adhesive, curl up on the sides and just look bad. Plus, we just got this awning and can't see spending the money we did to just patch it, not matter how small the hole, and then it wouldn't even match the color. The hole is obviously a defect in this particular roll of material since there was not damage to the package and the thing was packed up unbelievably well. Maybe if there was some type of tube of acrylic that hardened to the same color and you couldn't notice it, we would've chosen something like that, but not a clear plastic patch. Another surprising fact about this whole thing...Sunsetter asked me if I wanted the same color fabric! They were ready to allow me to order whatever color fabric I wanted from their selection. We stuck with the taupe because that is our favorite color fabric anyway and aren't fans of the striped awning fabrics. But I thought that was pretty impressive on the part of Sunsetter customer service. They really seem to want to make the customer happy.

Six years ago I wrote a scathing review of KitchenAid customer service. Since then I purchased a Sub Zero refrigerator and have had the exact opposite experience. Amazing support, you get to talk with a live person, etc. I haven't had any major issues with this new refrigerator but they always send a technician out (free of charge under warranty) and he takes care of the appliance, explains everything to me, etc. This appliance is designed to last 20+ years, KitchenAid, Whirlpool, LG, Samsung and others are good for about 5 years if you're lucky. It's a big investment to purchase a Sub-Zero, but I think in the long run you may find it doesn't cost any more than replacing one of these cheaper brands every 5 years or so.

I used budget blinds for all the public areas on my main floor. Their blinds are made by the same company that makes Bali. I had the designer come out and measure etc. Good thing, because some of them had to be remade. No charge. I may have made the same measuring mistake she did. I was satisfied when it was all completed. I thought the price was competitive. I had them install and they did a good job. The 2nd floor and non public rooms I ordered from blindsgalore.com. I found the sale prices pretty good. Wait for a total of at least 30% + 10% off, that's the only drawback. January they had 45% off. That's a good deal. Good luck!