Your Life. Your Style. Your Way.
Customer Service
Z Gallerie: From Soap to Sofas
Aug 31st
Finally! The cooler weather is almost here and the stores are filling up with beautiful new accessories and goodies to seasonalize our homes with. As a Lifestylist® I like to constantly be on the prowl for what’s new and exciting, and get an idea of what people are really buying for their homes.
I love Z Gallerie – they are my favorite “go to” source when I am working on a new model home. They are masters at offering personality pieces that help make a room or home memorable, and they also stock those big exciting works of art that you can never find when you need them. But on a recent visit they made me think of them for something I hadn’t purchased from them in the past – furniture.
Z Gallerie started out in 1979 as a family run poster shop which has quickly grown to include 54 locations in 18 states! Their beautiful stores have expanded into becoming a one stop shop which make it easy for consumers to get everything they need for their home in one place. The stores are organized into different color stories which make it easy to find everything you need. They offer great accessories and furniture that are so unique people would think you had them custom made.
Speaking of personality pieces, as soon as I walked in the store I fell in love with two chairs I think I’m going to have to have – “Eddie” and “Bella”. Eddie was just stunning in leather that was the perfect shade of teal, and Bella was a pearl grey fabric that was just sexy. You know you found something you must have when you can’t stop thinking about it, and that’s the case with these two chairs.
Make Z Gallerie a destination for your next shopping trip, and let us know what you fall in love with.
Apple Stores Save The Day
Aug 13th
Yesterday the unthinkable happened – my hard drive crashed. It’s one of those things you hope will never happen. Fortunately I back up constantly but it was insane how helpless I felt when I couldn’t go to my big beautiful imac and get the information I’d come to rely on it sheltering for me. Keep in mind this was a 4 yr. old machine and I’m on it probably 8-10 hours a day so it has served me well.
Before I gave up on it I decided to go to my favorite Apple Store (NorthPark in TX) and see if a Genius could breathe new life into it. I’ve also been thinking about getting a new computer or ipad so this seemed like the perfect time to check into that as well.
I’ll let you in on a secret if you have an Apple Store near you that’s in a mall – many of them open before the mall does so if you get there at 9am or so you can beat the rush. Fortunatley I took my own advice, because by the time I left it was a mad house in there!
Did you know that most Apple stores have Business Specialists? I asked for mine when I arrived who was Jess, knew I would be in very capable hands. These team members understand the needs of business clients and can make the experience short, sweet, and get you exactly what you need. He gave me great advice about all of the things I wanted to accomplish and how to get there with hardware and software. He also was able to get me a Genius appointment. Marty – my new favorite Genius not only looked at my existing computer, but spent a great amount of time trying everything he could to get my computer back up and running and he did! Almost 3 hours of assistance from a tech guy – cost? Not a penny!
What I love about Apple is that they don’t try to oversell you. Marty could have easily said you need a new hard drive and never tried to fix what I had, but he didn’t. He was very patient and tried different things until he had a solution. Now that’s what I call a Genius!
I’m now happily in front of my new 27″ imac, and I think we are going to become good friends. Just looking at images on this new screen is incredible so I’m sure that I’ll be sharing more of them.
I’ve heard through the “Apple-Vine” that Apple is beginning to put more of a focus on their business customers and I couldn’t be happier. Going into an Apple store is fun! and the amazing attitude of the people that work there always rubs off on me when I go in and my day gets a little bit brighter.
Having Fun With Foursquare
Jul 24th
Have you discovered Foursquare yet? It’s another form of social media that’s catching on like wildfire and is as entertaining as it is informative. To “play” you need a smart phone that supports apps. When installed, the app uses the GPS of your phone and let’s you know what stores, restaurants, etc are nearby. You then check-in, can add comments about your experience, and what’s really unique about this app is that you can also share what you wrote to your Twitter and Facebook accounts. Because of this you can make one entry and update three of your forms of social media.
The game part of this is every time you check in somewhere you receive points, and the points add up to award you different badges. If you frequent a particular location a lot you can become the “Mayor”, and some establishments give special rewards and perks to their mayors.
Check out our recent Foursquare entries on our Twitter page, @lifestylist, or better yet follow us and you can get our updates immediately.
Sleep Experts Understand Their Community
Jul 11th
When I needed at mattress set at the last minute for a model home for Champion Homes of Texas in Tulsa, I wasn’t sure where to go. The budgets for model homes don’t leave a lot in the bedding category so I needed something cost effective that would look big and fluffy to the buyer. Fortunately I happened to drive past a Sleep Expert Store and a new love affair was formed.
Customer Service? This company really gets it. From the moment I entered the store to the moment I drove away from the dock I felt pampered. My sales person Kevin Harris could not have been more helpful and less threatening. When I went to pick up my set at the warehouse after they got my information they immediately inquired if I would like coffee or a bottled water. And the warehouse? Spotless. Clean, well organized, and I would have been very comfortable sleeping on any mattress in there.
The other great thing about Sleep Experts is that they really give back to the community. When people have their existing mattresses picked up, Sleep Experts have them reconditioned and donated to a charity. The good that they do with this program can’t be documented in words – it really has to be seen in person by the shelters and groups that have such a huge need for safe bedding.
If you are in a market that has a Sleep Expert Store, give them a try -you won’t be disappointed.
’til Midnight at the Nasher
Jun 19th
The good and bad news is that this Lifestylist® is super busy! Lots of new homes to design and give the Lifestylist® Designed touch to, products to develop, animals to rescue… there just never seems to be enough hours in the day. Life seems to be moving at warp speed, and before you know it summer is gone and I never took advantage of some of the great events Dallas has to offer.
When I heard about the series the Nasher Sculpture Center is holding this summer I decided it was time to slow down and take a night to sit under the stars. The ’til Midnight at the Nasher series is such a great idea – every third Friday through October you can go to the Nasher and enjoy a concert and movie in their garden. If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit the Nasher it is a must see, and their garden is complete with beautiful works of art that are a joy to experience. You bring your own blankets to sit on, and beverages and food are available from the Nasher Cafe catering services provided by Wolfgang Puck.
Every evening is a different theme, and last night was the Wizard of Oz complete with a showing of the film. Emerald City – a 14 pc band entertained us and had everyone on their feet for most of the evening. The theming also carried through to specialty drinks such as “The Great and Powerful Oz”, “Flying Monkey” and “Over the Rainbow”. The very talented Lisa Stewart does a lot of photography for the Nasher, and she was in the know enough to pre-order a picnic basket for us which was an amazing deal. A bottle of great wine, salads, cheeses, bread and strawberries with a decadent dark chocolate dipping sauce made me a very happy participant in the evening.
Another great opportunity was that a guided tour of the Nasher was included as part of this event. Other museums in the area including the Dallas Museum of Art and Crow Collection made this event a true block party and you could take a progressive museum tour through all three. We had so much fun I did something that I’ve been thinking about doing for quite awhile – I became a member! This is the best way to truly take advantage of all the Nasher Sculpture Center has to offer.
It was so much fun to see young and old, people from every walk of life coming together to celebrate the arts. I can’t wait until next month, and now I’m hoping my kids and grandkids will be able to come and enjoy an evening as well.
DalTile Listens
Jun 16th
There are days (actually most of them!) when I love being a Lifestylist®, and this week was a great one. I was able to work with the amazing team at Champion Homes of Texas and finish the XTreme Model Home Challenge, then I was invited to the corporate headquarters for DalTile to view some new products they are working on.
Honestly, I don’t know why more companies don’t ask for our help – being able to give input to DalTile helps all of us in the long run. They get to learn about what we need and haven’t been able to find, and by learning about what DalTile is working on I’m able to be sure that my clients know about these amazing new and current products so they can take advantage of them as well.
DalTile has always done an amazing job of understanding the needs of designers and builders and delivering beautiful products that are exactly what the homeowner is looking for. After spending a few days with their team, I think I know know how they achieve this – they listen. The innovative new products they will be launching that we got to see are obviously the product of really listening to and understanding the lifestyle of today’s buyer. With more people wanting the ease of maintenance that tile affords as well as it being so family and pet friendly, tile is going to become even more important in tomorrow’s homes. I can’t give everything away, but soon you will be seeing tile that is so simple to install even I could do it 
and they are using new technologies to produce glass and mixed materials into mosaics that are worthy of being hung in a museum, but you will be able to easily install them in your own home. It was like they could read my mind – things that I had only dreamed about being able to use in my homes will soon be a reality.
Tile can be very intimidating to a novice homeowner, and with so many beautiful choices it can be very hard to choose what is your favorite. DalTile has helped take some of the guesswork out of this by having an easy to use website full of ideas. They also have design centers around the country that are staffed with some of the most knowledgeable designers I’ve ever worked with, and they are full of inspirations on how you can use tile to create your own dream home. They were very helpful to me when I was working on the new Design Center for @home Builders that will be opening soon – if you have a chance to stop by you should. They also helped me design the great kitchen backsplash for the new model home that just opened at Frisco Ranch for American Custom Builders.
Now it’s my turn to listen. I would love to hear about how you have used tile in your home. Feel free to contact us at: answers@lifestylist.com and share your beautiful rooms with us!
Lifestylist Advisory at No Charge to You
Jun 8th
We are starting a new blog – Lifestylist® Advisory Services. As Lifestylists® we are out in the trenches every day finding new sources, great foodie destinations and traveling from coast to coast truly experiencing life and style. On our new blog we will share the best and the worst of customer experiences, and we already have some experiences that might surprise you. The best part is that all of this is at no charge to you – please just let the businesses that you learned about here know where you found out about them.
Have you had some experiences you would like to share with us? Email us at: answers@lifestylist.com and we’ll share the best ones on the Lifestylist® Advisory.
Cavco Industries Named Manufacturer of the Year
May 21st
Congratulations are in order for Cavco Industries that was just named 2010 Manufacturer of the Year by the Manufactured Housing Institute. Cavco recently acquired Fleetwood Homes and I’m excited to see what the blending of these two great companies will mean for our industry.
I’ve had the pleasure to work with General Manager Craig 
Calkins and the team at Cavco Homes of Texas – they build an amazing home that is a great value. Their show houses and decors last year were Lifestylist Designed and I couldn’t be more proud of what we were able to accomplish.
If you haven’t taken a look at what Cavco and Fleetwood have to offer, now might be a great time to do so – I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Customer Care Case Study: How to Lose a Customer and Referral for Life
Mar 30th
Just when you think you’ve heard and seen the worst customer experiences that you could possibly imagine, a company and it’s representatives prove you wrong. My last post spoke about my disappointment with how I was treated at Best Buy, but that was nothing compared to what they put me through today.
I have just returned from a full week of travels where I met with great clients, got to work on fantastic projects and attended the Tunica Manufactured Housing Show. Today I spent the morning working with Champion Homes of Texas and one of their retailers. Champion understands what customer service is all about, and that’s why I love working with them. They understand if the client is successful we will all succeed, and we are all in this journey together. I got to help put together a new model home that is going to be incredible, and also got great feedback as well. Be sure to stop by at Trinity Homes in Abilene and see our beautiful new home!
While I was in Tunica I had heard from Best Buy corporate. They apologized for all of the confusion and promised to call the store where I purchased my projector and have them resolve the issue. I was feeling good about things and thought Ryan handled the issue and my concerns well.
Then I made the mistake of ruining a perfectly good day by going up to the store to change out projectors. I thought it was only going to take a few minutes so I was going to call in my dinner order before I went in – fortunately the person that was with me wasn’t as optimistic and she was right. We went to wait in the return line – there were two people in front of us. After standing there for about 5 minutes I asked the other people in line if anyone had been working there and they told me the woman who was working there walked away when they got into the line. I walked to the front of the store and asked if anyone could help us and he told me that three people were working in that area and I needed to just “go back in line and wait my turn”.We gave up and ended up sitting on the floor – Tunisha who had left before I guess finally got the hint. Guess what – they had nothing in the system about my issues, and the manager said that no one from corporate had called about my issues and they couldn’t do anything. I had Ryan’s phone number with me and they called – not there. Then they informed me that what was on my receipt wasn’t what I was bringing back, and the projector I brought back only sold for $349.00 and my receipt was for $649.00 so it couldn’t possibly be what they sold me.
But wait! It gets even better. James the manager (who said that no one up there had talked to Ryan) calls corporate and puts me on the phone with Katie who was in Ryan’s department. She informs me that it’s impossible for what I bought to have been rung up wrong, I didn’t buy the projector there and pretty much called me a liar. So now I have a 7 month old product that doesn’t work that I paid for an extended warranty for that they won’t honor. I wasn’t sure what made me angrier – finding out I paid $876.00 for something that they said should have cost $349.00 or being called a liar.
So I come home, look up the suggested retail on what I have and it’s actually $699.00 not $349.00. So sucker for punishment I am I call the Best Buy store. When I press 3 for sales help, no one answered the 2 times I tried so I called back on the Geek Squad line and got James. I told him the pricing he had for my machine was incorrect that it matched what was on my receipt, and he said that couldn’t be right because their system showed it at $349.00. Trust me, there is pretty much no such thing as a $349.00 home theater projector, especially made by Epson. So the system that is never wrong was wrong, but Best Buy refused to even entertain this notion.
The moral of this story? The person with me found something she really wanted and was in line to buy it, and I told her that she would be walking home if she spent a dime there. I purchase a lot of electronics for my clients homes plus our Lifestylist® Designed recommends products for the home. You know that I will be very clear where anyone who asks should not make their purchases.
Then we have the other end of the spectrum where companies like Champion treat their clients how they like to be treated and respected. I had a million things to do today, but when Champion asked me to come and meet with their client I did because I appreciate their business and I want them to succeed. I will always be referring Champion Homes of Texas, Youngs Manufactured Homes in Hobbs, NM and Trinity Homes because I know that whomever I refer to them will be treated with respect, and they will get a great value for their money.
I would love to hear your customer stories – good and bad – and I’ll share the best ones here. And if anyone would like a great deal on a projector that doesn’t work, give me a call