Chicago Business Review

I believe that as one of the top leading cellular providers, Cingular Wireless should be on top of its game, providing an extraordinary service to its growing clientele. Super commercials offer great deals, nice customer service, newest cell phones for the lowest price, and everything else designed to make customers happy. But do you really feel like a happy customer when you visit a Cingular Wireless store? Do you feel that you are given great deals and the service is so nice you want to give them a hug? Or maybe you are unhappy, just like I am every time after I leave Cingular Wireless?

There is one Cingular Wireless store that is very good with making their customers unsatisfied, unhappy, even aggravated. It is located on 3201 N. Cicero Ave. just by Belmont Ave. I have gone to that location twice already; first time I did not know any better, second time I went there out of necessity. After two years with Verizon I decided to switch networks, and since everybody in my family already had Cingular Wireless I knew it was my best option. Rollover Minutes all that stuff makes you feel like you get what you paid for. God, if I knew it would take me an entire day to change companies and buy a new cell phone I would have never done it. I went to Cingular Wireless on Cicero since that location was the closest one to my house, and let me tell you - first impression, big disappointment. Maybe Cingular Wireless does not pay big salaries to its employees this is why they are rude, inattentive, ignorant; it just seems that anyone is able to get a job there. The Cingular Wireless representative was not paying attention at all nor he had any information about the product. I decided not to make any comments about his rude attitude back then (and this is why this blog came to life ), but my blood started boiling when I figured that this store not only lacked Customer Service 101 but also, what is essential in a cell phone store, variety! No RAZRs, Chocolates, which were very hot back then… but they definitely had plenty of give-them-for-free devices. If are one of the most popular wireless service provider, have some shame, and take care of your product so you make customers, not turn them away. I left that store and went to a different location; I knew that if I would ever need a new cell phone that place would definitely be out of my list.

The second time I went to that location of Cingular Wireless I left with the same impression: Cingular Wireless on 3201 N. Cicero Ave. treats its costumer with little respect. The saleswoman/manager/girl sitting by the desk was chewing gum as she were a cow eating grass in the field. I mean, c’mon people… is that how you show respect to your customers? Maybe I just happen to be very sensitive to “these” things, but at the same time, most of the people I know would have felt offended by such treatment. In addition to her bad manners, she had poor language skills for someone who had to deal with people on regular basis; sometimes I had problems with understanding what she meant by saying “Wha’?” She solved my problem at least, good for her… and me, but still think she could perform much better.

Dear Mr. Cingular Wireless.
Please make sure you hire people who bring you business, not turn it away. I sure am going to let you know about your other locations with crappy customer service. There are plenty of them…
XOXO
Asia

Imagine Friday, nine o’clock, loud talking, louder laughs, hot people and even hotter restaurant staff – that’s Café 28 on 1800 W. Irving Park Rd.

The pleasure started as soon as I entered the door of Café 28. The bartender was extremely gorgeous, I would not mind taking him home… dream on girl, there were plenty of girls like you sitting by the bar who probably wanted the same thing :).
Even with a reservation we had to wait ten more minutes for the table, but the staff was very nice and polite so it did not bother me as much as it usually would. There were plenty of people at Café 28 but the staff seemed to be adjusted to this amount of customers. The waiters and waitresses worked fast, tables were cleaned immediately, and the drinks kept flowing. It took another minute and we were seated on the patio, which was more than ok with me taking in consideration 85 degrees at nine o’clock at night. The patio was not as loud as the main room - great place for a conversation. We were waited immediately by another hot guy (it’s their policy I believe – pleasure for the taste buds, pleasure for the eyes), who was extremely nice, smiling all the time, and spreading his charm all around the table…:). We ordered mojitos, plantains, and baked goat cheese. Everything arrived very quickly to our table. Mojito tasted ok, I would have to drink at least ten of them to get drunk, but since it was my birthday, I wanted to be at my best behavior :P. You can never go wrong with plantains, although I wish that after frying them they would be pan-fried with butter. Goat cheese was muy delicioso, with hot and spicy tomato sauce and tostini bread; I could not get enough of it and I had to stop myself from eating it otherwise my dinner would be spoiled. Talking about dinner… The menu contains only one page but what difference does it make if the type of food Café 28 serves will satisfy every taste bud. My companions chose variety of dishes; some containing a duck with jalapeno potatoes, pistachio crusted chicken and almond crusted halibut; I decided to go with grilled pork chop with sweet sauce and potatoes. I ordered one more drink, this time it was a glass of chocolate martini prepared by our gorgeous waiter… so much Latin flava in one drink :). Our food arrived and I regretted eating too much cheese because I knew I would not be able to fit in those two thick pork chops located on my plate. The meat was tender; it played a flavorful combination with the sweet and smoky sauce and sweet potatoes. I also tried pistachio crusted chicken from the person next to me, and a piece of duck from another. Everything was great, and although I prefer my meat well-done, this time I did not complain. After the dinner, the gorgeous waiter brought me Tres Leches cake with a candle on it, and sang “Happy Birthday to you”… I did not feel like taking the bartender with me anymore; I wanted the waiter! I’m such a badass; I’m glad he could not see my dirty intentions ;).

My cousin ordered a cappuccino and a vanilla gelato and by the look on his face I could see that this desert was a wonderful addition to end his meal. I have to tell you, my cousin always complains about the food wherever we go; this time I did not hear a single complaint from his mouth, which is a great proof that Café 28 serves great food along with great service.
I am very happy to discover Café 28; I now know where to go to please my eyes, my hunger and my thirst.

PS: Next time I for sure am taking one of the waiters home with me :).

Micro Center on 2645 Elston Ave always causes good and bad feeling is me. I go there at least once a month if I need something to add to my computer, and which cannot be found in stores like Circuit City or Best Buy. Micro Center offers a variety of computer equipment starting from build-it-yourself computer parts to ready-to-use desktops and laptops. This is when positive things about Micro Center end. Personally, I believe that Micro Center has a big potential if the store’s organization would have been changed completely.

My cousin and I went there about four months ago to buy a new desktop. We knew what we were looking for and we just needed a quick assistance to find out if this specific model was available. Unfortunately for us, we could not find anyone available or, I should say, willing to help us. It took about ten minutes for me to find sales assistant who definitely had a bad day because she was acting like an aggravated car salesman after letting a potential buyer leave the car dealership. She was very inattentive at first but definitely changed her attitude when she realized that we seriously wanted to by a computer the same day. Finally she became nice and polite and she even helped us find a nice monitor. On top of that we were asked if we needed anything else, which in my experience is not very common to hear sales people ask that.
Computer saga ended in a nice tone and then we had to o through one more step – applying for Micro Center credit card. At that time they had a nice deal: no financing for six months and we went for it knowing that it would be easier for us to pay it off in six months instead of throwing $2000 in cash at one time. The customer service sucked! We were sent home to get a credit card for a co-applicant and when we came back we were told that we did not need one. Two different statements from two different customer representatives who obviously had a slight idea of they were talking about. The person who took care of us was slow, plainly dumb and interested more in having a conversation with fellow co-workers than helping her customers. After 20 minutes we were approved (Circuit City takes less than 5 minutes), and believe me, if it wasn’t for my cousin who desperately wanted a computer that day, I would have left and waited until some other store had it.One time my boss went to Micro Center to buy printer labels. He asked a salesman if they had any left and he was told “if it is not on the shelf we don’t have it.” I always thought that store associates had a way to check product availability in the storage. It seems like Micro Center does not store supplies or hires people who are too lazy to check.

Every time I go to Micro Center I know from the beginning that no one will ask me if I need anything unless I make it very clear. You see sales assistants walking around the store but you hardly see them helping anyone. Maybe their store policy says: “We don’t help our customers until they start chasing after us”?

I mean food! Very tasty food. If you ever happen to be in Albany Park, don’t forget to stop at Noon-O-Kabab located on 4661 N. Kedzie near Kedzie and Lawrence. I discovered this place about a year ago when my boss and I ran out of lunch choices. Somehow, I ended up 5 miles away from my workplace to get some skirt and chicken skewers with dill rice, hummus and a few pieces of baklava. Come to think of it, I believe that this was one of the best lunches I ever had. The meat was tender, rice was melting in my mouth and that piece of baklava… oh Lord – I was one step away from heaven! (I tried making baklava once and it was a total disaster). This is when I also tried hummus and I actually liked it very much; it does not taste anything like packaged hummus, which usually contains more taste enhancers than chick peas. This one had a very smooth texture, with some olive oil on top, and sprinkled with paprika. Hummus and tandouri bread make a perfect appetizer.

After some time I decided to re-visit Noon-O-Kabab for a late-night dinner. On Saturday it was very crowded with people coming in all the time. We got a table (which I did not like by the way, and which we had to change otherwise I would not be able to enjoy myself… yeah, this is how picky I am :=]) and after a minute or so we were approached by a very nice waitress. Right now, I would like to thank Noon-O-Kabab for providing friendly and polite staff who offers wonderful and fast service. Back to the topic; I had a chance to look around and become impressed with Noon-O-Kabab décor. The walls are tastefully covered with art, and also if you look around you will catch many art items from Persian culture.

While you wait for your main entrée and if your stomach is tolerant to dairy make sure to ask for a piece of cheese. It is very, very delicious with its sour/salty taste, sweet slices of onion and parsley leaves.

Dishes arrive hot on the table, and they just simply melt in your mouth. Well, I am not going to describe the experience; you just have to try it yourself.

PS: Make sure you leave some space for baklava. A warm piece of mouth-melting, nut-filled, honey-butter-soaked baklava is the best way to end every meal.