Harvey’s has a new Health Check Certified Menu (certified by the Canadian Heart & Stroke Foundation).  As you can probably guess, the menu is NOT based on their fries, regular burgers and hot dogs.  The new certified menu IS based on their grilled chicken sandwich, salads, veggie burger and L’il Original Burger.  

I am a regular patron of Harvey’s restaurants.  In fact, so is my whole family.  So much so, that we have an inside joke that Harvey’s is “our family restaurant”.  The first thing my family members from the US want to know when they come back to visit Canada, is the location of the nearest Harvey’s.  We should probably own shares in the company, lol.  

So will this new Health Check Certified Menu make a difference for me and what I eat at Harvey’s?  Not for me.  I already try to make “healthier” choices when I eat there.  I always choose a L’il Original burger.  I LOAD it with veggies, to the point where people literally ask me “where’s the beef?” (“nod” to Wendy’s).  Since I’m a huge french fry hound (admittedly my favourite food!), I never opt for the salad at Harvey’s.  Instead I satisfy my french fry craving with a “kids” size portion of fries.  

My Aunt and I have an ongoing conversation about fast food and how bad it really is for you.  Both of us agree, good choices and moderation are key to eating healthier at a fast food restaurant (and at home for that matter!).  Do you really need that GINORMOUS soft drink to go with your meal?  Do you really need that triple burger loaded with cheese, bacon, fried onions and loaded with sauce?  Do you really need the extra huge poutine?  Have you ever consider how healthy Pizza can actually be for you? A pizza loaded with veggies, some cheese and one meat item easily covers all the basic food groups.  It all depends on how you choose to dress it up…AND how many pieces you choose to eat. Load your pizza with extra cheese, 3 kinds of meats and extra meat sauce, eat 3 slices, and your healthy pizza turns into feast full of fat and calories.  Fast food doesn’t have to mean unhealthy.  It’s all about the choices YOU make when you visit a fast food restaurant.  

Kudos to Harvey’s for helping us to make healthier choices.  At the very least it should make all of us stop and think about what we are putting into our bodies when we visit our favourite fast food restaurants.  

What do YOU think of Harvey’s new Health Check Certified Menu?  Will it make a difference in what you choose to order when you visit Harvey’s? 

How often do you share stories of exceptional customer service with your friends and family?  Me? I usually end up sharing the customer service horror stories I’ve endured at the hands of my local retail outlets.  

Recently, however, I had a customer service experience that I would consider exceptional.  The overall problem I had was fairly insignificant.  The way the company dealt with my complaint, in my opinion, went well above and beyond my expectations.

I purchased a body spray at my local Shoppers Drug Mart.  The first time I went to use it at home, I could not get the pump to spray.  No matter what I did, I just could not get it to work.  Frustrated, I gave up and returned to Shoppers Drug Mart the next day to exchange it for another (kudos to Shoppers Drug Mart for providing me with a no-hassle return).

Round two.  I got out my new bottle of body spray and….HORRORS!…I had the EXACT SAME problem with the pump.  It would not work either!  By this point my blood was starting to boil.  This was going to mean a 3RD trip back to Shoppers Drug Mart! 

Then I realized something.  If I just returned the bottle to Shoppers Drug Mart again, the company who makes this product will never know about the problems I’ve experienced with their pumps.  I thought….maybe this isn’t an isolated problem, maybe the problem I’ve had with their pumps has happened to other customers.  

So I sat down and wrote to the company, Calgon (ILEX), to hurl my anger and frustration at them (anger in part because I figured this was a futile waste of my time – I was never going to hear back from them).  Was I wrong! 

Here is the response I received:

Thank you for your recent e-mail regarding our product(s). We regret any inconvenience you may have experienced, and are sorry the quality of our product did not meet your expectations. We appreciate the time you took to contact us with your comments.

We have forwarded the information you provided to our Quality Assurance Department for their review. ILEX Consumer Products works diligently to ensure we provide high-quality products for our customers. We appreciate your willingness to alert us to your concerns.

Our company policy stands that if a rare deviation occurs with one of our products the consumer is to take it back to the store where purchased for an exchange or refund, however, we will send you a replacement product as well as some extra pumps to the address you supplied in your email which we hope will solve this issue.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact us. ILEX Consumer Products strives to provide quality products and service that give you, the consumer, the greatest satisfaction possible. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us again.

WOW! With one quick email, and a decision to step outside company policy, Calgon (ILEX) completely wiped out any and all anger and frustration I had with their product/company.  Not only were they  NOT telling me to go back to Shoppers Drug Mart to get another replacement product, they were going to mail me a replacement product AND extra pumps! Outstanding! By doing this, Calgon (ILEX) went above and beyond any expectations I had in resolving my complaint.  Also impressive is the fact that the replacement product and pumps were mailed to me within a week of me receiving their response.

I wish more companies would follow Calgon’s (ILEX) customer service lead.  They know how to give good customer service!

Check out ZWAP member O Canada A’s thread about good customer service and feel free to join in http://bit.ly/ZXvDYa

How about you?  Have you had an exceptional customer service experience you’d like to share? Please let us know by commenting in this blog.

In an effort to make it more difficult for those under 19 to purchase alcohol or tobacco, the Ontario Government has come out with an age “identifier” on all new Driver’s Licenses and Photo Cards issued after January 1, 2013. “ The identifier will read “age 19″ followed by the exact date the card holder turns 19, all in bold letters. It will be located near the bottom of the card, beside the date of birth.”

Here’s an example of what the new cards will look like:

From the Ontario.ca website:

Quick Facts

• Only driver licences and photo cards issued on or after Jan. 1, 2013 will have the new identifier.
• Drivers under 19 years of age who are drinking are two times more likely to be involved in a fatal collision compared to older drivers.
• Approximately 150,000 cards are issued each year to drivers under the age of 19.
• Driver licence cards in all Canadian provinces except Quebec include an age identifier.

Good idea?  I think so.  What about you? 

By now, everyone is probably aware that Canadians are about to lose their “beloved” (?) penny.  Did you know that day is coming soon?  That’s right – effective February 4, 2013 our “copper” penny will be removed from cash registers, receipts and menus (etc) across Canada.  Businesses may still continue to use the penny, but the Royal Canadian Mint will cease distribution to financial institutions on February 4th.  After that date, the only place you are likely to find a penny is in your pocket or your piggy bank.

Want to know more about the demise of Canada’s penny?  Check out the Government of Canada’s “Budget 2012″ website: 

Archived – Minister of Finance Announces Transition Date for the Elimination of the Penny – July 2012

Here is where you can find some background information on why the Government decided to withdraw the penny from circulation:

Backgrounder: Withdrawing the Penny from Circulation

Have questions about this change? Here are FAQ’s that may answer some of yours (please note that the first link is actually for Businesses and the second for Consumers – their links are listed wrong on the site) :

Fact Sheet and FAQs – Consumers

Fact Sheet and FAQs – Businesses

Will you miss the penny?  What will you do with your leftover pennies?  Keep them? Roll them up and take them to the bank?  Leave a comment and let me know what you think about this big upcoming change!

SO LONG, FAREWELL AND HAPPY RETIREMENT TO CANADA’S PENNY!!