Quarterly Newsletter - May 2006

This newsletter is designed to help make you a better consumer. I hope you enjoy it and as always, I welcome any feedback.

WHAT'S NEW

New Updated Grill Section
New reviews on a variety of grills, from portable to luxury.

New Small Business Section
A collection of offline and online resources for small businesses.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Gillette Fusion
I have to say that at first I was a little skeptical about Gillette’s new five blade Fusion razor, but I took the plunge and was impressed at how much better it is than the Mach 3. The only downside is that you may have to talk to your bank about a financing plan for the replacement blades, which run about $3-$5 each.

Verizon FOIS
Last month, I ditched my cable modem in favor of Verizon’s new lightning fast FOIS service. Verizon is making an aggressive and expensive push to bring fiber optic cable directly to individual homes, which can offer advanced data services. You can get internet and traditional or VOIP phone service over FOIS. Verizon is also in the process of launching their own FOIS TV service in markets where they have regulatory approval. The basic internet package starts at $35 a month for 5MB/2MB(down/up) dedicated service and comes with a free DLink wireless router (pdf) and there is no modem necessary. There are also no installation costs. It’s a 3-5 hour installation process and Verizon called me three separate times to confirm installation, and called again after installation to see if I was satisfied. In all, it was an excellent customer service experience and I am thrilled with the product. Additionally, my Vonage service works noticeably better now with the faster internet connection.

SERVICE SPOTLIGHT

Here are some recommendations of contractors with whom I have had a positive experience:

Electrician: Shaun Clifford (781).706.8269

Plumber: Steve Weidman (617) 970-7229

Carpenter: Bill Withycomb (781) 589-6768

Painter: Mike Gionotti (781) 572-0980

See more recommendations on the Boston’s Best Page

BOSTON'S BEST

Is Your Car a Mess?
I have recently discovered the Ultimate Package from Scrub A Dub. For $34.95, you get a very thorough interior/exterior cleaning which includes a carpet shampoo. It only takes about 15 minutes and is comparable to detailing packages at twice the price. I used to spend over an hour cleaning my car, but this is a lot better use of both your time and money. Locations in Brookline and Natick.  

SAVING MONEY

New Tips & Tricks Section
Tips & Tricks for cutting your phone, cable or internet bill, buying a car, saving 10% at Home Depot/Lowes and more.

Free Directory Assistance
Annoyed at paying $1.50+ for directory assistance? Call (800) FREE-411 or (800) 373-3411 and get a free directory assistance call and be automatically connected simply for listening to a ten second advertisement. Add the # to your cell address book.

SMALL BUSINESS

Here are some tips for useful products and services for small businesses.

Invoicing
FreshBooks is a great web based invoicing tools for small businesses. Create and send professional looking invoices in minutes.

Domain Names
Visit discount domain provider GoDaddy.com and you can secure your domain for as little as $7.99 in about five minutes.