Customer Service Spotlight: Olay

Every once in a while, I will come across a company with either terrible or wonderful customer service. This time it seems Oil of Olay is in the spotlight.

A few days ago, I called Olay's customer service to inquire about a prize that I had won from Allure Magazine's August giveaway. To my consternation, they had no idea what I was talking about and I was transferred from department to department with no sign of ever figuring out what was going on. I took it all in stride and explained my situation repeatedly. Finally, I got to a customer service rep who told me there was no such giveaway and I was wrong. I'll admit I grew frustrated and told her I was a long time customer and that I wasn't going to buy Olay any longer if this was the kind of treatment I would get. She, in a very casual manner said, "Okay, that's fine". I was livid! In my mind, she could have at least checked or asked me to send her the link to the giveaway or the winner's list as proof. Either of these would have been fine. I would have even been okay with a "I'm sorry, but we can't fulfill it", so that I'd at least have an explanation. However, being transferred from person to person and finally being told I had no idea what I was talking about and saying I don't really matter as a customer was the last straw. I hung up the phone by angrily pressing end call, wishing that I had an older model phone so that I could angrily slam the receiver down.

I then wrote to Olay on their Facebook page and told them about my experience. I received a message a couple of days later with a promise to make things right. They assured me that my experience would not be taken lightly and that the views of one rep did not represent the views of their company. Today, I received a package from Olay with 2 of my favorite full size Olay products and another full size Olay product that I had wanted to try. They also included a handwritten note(!!!) expressing how much they appreciate having me as a customer. This, ladies and gentlemen, is exemplary customer service! I would never have expected that a company as large as Olay would take my comments personally and make sure that I as an individual was happy with their service. I was wrong-Olay absolutely went above and beyond what I felt was necessary. Having been a 10+ year customer of Olay's, I feel like my loyalty is appreciated by them and that they will do whatever they can to keep me as a customer and to keep me happy. I'm absolutely blown away by their commitment to their customers! 

I am now an Olay customer for life and can honestly recommend them to everyone. There aren't a whole lot of companies who will listen to you and ensure that they make things right. With both high quality products and an exemplary customer service team, Olay really is the whole package. 

*Note: Olay neither expected nor requested this review. It was done wholly based on my own inclination to promote their superb customer service and products. 

The Versatile Multi Use Argan Oil

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Argan oil has always been one of my favorite products because it is so versatile. You can use it on hair, nails, skin-it's literally a jack of all trades. I was given the chance to use Argan Oil by Adovia skin care. I've used some of their products before and have been pleased with them so I had high expectations for the Argan oil as well.

According to their site the Argan oil is 100% cold pressed organic oil. They also mention a list of other benefits:

• Argan oil contains a high concentration of skin-loving fatty acids and Vitamin E to moisturize skin and provide a layer of protection against environmental irritants and sun damage. This oil is gentle enough for all skin types and can be used on the entire body, including the delicate skin on the face and neck.

• Argan oil is one of nature’s most effective age-fighting skin superfoods. It absorbs quickly and cleanly, leaving no messy residue behind, and restores skin’s elasticity and vibrancy. It diminishes the appearance of fine lines and deep wrinkles by plumping the skin and improving its ability to retain moisture.

• Argan oil can be used to strengthen dry, brittle nails. Its softening properties make it an ideal cuticle ointment, effective in healing cracked cuticles and promoting the growth of strong, healthy nails. Simply massage the oil into your cuticles twice a day to restore moisture and strength to your nails.

So does the Argan oil by Adovia Skin Care live up to it's claims? I can definitely say it works incredibly well on hair. My hair is usually pretty dry and can get super frizzy if left untamed. However, after a couple of drops of Argan oil, it's texture and smoothness is remarkably improved. It also doesn't feel like an oil field in your hair; I've tried other oils before which leave your hair oily and greasy-not cool. Argan oil isn't like that. It left my hair shiny and smooth without being oily.

I can also attest to it's nail revitalizing properties. While I don't have dry, brittle nails, my cuticles sometimes get a little dry and look terrible. Argan oil solved that problem; with just a couple of drops applied onto the cuticles, it really helped their appearance.

Unfortunately, I haven't tried Argan oil on my skin, but I will have to soon.

All in all, I would say Argan Oil by Adovia Skin Care is a good investment to make in terms of beauty products. Being that it is so versatile and that you can use it on so many different things, it's a great value and you can't go wrong with it's moisturizing and revitalizing properties.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Personalize and Customize your Favorite Artwork at FramedArt.com

Seeing different artwork always reminds me of a funny story that happened to me a few years ago. I had gone to a garage sale near my house to see if I could find something nice. An abstract art painting caught my attention and as I was looking at it, the lady running the garage sale told me I could take it for free because she needed to get rid of all the stuff she had in her house. I was thankful and brought the painting home with me and hung it up in my dining room. It looked nice and the color matched the room so all was well. A few months later, we had a family over who we had met through a common friend; we had only spoken a couple of times so we were still getting to know each other. As I was setting the table, the lady looked at the painting I had hanging on the wall and complimented me on the artwork. She spoke about how the mood of the painting set a somber tone and how each spot of paint was a reminder of the contrast of human emotion. I nodded my head and smiled. After about 5 minutes, she said, "Okay, I'm going to be honest, I just made that all up. I have no idea what I just said". We both laughed and I told her I got it at a garage sale for free so she didn't have to try to impress me with her knowledge on abstract art. It definitely broke the ice though and we are great friends now! 

So what's the point of this somewhat long story? Regardless of what the artwork is, it's always a great conversation starter. That's why I was so excited when I was contacted by Cassidy from FramedArt.com to review one of their pieces. There are so many paintings and artwork at FramedArt.com that it was so hard to choose. Eventually, I found just the piece I was subconsciously searching for-this beautiful peacock portrait. 

It's 15" X 19" and looks great on my living room wall. Working with FramedArt.com is easy and I had a lot of fun picking out the painting I liked. 

Pros:

1. Variety: There are so many different art forms that you can choose from. Abstract, traditional, fine art, photography; they've literally got it all. 

2. Customization: You can customize the kind of print you want. I chose framed canvas, but you can have it laminated, framed, choose the type of glass you want on top. There are so many different ways you can customize it to your needs. 

3. Quality: I've gotten prints from other companies before and they've been somewhat lacking. Not so with FramedArt.com. The quality of the print I received is supreme-it's high quality and the frame is also solid wood. They do not cut corners when it comes to high quality art. 

4. Packaging: A lot of times, this is overlooked. When I received my box with my painting, I could tell they took care to wrap it up well and ship it safely. The painting had been securely packaged so as to avoid mishaps and accidents. 

5. Customer service: This is another overlooked aspect of businesses. I think a product is only as good as the people who back it up. FramedArt.com has great customer service. Cassidy was there for every step of the order process and made sure I got everything in a timely manner. I was very happy with how I was treated. 

6. Easy to use website: One of the things I hate about online shopping sites are if they don't have the ability to filter. It drives me insane! However, FramedArt.com allows you to filter by print, frame, subject, size etc. They also allow you to sort by a variety of different characteristics. I love this! I like to organize things and this is one way I can organize my thought process as I choose a painting. 

Cons:

1. Price: It can be a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for. These are high quality art prints, which may cost a lot more elsewhere. With the deals and clearance FramedArt.com always seems to have, you could really get a great piece of art for a real steal. 

My experience with FramedArt.com has been wonderful! Browsing through the site, ordering and receiving my painting has been easy and fun to do. The painting is of high quality and looks amazing on my wall. I truly would recommend using FramedArt.com to buy art-you can't go wrong!

To browse or buy go here

Follow FramedArt.com on Facebook

Follow FramedArt.com on Twitter

Follow FramedArt.com on Pinterest

*Disclosure: I was provided with a print of my choice in exchange for a review. No other compensation was provided. Please note that all opinions are my own and are unbiased. 

Winners of the Victoria Secret Gift Card

First of all, I want to thank everyone who entered the giveaway. I really do appreciate the support. Thank you!

The winners were:
Shane O and Elena I

Congratulations to you both! I have sent you both an email. I hope you get some use out of those gift cards.  

Victoria Secret Gift Card Giveaway

Recently, Victoria Secret had a promotion where they gave away gift cards. I was the recipient of a $10 gift card. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be using it; however, I figured I could give it away and hopefully someone else might find it more useful. So, without further ado, here is the giveaway for the $10 Victoria Secret gift card.

Please note that following my Facebook page is optional, but appreciated. All other entries are optional, but completing them will increase your chances of winning. If I have enough entrants, I will giveaway a second $10 Victoria Secret gift card to those who followed my Facebook page.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Zep Cleaning Products: How well do they Work?

Recently, Crowdtap had a sampling in which I was able to try Zep Quick Clean Disinfectant and Zep All-Around Oxy Cleaner and Degreaser. I cook everyday so my kitchen can get messy pretty quickly. This means I need something that will keep my counters, sink and cooking top clean; I also need the product to work on all these surfaces. I hate having to use separate products for separate surfaces since it takes up so much time that I would rather use to do something else.

Having said all that, I was happy to learn that Zep All-Around Oxy Cleaner and Degreaser does in fact work on virtually any surface and cleans it as well. It does mention, however, that you shouldn't use it on leather, silk, suede etc., but I don't have silk countertops so I think I'll be alright. Anyways, I found that the All-Around Oxy Cleaner worked just as well as other cleaning products I've used before, but was not any better than they have been. Does it clean? Absolutely, but I wasn't blown away by it. I cleaned my sinks with baking soda a few times and it worked just as well. The only pro I would say about Zep vs. another cleaning solution is that I was able to use it on all my kitchen surfaces without having to switch cleaners for the different surfaces.

I found the Zep Quick Clean Disinfectant to be a little trickier. There were all these warnings about using gloves and how it was a skin irritant on the label, which was fine, but how does this make it different than bleach? It works essentially just as well as bleach and contains the same warnings, so I didn't find anything special about the Zep Disinfectant. Would I recommend it? Yes, if you use bleach to clean surfaces to rid them of bacteria-go ahead, this works just as well. My point is, it doesn't seem to be any safer or have any added benefits over using bleach. That being said, the product does claim to kill 99.9% of bacteria like Staph so it is very useful in the kitchen or even the bathroom.

Overall, I liked the Zep Cleaners, but to be honest, I didn't find anything spectacular about them.

*Disclosure: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are unbiased and my own. 

Cake Pops: the Best Invention since Cake

Apparently, I've been living under a rock or in a cave or in my own little bubble, because I'd never had cake pops before. It's true-while I'd heard of them, I'd never actually tried them. Now I'm wondering why I never did. A few months ago I won a giveaway that had a number of prizes. One of those prizes was a cake pop arrangement by Kelly's Confectionary Creations. Having never tried cake pops before I was intrigued and more than a little excited to see what they were like.

However, there was a tiny problem: Kelly's shop was located in Minnesota, while I'm in Tennessee. How could she send me the cake pops in August with temperatures hitting the 90 degree mark? Kelly suggested that we wait until it was cooler and then she would figure out a way to get them to me. She was super friendly and nice throughout the whole process and then in early November I got in touch with her again and she sent them out. Within two days I had a lovely package on my doorstep full of delicious cake pops.

Kelly sent me two different flavors: pink lemonade and orange chocolate. Not only do they look amazing, they taste even better. I tried the pink lemonade first and even managed to get a picture (it was difficult, but I did it).

The oh so soft inner cake layer was perfect-light, fluffy and delicious. The outer chocolate coating was also wonderful-it just melted in my mouth as soon as I bit into it. The sprinkles added just a touch of fun and sweetness. Where has this been all my life?!

My daughter, who I've somehow managed to keep under a rock with me and has also never had cake pops, stole asked nicely and took one of the orange chocolate cake pops to try. She devoured it! It's hard to please my daughter, who, quite possibly may be the pickiest eater on the planet, so the fact that she LOVED them really says something.

If you're located in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area or nearby, give Kelly's Confectionary Creations a try. You can't go wrong. Not only does she make cake pops, but also other baked goodies. Take a look here and here. Working with Kelly has also been great, she's just wonderful to work with and kept me updated about the status of the cake pops throughout. All in all, I'm so grateful to have gotten a chance to try these delicious treats-they are now one of my favorite sweets!

*Disclosure: I was not provided with this product for review purposes. However, I did win and receive these for free. As always, my opinions are my own and unbiased.