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I brought my 20 month old for his first dentist appointment a month ago. Found Dr. Smutka after doing two days of online reviews and seeing all these posts on this site. Office summary:...
I brought my 20 month old for his first dentist appointment a month ago. Found Dr. Smutka after doing two days of online reviews and seeing all these posts on this site. Office summary: Kid-friendly waiting area, nice staff. Dr. Smutka and his staff are very into preventive dentistry. I went in thinking, "Give the kid a toothbrush and let him pretend to brush". They told me to let him do some brushing but to finish it up for him, even if he's not happy with the process. I was hesitant as I didn't want him to have bad associations with brushing but Dr and assistant were firm on having me hold him or have him lie on a bed and have me do a thorough brushing whether he liked it or not. In their words, "It's like changing diapers - they may not like it but you wouldn't let him sit in a dirty dipaer. You do it because it has to be done". Fast forward one month later. My son has gotten used to the idea of two brushings a day from me (I let him do his own after). He still doesn't like it but at least I know that he has a lower chance of getting cavities before his next visit. I like this guy. He is so not Dr. Sears in his philosophy but that can be good. Listen to him and take your kids there.
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Dr. Douglas Seymour was my dentist from 2001 until early this year. To be honest my husband chose this practice because the location was convenient for us. Once we started going I didn't want to...
Dr. Douglas Seymour was my dentist from 2001 until early this year. To be honest my husband chose this practice because the location was convenient for us. Once we started going I didn't want to change dentists after having come from a really bad one (Dr. Felix Marcial on Capitol Hill). Dr. Seymour seemed very competent and skilled although he never spent much time with me - exams were 5 minutes, tops. I was always kept waiting and watched as he covered 2 or 3 patients at once. It was like they overlapped appts to maximize his time. I didn't like their office practices of doing this (minimal pt/dentist time), always booking a different dentist for exams unless you insist on one dentist, etc. It was always in the back of my head to find another practice/dentist because this place never sat right with me. I had two crowns done here and as I said before I always felt that Dr. Seymour did a good job. It all went downhill after I called to make a routine exam/cleaning appt for fall of 2006. They told me that Dr. Seymour was out for a family matter. I asked when he would be back - I was willing to postpone my exam so that I could see the same dentist. They kept saying, "We don't know". Same answer when I asked if he was ok. Yes, he's fine but we can't give any details. That was fine with me and I saw Dr. Coulier, his substitue. That was Octoberish 2006. I got a letter December 2006 announcing Dr. Seymour's retirement (!) and that two dentists (Drs. Lin? brothers) had purchased the practice. This was sounding strange. Don't people plan their retirements and tell their patients? What about saying goodbye? I shelved it and moved on. Around Feb 2007 I had to go back for a cleaning and got a glimpse of the new dentists. They looked friendly enough. March 2007 I went in for a 10 min fix for a front tooth and took this as my chance to evaluate the new dentist, Dr. Thomas Lin. He seemed competent but his bedside manner needed polishing to say the least. I could barely communicate or connect with this guy. That's when I decided I needed a better dentist. I still had this nagging feeling that something was not right about that place. I Googled "Douglas Seymour DDS" and that unearthed a trove of information. I found a WA Dept of Health (DOH) link that tells of Dr. Seymour having had a suspended license in fall of 2006. That must have been the "family issue" that nobody wanted to talk about when I tried to make my appt with him. Then there was another link to a court document that detailed the charges of his suspension and eventual loss of his license to practice dentistry for seven years. The reasons were related to billing practices and possible compentency issues. Yikes!!! This confirms how unprofessional these people are in covering up this whole mess. At least they should have the decency to tell their patients the truth. Thank goodness the WA DOH has all their docs in electronic version on the web. Look him up there and you'll see the whole thing, court transcripts included. BTW, my new dentist is supposed to be very good - came recommended from my toddler's pediatric dentist who is one of Seattle's best rated ped dentists. I have an appt with Dr. Gordon Sako in a few weeks and I'm excited to be rid of my experience at Oak Tree Family Dental. I hope this long post helps anyone who is even considering going there.
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No Stars. I used Southwest Plumbing about four years ago to replace part of a galvanized pipe that had clogged up so badly that water barely trickled out. They also replaced an outside water bib...
No Stars. I used Southwest Plumbing about four years ago to replace part of a galvanized pipe that had clogged up so badly that water barely trickled out. They also replaced an outside water bib for the faucet, and installed a new kitchen faucet. We had them come out on a Saturday, and two guys showed up to do the work. We were given an estimate of $695 or so and were sold on the flat fee part as we were not sure of how long or how serious the clogged pipe was. When they finished up only after 1.5 hours I was floored. Even with two guys that's $200 plus an hour! Materials were less than $20. With tax the bill came to be in the mid 700 dollar range - and this was four years ago. Their reasoning is always "in case it takes two days to do the job then you don't pay more". That's B.S. I now know not to use flat fee billing companies - always ask if they bill for Time and Materials (T&M). In retrospect after having done more repairs and used other plumbers and subs since then, I still get steamed when I see their ads on the back of buses, etc. Almost all good "real" plumbers will tell you to avoid Southwest, Beacon, and Gene Johnson. These people prey on less knowledgeble people and give real plumbers a bad name.
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When we purchased our house, all of the doors had different keys for both deadbolt and bottom knobs. We had four doors and eight keys to open them with! We called these guys (they're in the Fred...
When we purchased our house, all of the doors had different keys for both deadbolt and bottom knobs. We had four doors and eight keys to open them with! We called these guys (they're in the Fred Meyer shopping center in Greenwood) and they came out and keyed everything so that we would only need one key to get into any door. Fast, professional, highly recommended.
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We had a new heater put in and used Abundant to do the job. Kerry, the owner, did a marvelous job of removing our old heater and installing our new one. His wife answers the phone, but he is the...
We had a new heater put in and used Abundant to do the job. Kerry, the owner, did a marvelous job of removing our old heater and installing our new one. His wife answers the phone, but he is the one that comes out to do the estimate and installation. A truly great family run business. I can't recommend him enough.
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Update 07/25/07: This guy is no longer reachable. Probably gone out of business. I needed him for a job and could not find him on any listing, directory, etc. Too...
Update 07/25/07: This guy is no longer reachable. Probably gone out of business. I needed him for a job and could not find him on any listing, directory, etc. Too bad.
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We had a small pile of junk sitting in our back yard and eventually we got sick of looking at it. At first, we called the 800-got-junk to remove it. After giving us a fairly high quote and also realizing that they are based in British Columbia (!), we found this company in the newspaper. Lorenz is the owner and hauler. He'll come and haul your stuff away for a fair price, plus the disposal fee that the city charges. He's reliable and shows up to do the job. We've used him twice and plan on calling him back if we get another pile of stuff to haul to the dump.
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We had Davey come out and do some tree removal, pruning and fertilizing. They did an excellent job, but somehow I felt that they were giving us the hard sell on the yearly fertilizing. Sure, if...
We had Davey come out and do some tree removal, pruning and fertilizing. They did an excellent job, but somehow I felt that they were giving us the hard sell on the yearly fertilizing. Sure, if you prune a tree properly, it doesn't have to be done every year, hence no profit for them. The yearly fertilizing (to me) seems excessive and came across as a way for them to make repeat yearly business from us without it really being necessary. Overall, very competent and good, but can come across as pushy when it comes to add-on services.
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The Seafood Fest in Ballard is worth checking out if you like your fish and crustaceans. Every vendor selling food must offer at least one dish that includes seafood. You'll find tandoori prawns,...
The Seafood Fest in Ballard is worth checking out if you like your fish and crustaceans. Every vendor selling food must offer at least one dish that includes seafood. You'll find tandoori prawns, crab cakes, grilled salmon, etc. There are also plenty of non-food vendors hawking their wares. It's a good family affair, with entertainment, good food, and a chance to enjoy summer at it's best.
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This is another great place to watch the movies that never make it to the big chains. The Neptune is older, but not so that it makes you uncomfortable. It has an elegance to it. Check out the...
This is another great place to watch the movies that never make it to the big chains. The Neptune is older, but not so that it makes you uncomfortable. It has an elegance to it. Check out the Ocean-themed ceiling work in the theatre and you'll see what I mean. I really like that the concession stand has a few alternatives to pop and popcorn. Overall, a theatre that I don't mind spending 2 hours in at all.
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The Willows Lodge in Woodinville has the Northwest touch. The architecture, furnishings and the casual atmosphere puts you at ease when you walk in. You may even be greeted by the resident Bassett...
The Willows Lodge in Woodinville has the Northwest touch. The architecture, furnishings and the casual atmosphere puts you at ease when you walk in. You may even be greeted by the resident Bassett Hound, Gus. Rooms are minimalist modern, with Bose radio/alarm clocks, digitally controlled thermostat showers (!), and an indulgent soaker tub in the room. If you have breakfast included like we did, don't miss it. You'll have to walk across the parking lot to the Barking Frog, but it's a first-rate breakfast. On the day we breakfasted there, they had smoked salmon and seafood, bagels, cream cheese, fruit, fresh squeezed juices, pastries, etc. Wonderful!
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