I took out House and Contents Insurance with APIA two years back, after my then current insurer (NRMA) wanted to raise my premiums by about 60% !!! APIA quoted me for insurance with comparable provisions and conditions for less than the NRMA's rates BEFORE the 60% increase.

The next year, I was expecting that the honeymoon period might be over and I would be hit with a massive increase ... the premium had gone up 15%, so the price was still very competitive, in view of the fact that insurance premiums have been skyrocketing in recent years.

I am also able to pay the premium by direct debit in monthly instalments for no extra cost than if I were to pay it in one lump sum.

I rang them recently with a query re my policy, and I found the staff member very friendly, with a great knowledge of their product, and able to explain the policy conditions very clearly.

Greg Newson is a Nutritionist and Naturopath. He runs a clinic at Lismore NSW and also offers consultations via Skype or telephone, and will answer general enquiries by email from his website.

He offers a range of diagnostic test kits which can be purchased online - you then mail it to a pathology lab for analysis. He stocks a range of nutritional supplements and natural therapy medications which can also be purchased online.

I found his website extremely informative, and I have used his diagnostic services and subsequently his nutritional supplements to treat a metabolic disorder with great success.

I found he provides great advice. online orders are processed very quickly, and the nutritional supplements he stocks are high quality and very effective.

The prices are not "cheap as chips" but his service is very high quality, as are his treatments. In my case, the diagnosis he provided and subsequent treatment has seen a dramatic improvement in my health ... in fact, it has changed my life!

As well as the usual newsagency products, this business stocks a good range of small office requirements, school needs, a big range of magazines, and an excellent range of cards for all occasions. The service is helpful and cheerful, and prices are very competitive.

I bought a very stylish brushed chrome pen as a present recently: the price was cheaper than elsewhere in the district, the advice was excellent, and I was cheerfully referred to another local business who did a good job of engraving the recipient's name.

Wiseman's Books is a relatively small bookshop, but they manage to keep a comprehensive range. Their prices are very reasonable, though perhaps not as cheap as many online sellers. However, you have the advantage of receiving the item you are after quickly, and you are able to thoroughly browse through the stock to find exactly what you are after!

The staff are very friendly and helpful, and they have a great knowledge of their stock, as well as a lot of knowledge on authors and books in general that they will happily order in.

As well as fiction and non-fiction, they have a large stock of text books. They are also an ABC Shop, and have a comprehensive range of those products as well - books, DVDs, music CDs etc.

They are a great business to browse through when hunting for just the right gift!

My husband and I booked accommodation by email for two nights mid-week out of school-holiday times. Although the room was old and basic, it was in good repair, and was clean and comfortable.

However, we found the rest of the facilities provided fell well short of expectations. Although their website stated: "Continental breakfast available", when we asked at Reception for a breakfast menu we were met with a blank look. I ventured that their website stated that a continental breakfast was available. So the girl at Reception went to ask the barman and returned to state that breakfast was not available out of school holiday times - no apology or explanation for the misleading website information.

Having found that none of the lakeside restaurants appeared to open mid-week in the off-season, we had to opt for dinners in the hotel dining room: the food was very disappointing, the service was slow and given almost grudgingly and without even a hint of a smile, and the dining room filled with mosquitoes as the sun set - the open windows facing the lake had no screens fitted. One of the other diners took the initiative to close the windows, only to find a waitress soon came to open them again, much to the objection of the customers.

When one of the other diners complained about the mosquitoes (with many other diners joining the chorus), again no comment or apology was made.

Approximate cost: $65 a night mid-week off-season

I had my car repaired by Nathan's Smash Repairs after braking and skidding on a gravel road to avoid a meandering wombat, and consequently becoming closely acquainted with a roadside tree. I couldn't fault this business: they were friendly but professional, and took a lot of care and pride in creating a perfect repair job. Although the completion of the work was held up by difficulties in sourcing a new bonnet which were beyond the company's control (it ended up having to come from South Australia), they kept me fully informed of developments and were very apologetic about the delay.

I had my sons go over the car with a fine-tooth comb after delivery (they are both very car-savvy), and they could not even pick that there had been a repair done on the car. All the replaced panels aligned perfectly, the repaired panels were faultless, and the paintwork matched exactly. Great job!

Approximate cost: $Covered by insurance

I needed a towbar supplied and fitted to my VW Golf and shopped around for quotes. In my instance, for exactly the same top-quality Hayman Reese towbar, this company came in $70 cheaper than its next competitor which is a leading towbar supply & fit company in our district. The staff member I dealt with, Evan, was friendly, professional and polite. The fitting took longer than anticipated due to technical difficulties, but Evan apologised for the delay and explained the reason. The company provided a clean and comfortable waiting area with lounge, television, water & soft drink dispensers and magazines, and I was offered coffee on arrival. The finished job was very neat and looks great.

My family has been using these dentists for decades and we can highly recommend them: they are very skilled with excellent "chair-side" manner, and the nurses and receptionists are very pleasant. There is rarely any waiting beyond the set appointment time, and the charges are very reasonable. There is convenient parking in a public carpark just a few metres away.

Online, I bought an indoor skydiving voucher for each of my two adult sons as Christmas presents. I was happy with the online experience, the price and the prompt arrival of the vouchers by post, which were personalised with the name of the intended recipient and a little message I had added ... however I was very disappointed to receive the two vouchers both inside only one presentation box. I expected to receive a presentation box for each voucher. It was a lovely presentation box, and would have added to the anticipation and WOW factor on handing over the present to each of them. Shortly after receiving the vouchers in the post, Adrenalin requested feedback from me as a customer. I commented on my disappointment at receiving only one presentation box when the gifts were obviously going to two different people ... but I received no acknowledgement or response from the company.

Approximate cost: $109 each

The medical care is excellent. The doctors are very diligent, caring, polite and easy to talk to. The receptionists are friendly, helpful and discreet in their dealings with the patients. It can be difficult to get an appointment on the day with one of the senior doctors, but you can always get an appointment at short notice with one of the more junior doctors, who are also very capable. Appointments usually run close to or on time.

Approximate cost: $60