I love visiting Jo's market stall. She has well priced treats for dogs, and I and my dog are regular customers. If I can't make it, she is also fast to ship online orders.

These guys made five custom woven timber blinds for me. I found cheaper providers out there, but directly comparing the blind samples, the superior quality of the Ashwood product made me choose them.

When I had an unexpected free day, they came out at short notice to measure and quote. They were on time, polite and competent, and delivered what they promised every step of the way.

I opted to install the blinds myself, and found their installation system and instructions easy to follow. The blinds have been up for a couple of months now, and I am very pleased with them.

Approximate cost: $3000

I've used these guys for their boarding kennel service for years. They really take the time to get to know your dog's quirks. I won't take my pets anywhere else after what they did for my old wolfhound. He was very nervous about the kennel, but they worked hard with him and after a couple of visits he'd learned to be excited about his visits.

When my old fellow passed away, I adopted another wonderful dog from their adoption centre. The staff there really care about the animals. We have had our fellow a couple of years now, and the adoption staff still run to visit with him when he comes to stay at the kennel.

They do great work.

I love Motto. Their clothes are great, and their staff are so far beyond the average it's amazing.

Their salespeople remember you, and give old-style service. They will help you create an outfit, assist with additional items and sizes while you are in the change room, and generally make shopping there a great experience.

I looked at their woven timber blinds on their website, called to ask if they ship their products to Melbourne, and was told yes. The woman I spoke to said she would send me samples of the blinds I was interested in.

Nothing happened. After two weeks, I called to see if perhaps they'd gotten my address wrong. No, I was told, they no longer sell this kind of blind.

Another couple of weeks wasted. They did not contact me to tell me they'd gotten things wrong and couldn't help me. I'm beginning to think the blinds industry as a whole is full of timewasters.

Useless. I ordered woven wood blind samples from their website and received an email acknowledging my order. After waiting the stated 14 business days, called them to see what was going on. I was told that they had discontinued the line and weren't selling the product any more.

Given that I'd put off ordering from another supplier until I could compare them, I'm pretty annoyed at waiting three weeks for nothing. (It will take the other supplier 4 weeks to supply my order, adding up a 7 week delay on getting blinds.)

Apparently, they're "updating their website". Well, they had ways to contact me to advise they couldn't provide their product, and they didn't. Doesn't say good things about the rest of their service, does it.

I wanted to change the glass and the number of panes of my front door sidelights. I had old glass in 12 individual panes, and I wanted to put in new glass and rip out the extra framing to give me 4 panes.

I gave these guys a try after seeing a few good reviews around the web. They couldn't have been better. Prompt responses, and all three people I have dealt with have been delightful. Their quote was half what some other places wanted.

The contractor was polite, on time, and very good about explaining what he was doing. He did an excellent job and cleaned up after himself. In fact, I was only sorry that he only handles window jobs - I would happily continue to use his services.

Approximate cost: $400

We recently bought a new sofa futon from Back to Bed in Bayswater. It was a lovely experience and I highly recommend them. The salesperson, Todd, was extremely helpful and a delight to deal with. He arranged delivery on the same day and when there was a mixup with the size of the mattress cover he gave us, offered to drive over to our place himself to exchange it. Since we were going by the factory that day anyway, I was happy to drop in again.

The delivery happened earlier than expected, but their delivery driver was just as pleasant to deal with and was fine with putting the bed in the garage for us since we weren't home.

The product is of great quality, and unlike most flat-pack "easy to put together" furniture, this actually was. It came with clear and complete instructions and I didn't need any additional tools to put it together.

(A sore point - the last bed I bought came from Bev Marks, and I was advised assembly was easy, all tools included and not to pay for the delivery guys to assemble it. Two hours, awful instructions, a hammer, two drills, three screwdrivers and a trip to Bunnings for more screws later I had a bed, but happy I was not.)

I recommend Back to Bed for great service and great quality.

Approximate cost: $800

I had Cameron install three skylights in my home. I couldn't be happier. His advice was excellent, his service and quality of work very good. The skylights have made such a difference to my home - extremely cheaply when you consider other options to bring light in.

The night after installation we had very heavy rain and hail. I was worried, but I needn't have been - no leaks at all a few months on.

Can't fault Cameron at all - he is a real professional.

Approximate cost: $1600

I'm painting my house for the first time and doing the work myself. Bristol Clifton Hill staff have been brilliant - so knowledgeable and so happy to help. Even when I had a question about a product they don't sell, they looked up the spec sheet for me and answered my question. (Which is more than I can say for the two different people I asked at the other paint shop I did buy the product from.)

This store gives true service, good pricing, and excellent advice.