Gecko Tales by Gary Scott Thompson

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Gecko Tales

Gary Scott Thompson

DESTINATION--BACK AND BEYOND

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I know that I haven't done much with this Gecko Tales blog in some time. Life has been busy. I have a new baby boy and my personal sites and business are doing well. I'm still holding onto my day job too. I like it and don't see any reason to leave in the next few years despite my other gigs going well. My Georgia Travel site is doing better each day and it's helping a lot of folks find fun things to do in Georgia.
Life is good as the quote goes. I'm still a little over my desired weight but I think that's coming down too. I guess I'm not a fat whore and never will be and that's a good thing. I'll try to publish more post to this blog. It's something like six years old now and that's pretty cool.
posted by Scott at Thursday, April 17, 2008

 
This blog has been active now for just over five years. I haven't really kept up with it the last couple of years because I've been busy with so many other Web projects. Magnolia Media has kept me busy. We should launch the Alpharetta, Georgia site in a couple of weeks and a Suwanee site after that.
In my personal life I'm now a father and spending a lot of my free time taking care of my little boy - instead of blogging. I'll try to post at least a few times a year from now on but don't expect too much for a while. Maybe I'll post more once Aiden goes to college and I have some free time again:)
posted by Scott at Wednesday, February 06, 2008

 
If anyone is still checking this Gecko Tales blog I want to post a link to our flickr site. In a few weeks we will have a new baby boy entering the world and I'm going to share pictures at flickr. Until he's born you can enjoy some of our old pictures and a recent picture of Rhonda pregnant.

Labels: pictures, pregnant

posted by Scott at Thursday, November 15, 2007

 
I don’t spend much time here any more because I have so many other projects that keep me busy. Other than building pages for cheap Internet phone service I’ve been preparing a room in our home for a new baby. He’s due December 18th and we have been working fast to prepare for his arrival. We would like everything to be in place in the next couple of weeks so that we can spend November and early December having fun and enjoying the last few weeks together. We’ve waited a long time for this addition and feel that everything is finally in place.

Labels: family, internet phone service

posted by Scott at Tuesday, October 23, 2007

 
Check out my newest blog, Next Modo, where I talk about all sorts of online marketing tips to make your site convert better and make more money. I'm open to suggestions about topics so stop by Next Modo and leave a comment.

Labels: online marketing

posted by Scott at Monday, October 08, 2007

 
If you are looking for a fun franchise opportunity that will get you out on the road, and away from a desk or restaurant, a handyman franchise might just be the thing for you. When you own a handy man business you get to help others by fixing things both big and small that folks either can't fix or don't have the time to fix. This franchise is truely a businses where you help others.
posted by Scott at Wednesday, September 12, 2007

 
I've moved most of my attention to static sites like Gecko Tales.com where I post the best stupid videos on the Internet. It's a fun site that also includes useful information about HDTVs, ringback tones, travel, and other fun stuff. I also have a new franchise news blog that I think might be interesting to those that are looking for info on the best franchises and that sort of thing.
posted by Scott at Monday, September 10, 2007

 
Learn more than you ever wanted to know about ringback tones at a section I created on the Gecko Tales Web site. If you have a cellular phone and enjoy 'pimping it out' you will appreciate the info on ringbacks.
posted by Scott at Thursday, August 23, 2007

 
I have not posted in a while because I've been busy with a lot of side businesses. If you have a business you know that doing payroll is a total pain in the butt. If you are lucky you will have found a good online payroll software service by now. If not you are still spending a lot of time manually doing paychecks.
posted by Scott at Wednesday, August 22, 2007

 
The newest site from Magnolia Media, LLC has been launched. Please check out the new North Georgia Mountain website. This new site has a business directory for the locals, but is also a guide to North Georgia travel for those interested in visiting the Georgia mountains for a weekend or longer.
posted by Scott at Tuesday, April 17, 2007

 
I haven’t posted here in a while. I’ve been busy working and any free time for the Internet has been devoted to my Internet business. We are launching a new site for North Georgia in a few days and then launching a Helen, Georgia site in a few weeks. After that we have a big project that will take until August to get launched. The Milton, GA site has done well and evolved during this past year. So, overall my Internet projects are doing well.
On the home front:
We have been busy working on our new house. It’s not really that new. We have lived there for about nine months now, but it feels like it’s new because there is so much to do and so much that we have not even started working on yet. Everything cost more in a traditional home than a townhouse and that slows us down on big projects. We have a two year plan for upgrades, but I’m afraid it might turn into a five year plan. Oh well, its fun working on it.
posted by Scott at Wednesday, April 11, 2007

 
Atlanta is freaking freezing right now. This is good for retail sales but bad for my cold toes.
posted by Scott at Friday, December 08, 2006

 
Pearl Harbor survivors meet for last time

posted by Scott at Thursday, December 07, 2006

 

Pine Magazine in Atlanta

Check out this Pine Magazine that is working hard to provide fair and accurate reporting in the Atlanta area.
posted by Scott at Tuesday, November 21, 2006

 

Havertys Furniture

Poor Customer Service from Havertys

A few months ago Rhonda and I bought a new bed at Havertys Furniture store at the Mall of Georgia. The store had a great selection and we found a solid cherry sleigh bed that we bought and had a delivered a few days later. We loved the quality of the King bed and the style. We didn’t care much for the aggressive sales tactics used in the store but every other furniture store we visited used the same annoying methods so we didn’t seem to have much choice. After having a good experience with the store we went to another Havertys located on Satellite Boulevard near Gwinnett Place Mall to purchase a dining room table and china cabinet. Our sales lady was less aggressive, although still too aggressive for our comfort. The dining room set was delivered quickly but this time there were a few problems. First, the delivery team left the glass shelves on the top of the china cabinet. This led us to believe that they forgot the shelves that we eventually found. The second problem came when we found a small nick on the top of the table.

The nick shouldn’t have been a big problem to repair. We called Havertys customer service and they scheduled someone to come out and fix the damage. The customer service rep was friendly and all seemed well. Then came time for the repair person to show arrive. After waiting for an afternoon with no-show we called Havertys to find that no appointment was not on record. STRIKE ONE!

We called and set up another appointment and explained how Rhonda had left early to meet someone that never showed. The friendly customer service rep promised someone would show the next time so she scheduled another appointment. The repair person was scheduled to arrive on Saturday afternoon (November 18) between 3:00 and 6:00. A rep from Havertys Furniture even called us on Thursday to confirm the appointment. Our next encounter with Havertys incompetence came on Saturday morning when we came home from a vet visit to find a note from the Havertys repair person stating that they had arrived at 9:30 and no one was home so they left. STRIKE TWO!

By now Rhonda was upset with Havertys inability to fix a very small problem. We called Havertys customer service again and they said they didn’t even schedule appointments that late on Saturdays and that no one could return that day because they had already left the area. I asked to speak to someone that was competent but instead was transferred to a manager that was border line rude. Of course the rudeness was after I informed her that Havertys customer service has some serious problems. HAVERTYS FURNITURE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS ARE EITHER LYING, THE BOOKING SYSTEM IS BROKEN, OR THE REPS ARE INCOMPETANT. It is that simple. Either they are lying or they are incapable of fixing a simple problem. Either way THEY ARE WRONG! STRIKE THREE!

Havertys has nice furniture but their customer service is so inept that dealing with them is not worth it. We have a life time of furniture buying left that won’t be done at Havertys. There are plenty of good furniture retailers where we can spend our money. I hope that you will do the same and avoid Havertys furniture.

posted by Scott at Monday, November 20, 2006