9/06/2023

Usertesting24 (Online Platform)

 

I found the company and the link on Trustpilot Au. I followed the link to the website, and it looks pretty dodgy. It's full of clickable buttons. When you follow the "user testing website" it takes you to a screen with two buttons, which take you to two different white screens with these messages "Error. Page cannot be displayed. Please contact your service provider for more details. (24)". This is in a non-secure connection and directs to this lyfbodn.com which is a hijacker created by potentially unwanted program and it could also be a phishing site, so I would not be login into anything. When you click on the button 'usertesting get paid' it takes you to another page also a lyfbodn.com page with two buttons, and when you click them it takes you to different sponsored companies. When you click on "usertesting signup' it takes you to the same 2-button page. Again, nothing called usertesting24. There is no about us, contact us, registration info, location, etc. so not a trustworthy place I would go back. Due to what I've said above I don't trust all the 5-star generic reviews that are before mine  on Trustpilot. I might be that the site has been spoofed or hijacked, but that would never say anything good about an user testing platform. Avoid.

9/05/2023

Curasept Chlorhexidine Toothpaste 75 ml

This is a medicated over-the-counter toothpaste that my dentist recommended to me, years ago, to treat bouts of bleeding gums. Like other similar treatments it does the job if used for at least a week or two up to three months if your mouth is in a bad shape. It differs from other similar pastes in the fact that it doesn't turn my teeth yellow. 
 
This paste has a very mild and pleasant licorice flavour, which I like despite not being a fan of licorice. It has a very light gel texture, less dense than average gel toothpastes, so a small dollop goes a long way and spreads great on my teeth. 
 
As this is a treatment, I tend to use it for short periods of time and then I go back to my usual paste. If I can find it, I compliment this paste with the same brand mouthwash, or, if impossible, with a medicated mouthwash from major brands. 
 
It works for me.

Riot Arts & Crafts (Online Store)

 Riot Arts and Crafts, not Riot Projects, have amazing prices and a great selection of arts and craft products. Most of their stock is Australian art brands, some of them excellent like Matisse and Holcroft, for example, mixed with a smaller selection of international brands and a small selection of their products (Golden, Liquitex, Posca or Faber Castell for ex.) They have free shipping for orders over 80 bucks, which is an increase of 5 bucks since last time I purchased something from them. Still better than most online art supplies stores.

I've both from them many times and they deliver via AuPost. Product quality has always been good or great, except for one case, and the pricing excellent even when the products aren't on sale. But every time I check they're on some sort of sale. 

The main issue with Riot Arts & Crafts is that the dispatch time is ridiculous and can take over a week or more, depending on the time, to get the products dispatched, plus the time AuPost takes to deliver a standard parcel. If you need materials for a upcoming project, this is not a place you want to buy from as, more likely, you won't get them on time. However, it's a great place to take advantage of their offers and stock materials before the ones you already have run out.

Another downside is that, due to the fact that their prices for good brands is below most online sites, the products I want are always sold out or out of stock.  

My last parcel in April, took about 10 natural days to be dispatched. The last one, in September ditto. The shipping info on their website says that intercity or interstate takes average 7-10 business days, which is about 2 weeks, for the parcel to arrive to your place, and they cannot guarantee that either.

So, if they cannot fulfill the demand, why not stop, get more staff and reorganise the business? Most of the negative reviews online are on this issue.

Customer service by email is corteous but minimal, androbotic, full of vacuous wording. Last time I asked why it was taking so long to get the product dispatched the answer was 'we've changed our procedures at the warehouse' or were working on it kinda nothingness.  

8/29/2023

TEK Firm Toothbrush

This is an average toothbrush but one of the few hard-bristles that I could find on Amazon at an affordable price. I don't use hard bristles on my teeth due to my dentist's advice. The product page advertises this as having a in-built special tongue scraper. There is not such a thing and reported this to Amazon. You might consider the curved handle the scraper, but the design of the handle would not allow me to use it as such, and there is no special scrub feature on it or on the top of the brush head. This is a very simple average toothbrush.
 
I bought this brush because the hard-bristles are perfect for cleaning small and difficult-to-reach corners in my kitchen and bathroom, and to clean tiles grout and the dirt around my taps. They are great for that. The handle is medium strength, not the most sturdy I've had, but good enough.

Red Rock Deli Potato Chips Variety Multipack x 10 28g

This selection of small chips is one of my favorite multi-packs out there. This brand is my fav chips brand due to the quality of the flavors as well as the the thickness and crunch of the chips. I love this multi-pack, firstly, because it has 4 flavors that I really-really like (the honey-soy and the sea-salt my favs). Secondly, because I can easily pack these small bags in my work bag to have a treat at work myself, or to offer it to some of my colleagues, which also love them. Besides, sometimes I feel like having a snack, and having this small portion bags is great to control how much I eat. They're a bit more expensive that an equivalent large bag, but I like the variety and versatility of this pack.

The Tin Box Company Star Wars Vintage Classic Tin Lunchbox, Black

I'm a SW fan and I was looking for a roomy tin box to store some of my collage papers and small art supplies. This is perfect for both purposes. It looks as good in person as in the photo, and looks cool wherever I place it. The handle can be comes handy to carry my lunch or if I was carrying this anywhere, which I initially don't intend to; the handle can be put in, so it doesn't protrude, making the box more compact. The locking system is great to prevent the lid from self-opening.So far, so good.

Piksters Interdental Brushes (10 Pack)

My dentist recommended these inter-dental brushes to me as I hate flossing, but I'm pone to gum problems. They are great to use and to clean up the wholes between my teeth; they get out junk that my mouthwash and floss doesn't get out. They're easy to use, and if the right size is chosen, the bristles last quite a bit. I always have a couple in my purse and wallet when I go out for dinner or at work. I clean them with a tissue and then rise them under clean water and put the cap back on.  They last for several uses. They're usually a bit pricey for just 10 pieces, but my dentist can notice when I've been using them or not, and my gums are healthier when I use them. I love the different sizes are coloured coded, as I can chose the right ones for different areas of my mouth. 

Beyond price, the main downside is that it is all plastic, and the handle could easily be made of compressed paper or any bio packaging product.