Recommendations in Allen/Plano (Dallas, Richardson: co-op, townhouse, neighborhood)

[outtaheer]

Hi All,

After two years of looking, visiting, hemming and hawing, we have sold our tiny cape and are finally outtaheer. The Boss, three bambinos, two cats and I are moving to Allen in a week (yay! yikes! yay!). We have rented a place in Twin Creeks while we look for houses and get settled. To wit:

Does anyone have any (Allen/Plano) recommendations for:

doctor/pediatrician
inexpensive "two's" program
triple play vendor (cable company, verizon, etc.)
gas/electric provider
cell phone company (good coverage)
car body shop
mechanic

and one odd one:
where can I get my lawn mower blades sharpened?

And if anyone needs a recommendation for a cool buyer's agent, DM me and I'll tell ya!

Thanks for the help,

Outtaheer

[bricor]

Welcome. You picked a great neighborhood to start out in.

I don't remember who our doctors are (I hardly ever go) but our family doc is at the hospital business offices at 75 and Exchange and our pediatrician is in Mckinney, off Eldorado, between Hardin and Lake Forest.

I know Grande cable has a triple play promo running now but you'll have to see who is available in your hood. Fios would be another good option if available.

Gas and electric will kind of depend. We are in a co-op and don't have a choice (Co-serv) but they are priced good so we are ok with them. You can check Power to Choose for pricing comparisons among providers.

Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-mobile are the more common carriers. Around here, I believe they all have good coverage. We have Verizon and have no issues or drop outs.

Can't help you with a body shop or mechanic really, we have used Caliber Collision in Plano as well as the body shop at Crest Cadillac. No problems with either.

I have a honda mower and use Plano Power Equipment at 15th and 75 in Plano. I'm sure there are other shops around too that can sharpen a blade.

Good luck and welcome to the area.

[tyanger]

Here's my recommendation for great pediatricians:
Legacy Pediatrics (actually in North Plano, but not far away)
4512 Legacy Drive, #200
Plano, TX 75024
972-491-7900

[jimithing78]

Originally Posted by outtaheer

Hi All,

After two years of looking, visiting, hemming and hawing, we have sold our tiny cape and are finally outtaheer. The Boss, three bambinos, two cats and I are moving to Allen in a week (yay! yikes! yay!). We have rented a place in Twin Creeks while we look for houses and get settled. To wit:

Does anyone have any (Allen/Plano) recommendations for:

doctor/pediatrician
inexpensive "two's" program
triple play vendor (cable company, verizon, etc.)
gas/electric provider
cell phone company (good coverage)
car body shop
mechanic

and one odd one:
where can I get my lawn mower blades sharpened?

And if anyone needs a recommendation for a cool buyer's agent, DM me and I'll tell ya!

Thanks for the help,

Outtaheer

Don't have suggestions for all of your things, but here's what I got:

Tripleplay vendor - No question if you're in Plano - Verizon is definitely the best. Fast internet speeds, good HD, good customer service. I'm not sure if Allen has Verizon or AT&T.

Electric - You can choose your own provider in most Texas cities, including Plano and Allen. Go to powertochoose.org to compare rates. we use Gexa and have zero complaints.

Gas - Atmos

Cell Provider - I think AT&T and Verizon have about the same coverage in DFW. Personally I like AT&T better for service outside of Dallas and phone choices.

Mechanic - What kind of car do you have? If it's a Honda or Acura I highly recommend The Hondew Shop in Richardson. They won't try to *********. Not sure if they do body work or not but I'm sure they can recommend someone if they don't.

Lawn Mower blades - Plano Power Equipment is going to be your best bet. Good repair services too, but I think they only service major brands like Honda, Snapper, Echo, Stihl, etc. They probably won't service Home Depot specials. If that doesn't work out for you then try Richardson Saw & Lawnmower. I've had good experiences with them too.

[PlanoGirl]

Originally Posted by jimithing78

Tripleplay vendor - No question if you're in Plano - Verizon is definitely the best. Fast internet speeds, good HD, good customer service. I'm not sure if Allen has Verizon or AT&T.

We have friends that live in Montgomery Farm (in Allen, very close to Twin Creeks), and they use AT&T U-Verse (Don't think Verizon FIOS to their area). We have FIOS (but we're in Plano), and though the product is good, we have had many over-billing issues that have taken months to resolve (and I am still not completely convinced they are).

[Mykidsmom1601]

Pediatrician I will recommend TLC Pediatrics in Allen!

[outtaheer]

Hey All,

We have been here six weeks or so and are loving every minute of it. Our townhouse is great, Allen is very convenient, my oldest is going to kindergarten now and the teachers seem pretty cool. He comes home from school with each day being better than the previous one. We have taken full advantage of Twin Creeks' pools, which really helped with the heat, and I have both of my kids who can speak saying "nice and hot" as in "Wow! Its nice and hot today!". I figured a little brainwashing about the heat couldn't hurt.

Anyway, just wanted to respond to my own post. We have used Raintree Pediatrics in Allen and they seem professional and courteous. Had to wait quite a bit as we scheduled an appointment the week before school started, so apparently there was a deluge of physicals for school. What can you do. Also, we took the advice of PlanoGirl and subscribed to AT&T U-verse, which is great! You can record four channels at the same time! I'm pretty psyched about that, but my wife is less so....

Thanks all for your help. The mechanics recommended so far are a bit far away for me, so I'll let you know my experience with wherever I go today to get my flat tire fixed.

[tyanger]

Glad to see you settled in West Allen - excellent choice.


(Wait for it ... it's definitely coming ... I think I hear hoofbeats ...)