Your tales of excellent customer service have really made me smile over the past month.
From the bank that sent flowers to a recently bereaved widower to the ferry company that waived its strict no-refund policy on pre-paid tickets after a customer went into hospital, your letters and emails make it oh-so clear that all it really takes to win over a customer for life is that human touch; a bit of compassion, an understanding ear and someone willing to throw the rulebook out the window.
So, as promised, today I reveal the winner(s) of my mini-competition calling for the top service tales of 2019.
A little goes a long way: Your letters and emails make it oh-so clear that all it really takes to win over a customer for life is that human touch
In first place is Alan Graham, of Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, who lost his mobile phone after visiting Thirsk one morning.
He says: ‘I had rung around all the places I’d visited in Thirsk, including the James Herriot museum and cafes.
‘Back home I had searched the house and car and was resigned to its loss when I took a call on the house phone from the HSBC branch in Thirsk to say it was there.
‘Someone had handed it in anonymously after finding it in the street outside the bank’s ATM.
‘They had searched through my phone to find my home details and hoped I wouldn’t mind. Of course not! They had just saved me a lot of outlay and distress!
‘My wife and I had barely set off on the hour-long drive back to Thirsk when her mobile rang. It was Sue from the same HSBC branch asking if we would meet her outside Costa in Bedale, about five miles away, to save us going out of our way.
‘Humbled, and as if on a blind date, we met the lovely Sue. It’s so heart-warming to know there are still such good, honest and kindly folk around, doing good deeds every day which, for the most part, go unreported.’
As someone with a rather sweet tooth, I also thoroughly enjoyed Allison Cosgrove’s letter: ‘I’d like to nominate grocery staff at the Asda in Dunbar, East Lothian.
‘I was all set to make a Jamie Oliver tiramisu for Christmas dinner, but couldn’t find sponge fingers or mascarpone cheese when I went to the store on December 23.
‘Jackie, from the shop, advised me to phone the next morning and staff would put the items aside for me. I was amazed a store would do this, especially as it was so busy, but went along the next morning and sponge fingers were waiting for me! After a quick enquiry at the cheese counter, a staff member came back with mascarpone.
‘Pudding saved, well done ASDA. The tiramisu was delicious, by the way!’
A bottle of champagne is on its way to each of you!
Penny wise
Thank you for all your brilliant money-saving tips this week.
Sara Brown says her family does a slightly easier version of the penny challenge: they save 1p on the first day, 2p on the second, 3p on the third and so on, then they reset at the six-month marker and start again from 1p.
This makes the savings plan much easier to stick to and still leaves the family with more than £300 at the end of the year — which they pop into their music tin to go towards concert tickets.
Joan Hammond says she rounds up the interest she earns on her savings account each month to the nearest £100. So if she earns £49, she pays in an extra £51.
‘This will give me an extra £1,200 over the year if I don’t touch the cash,’ she says.
Meanwhile, Anne Firm is raving about her NatWest Rewards account, which pays cashback on utility bills and other spending.
Over the course of last year, she earned an extra £300 (minus the £24 annual cost of the account) — a very welcome bonus for Christmas!
No more delays
Our cover story reveals how Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to help victims of ruthless pension scams four years ago — even posing for a photo.
Well, he must not delay any further. HMRC’s woeful failings left thousands vulnerable to fraudsters, so to chase victims now for punitive taxes is unjust.
Mr Johnson, finally you have the power to do something about this — so do it.
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