YouWish

Hi All

As anyone knows I can throw bricks with the best of them but it is a delight to tell a story of fantastic service, ironically starting with a Service!

The Honda Jazz is a fantastic little car that does everything really well and ours, a 2002 model is one of the first in the UK and has never really missed a beat other than needing a replacement rear wheel bearing in whilst on holiday on France in 2006.  Unexpected but not the end of the world and put down to the fact it works hard with top box etc.

Spin on to 2009 and I take it into Brayley Honda in St.Albans and have its serviced which went well other than I’m told the other rear wheel bearing needs replacing BUT great news it will be done free because Honda have extended the warranty to 9 years on this item. Fantastic.

So taking a chance I write to Honda UK asking if they will contribute to the cost of the French one. I didn’t hold much hope:

- it was 3 years ago

- it was replaced by a Renault Garage (although I had the receipt and it was a Honda part)

Today I received a phone message from a named person at Honda UK in Slough, Sam. I missed her call and traded friendly  messages but I assumed it was a “sorry but….” situation. Wrong! When at last we spoke it was to inform me that they would pay the French cost in full and were converting into sterling.

Wow. Well done Honda. Well done Sam in Customer Service in Slough.

Now that really is SERVICE. I’m telling everyone and will probably buy a Honda FRV next so Honda really do understand the lifetime value of their customers. Shame the banks have yet to get there (other than First Direct).

Until next time.

Nick

I was just strolling home yesterday  in London enjoying the evening sun and how fine the world looked, when I heard a horrendous roaring noise. I carried on round the corner and alighted on a group of blokes attacking a rather proud tree! They were cutting large branches off it. I was horrified. My second reaction was to look to see what company they were from and to consider reporting them. They seemed absolutely non-plussed at another person gawping at their work.

I suppose in some environments one would call them tree surgeons – a very refined name for what appeared to me to be like environmental vandalism. I mean I know that there are times when they are an invaluable resource and prevent damage and cut down dead trees etc, but far too often nowadays they seem to be called out to do someone’s bidding just to make something more civilised. In this particular case clearly they were blocking the sunlight going into a top floor room, but that was no reason to cut down half the tree.

Trees are so precious and no more so than in London, where more and more get cut down and replaced with rather less mighty imitations. I wonder whether the Council even knew that this was happening and whether they would  bothered if they were told.

But then I thought maybe I might need a tree surgeon one day – I could be that person wanting my view cleared. And actually where did one find a good tree surgeon. Certainly I had never heard of a company that does it. Are there any national tree surgery companies – who knows? And how would I know if they were any good or if they just hacked down what they were told for a fee- the mercenaries of the spinney! It’s time for some tree surgery company ratings just in case someone needs one. Hopefully it won’t be me since I don’t want to encourage that sort of behaviour!