You're welcome....

[zoidberg]

In half-a-lifetime of buying gear and services - not only 'boaty' - I reckon my antennae for 'keen to help' and 'good service' are well tuned. The converse is also true.
I've long thought it odd and imbalanced that most businesses have a well-polished 'complaints' procedure, with forms prominent on the reception desk or website - which almost invites complaints - but nothing for the other side of the coin. They sometimes seem to be surprised when one tries to say thanks for a job/service done well.

I've also noticed that when a word of thanks is communicated - whether in a fast-food outlet, a supermarket or a chandlery - the people there notice. It encourages others to repeat the satisfactory service. Also, one tends to go to that firm first when looking to repeat order..... whether for sails, services, or standing rigging.

So, to start the ball rolling, here are a few of my more recent 'Gold Star' outfits:

Allen Brothers, for solutions, now run by an Essex girl....
AllSpars of Plymouth, for rigging consultancy and kit....
CWS Lifting of Bath, for high-grade anchor chain far cheaper than 'Solent swindleries'....
Mayflower and Yacht Haven Quay marinas, for 'yes we can'....
Avon Stainless, for specialist fixings....

There are others. Perhaps you'll mention one or two....

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Alex Spence, AS Yacht Services – Yacht rigging, rig tuning and rig inspection Rigger, West Coast of Scotland, Oban area. Very pleasant, good service, tidy worker, flexible and patient. An accommodating professional.
Adam Way and staff at A&R Boat Building. This company is always busy, but they have time for queries, are excellent boat builders, and just a pleasant bunch of people. wooden boat builder: wooden boat: boat repairs: Traditional Wooden Boatbuilders and Classic Yachts : A and R Way Boatbuilding
Jean-Pierre at Hadlow Marine Services http://hadlowmarine.com/Pages/Introduction.html straight forward advice and a great service refurbishing windows and hopefully hatches this winter.
Owen Sails, near Oban. They have been flexible and accommodating with my queries, front desk is very knowledgeable as well as their sail and canvass workers, quality sails and repairs from them at a decent price. Scotland's Premier Sailmaker | Owen Sails

 

[LittleSister]

Allen Brothers, for solutions, now run by an Essex girl....
. . .

Well, if they can supply the solutions, I can supply the problems!

 

[Neeves]

Allen Brothers, for solutions, now run by an Essex girl....

They not only have solutions but make the kit.

Jonathan

 

[zoidberg]

You'll be intrigued by my latest misuse of their Low Friction Thimbles. I'll send you a pic or three when assembled....

 

[Neeves]

You show me yours

and I'll show you mine.


Thread drift

There is nothing wrong with Essex girls, our daughter is one and she does my CAD work (the technology, or black magic, is a complete mystery to me).

Jonathan

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Well, that depends on context and the prevalent definition.

Essex girl

 

[jane444blue]

+1 for Hadlow marine, very helpful
Allspars Hamble, helpful and knowledgeable.
London Chartplotters, great little tough tablet, have ring twice on Sundays when afloat (once when double handed racing and short tacking close up Dorset coast. No idea what I pressed but we needed the chart and it had vanished) Steve always sorts it out and despatches stuff wherever I am.

 

[Neeves]

And Selden?

We had a Selden boom and when the outhaul failed had to abandon our passage, a short way up Tasmania's east coast, and make repairs. Not so onerous we were passing Wineglass Bay at the time.

The boom was held together, the special castings at each end of the boom, with special 'Alan' keyed security bolts - were we supplied with the appropriate keys .... ??

Of course not - you soon learn to bodge.

The answer from Selden's agent was the one every marine apprentice learns on their first day...

'Terribly sorry sir - we have never heard of that before'

They must think we are idiots - talking later to an owner of a sister yacht - same thing had happened to them. To add insult to injury - they wanted to charge for the replacement outhaul (upgraded from stainless wire to dyneema).

Strangely - you never forget the bad service

Jonathan

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Why introduce a bad service experience on a thread about good service experiences?

 

[mjcoon]

Why introduce a bad service experience on a thread about good service experiences?

The need to define a scale...

 

[Stemar]

It isn't the fact that something went wrong - companies are run by fallible humans, so things will go wrong once in a while. What people remember is how you deal with the issue. Screw up and put it right promptly and properly, and you've got a faithful customer. Start wriggling or dodging, and you'll never see that guy again, or his mates that he'll tell at every opportunity

 

[justanothersailboat]

I really don't want to get into providing calibration points for this. So to stick to the original theme, I've had some very helpful service this year from Jimmy Green Marine, who sorted out some (not their fault) problems for me at impressively short notice, and from Medway Sling rigging.

 

[LittleSister]

I've had excellent after-sales support from
Sailspar (even though I wasn't the original purchaser); and from
NASA Marine.

Good service and advice from
Hadlow Marine.

I've unfortunately forgotten the (short?) name of the marine engineer in Ipswich - one man band, I think. He had previously worked at Fox's. Good very prompt, flexible and skilled service with an urgent problem that others in the area didn't want to know about at the time.

. . . I've had some very helpful service this year from Jimmy Green Marine, who sorted out some (not their fault) problems for me at impressively short notice. . .

Jimmy Green, many decades ago (pre-internet), cut the standing rigging I'd ordered to the wrong lengths, I only discovered when I'd got the mast back up to fit it, so the mast had to come down again (and later up again). They promptly replaced the faulty rigging, but the lack of any apology for their error and the considerable trouble, delay and expense it caused still rankles. On such matters reputations are founded.

 

[justanothersailboat]

Interesting... wonder if they've got better or I was very lucky!

 

[zoidberg]

I'm more than pleased to add to the growing list:

Marlow Ropes - Rob Henderson and Paul Dyer, for several bouts of 'consultancy'
Chris at Ruach Rigging - for even more 'consultancy'