Bouquet time.

About fifteen years ago I bought my mother a gold and cubic zirconia ring from QVC. She didn't wear it a great deal; then when she died in 2005 the ring came back to me. It was far too large for me so I gave it to a friend.

After a while a stone dropped out and my friend was rather upset. I telephoned QVC and told them what had happened and they told me to send it back to them. I have just received it back from QVC, repaired and cleaned. No charge. That would be good service for a relatively new ring, but one fiften years old?

Bouquet to QVC.

Anyone else want to hand out a bouquet?

Earlier this year we had a 14-hour transit in Malaysia so we decided to explore the shopping centre closest to the hotel we were staying in. We went into a department store consisting of several floors, kind of like Myer. There were many salespeople stationed around the store. What surprised me was whether we asked for help or not, there would be someone right there to help us! We were just walking around and when something interested us, the salesperson came up to us, offering information about the products. My brother wanted to try on some clothing, and he told the salesperson his size, then she got it out from the rack, even showing us the different colours that were available. Usually in Australia we'd do all this ourselves and only ask for help when it's needed but this was beyond that. Then after he had tried it out, someone was there to carry all our items to the checkout for us to pay.

I don't know if this is custom for all shopping centres in Malaysia but in the short time we were there, we could see that people were very friendly and always eager to lend a hand.

Bouquets to the service in Malaysian shopping centres!

Anybody who lives in, or has lived in, France will know that when I say that Customer Service is a concept yet to reach their shore, I speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

On one occasion my daughter purchased an €8.00 toy which, on opening it, was missing one piece. Back at the store I had to dispute for over half an hour with the assistant, then the manager before she was reimbursed her money. They wanted us to complain to the manufacturer in Norway!!

Anyhow, in contrast to the usual (extremely) poor after-sales service I have come to expect here, I have had ONE excellent service to applaud. On the advice of the shop assistant I purchased an expensive grill pan which she assured me would work on my induction hob, thus making my existing pots and pans useable on the hob and avoiding my having to invest in a complete new set specially for the induction hob. However the grill did not work, and I wrote off the expense and chalked it up to experience. 18 months later I returned to the store to buy another product and the assistant remembered me (having a disting english-speaking accent in this corner of France may have contributed to that ). We got chatting and I related to her my disappointment that the grill hadn't worked as expected. She then insisted that I bring back the pan and she reimbursed me cash straight away, all this in the absence of my chekcout receipt or any other proof that I had purchased the item there.

Needless to say I was gobsmacked as this is the total opposite of the service usually received in these situations, and to this day I continue to purchase all my kitchen requirements at her store.

That reminds me a little of an experience in our local branch of Marks and Spencers. In a moment of madness I once bought two cashmere cardigans in our town branch. I say madness as firstly they were expensive and secondly they were a bit on the 'snug' side but I thought they would be an incentive to lose some weight. Needless to say that didn't work and they remained in the plastic covers.

One day I was in our local M&S store and talking to one of the supervisors about an item I wanted to return. I then half-jokingly said that I had a couple of cardigans I had bought the previous year and it was a pity I hadn't returned them. She told me that provided the item is still 'in the computer' then they will take it back, if the receipt was missing then the refund would be in vouchers. She suggested I brought them in and she would check.

I did as she suggested and much to my amazement they were still in the system, not only that but there had been a price increase so she had to refund the amount they were currently selling for!

The local store, and the store in town no longer stocked this style and I saw them for sale in a third branch, they were the only two so I knew they were mine.

The kind of service that Blurrystar speaks of is quite the norm here and in the countries around. So much so, in fact , that I find it irritating, and wish they WOULD leave me alone to look at things in peace sometimes. Most of the time (I hate to sound bitter), they are instructed to follow you round because they are told to watch for theft, and also they are on commission, Sorry but that is often the case. They are quite polite , however, as you said, and are trained to be helpful and friendly.

When my dissertation supervisor retired, I thought that a certain early 19th-century print that I had seen illustrated from time to time would be the perfect gift for him. I went to a well-regarded print dealer from whom my husband and I had bought art and who had previously had works by the artist in stock.

Alas, the dealer didn't have that print, and I couldn't find it at several other print dealers' shops. I had given up on the idea when the first gentleman called me. He had spent days calling around the country trying to find the print, and he had finally located one in a gallery in Georgetown, in Washington D.C. Did I still want it?

When I said, yes, absolutely, he gave me the contact number of the Georgetown gallery, so I could arrange for purchase and shipping. I was not charged for this "location service," and the Georgetown dealer assured me that there was no commission "kickback" -- the print wasn't that valuable anyway. I was amazed that the man had gone to so much trouble for no profit, beyond a little good will. I remain very grateful.

I want to thank Air Creebec and Air Labrador for helping me take native students from the North ( cree children ) on a field trip to Newfoundland. To also see the children smile and to see things in a different culture brought tears to my eyes. I will never forget the excellent support of these two excellent airlines.

I'm afraid I agree with ren33! When I go into a shop, I DO like to be left alone. If I need help,(service) I will ask. I also find it irritating when three people approach to "help" after being inside for all of five minutes!

I'm another of the brigade who do not appreciate being 'pounced on' as soon as I show even minimal interest in an item. Often this tactic results in me leaving the store quite speedily. I like to have a good browse and request advice or help if something tempts me, not feel frog-marched into making a hurried decision, thanks very much.

The instantaneous 'May I help you?' before I've even seen what the store has to offer really annoys me. How on earth do I know in advance what the place has which might interest me before I've even had a chance to adjust to the change in light?

Please, please leave me do my shopping/browsing in peace!!!

My hand goes up quickly to agree with Veronikkamarrz, Santana, and am fully aware of what ren stated - clerks in these stores are paid on commission, therefore will bend over backwards to help you, as they gain financially from being of assistance to you.

It irritates me - I like to look, and make a decision on my own, without some fawning assistant telling me that I look beautiful. I know how big my own rear-end is, I know what looks good and what doesn't, so don't play me for a fool. If I say I don't like a certain colour, don't bring me clothes in this colour, they make me look deathly ill, and I WON'T be buying them. You are wasting my time, and your own. You will make no commission from me if you continue in this vein. I've been known to take my purchases to another assistant to process in order to avoid the annoying customer service person receiving a commission - yes, I can be mean if provoked.

This having been said, I will tip above and beyond what is usually required if I receive above-average service. I believe that excellent service should be rewarded. I will avoid the lovely, expensive restaurant and eat at the lesser-known place around the corner if that's where the best service is.