Testimonials

To the partners of Thoburn & Chapman

Call me old fashioned, but in these days when one of the main reasons firms lose customers is not just because of poor quality products or high prices but because of a percieved indifference towards the customer, what a refreshing change to deal with someone who "has it all".

Having both recently retired from business & suffered a bereavement, the collection of information for my business accounts, estate documents plus my personal annual returns was always going to be a daunting and time-consuming task, so I thought I would take the time to write a few words, as one of their longest standing clients, for their website, in the knowledge that little time would be required when the words of praise would be so readily forthcoming. The documents in question were delivered after a good deal of time and effort and after staggering down to Thoburn & Chapman to deliver them I walked away, as I usually do, confident in the knowledge that I would be well looked after by them.

Thoburn & Chapman and my own (until recently) firm are both long standing family businesses in South Shields with, I believe, a similar business ethos of supplying a quality product at a fair price backed up by an efficient, personal and friendly service. Everyone at Thoburn & Chapman from the partners downwards are very approachable and assume a personal involvement, with advice given & queries answered, promptly. An up-to-date knowledge of their particular field of expertise linked to the latest technology and allied to these "old fashioned" values has always seemed to me to offer the ideal package - and so it has proved over the years!

With that in mind, the next time you "log on" and experience the frenetic, sometimes impersonal and often frustrating world of information transmitted through cyberspace or even worse the dubious delights of the call centre, try to reflect, whilst kept on hold listening to whatever mind-numbing music like the stuff played in hotel lifts the world over, that at Thoburn & Chapman where the customer really is king, they do genuinely appreciate the phrase "Your call is important to us"

I'm afraid that when it comes to a choice between talking to pleasant & efficient people over a cup of coffee or being plunged into yet another telephonic abyss, it's milk and one sugar for me everytime, or is this really just me being old fashioned - somehow, I think not!

Les Greenwood - Former owner of J.Greenwood & Sons.