Well, this makes a nice change. I was depressing myself doing yet another Blog and identifying some poor and "who gives a damn, I just work here" customer service I recently encountered when I got an E Mail from the guy who's bought the villa in Florida I had booked a while ago (when it belonged to someone else). I was anxious that the deal still stood as I'd booked it privately.
Some background first to set the scene. We've holidayed in Florida a good number of times over the years because the US is well ahead of Europe in terms of facilities for wheelchair users and as one of our party is in this category it makes a big difference. Attitude, helpfulness, access are all less of a problem going West rather than East. So, booking an "adapted" villa, with pool hoist and other modifications to make our stay easier is always high on our list.
Paul Simmons, the new owner, himself a wheelchair user (and for those who find the name familiar Britain's former No2 disabled tennis player) wrote to confirm the booking and has put himself out to ensure that all our needs and requirements can be met even to ensuring that a cot (for grandchild No2) would be purchased as he didn't recall seeing one.
Paul's attention to his customer doesn't stem from sharing their special needs, disabilities cover a huge spectrum not just wheelchair users. Having had a few E mails from him I know this attention comes from a genuine desire to provide an excellent service. He knows that his business future - he plans to buy more villas suitable for special needs users - relies on customer satisfaction, attention to detail and having the right attitude. Perhaps some of it is because he runs his business himself, but its far more than that. Paul will answer E Mails at the weekends and evenings. He listens to his customer's needs and better even, anticipates their needs as much as possible.
Paul, and his service, is a breath of fresh air to this cynical searcher for customer service. He is looking at how best to manage his web site profile but can currently be found on
- www.accesstosunshine.com;
- www.castout2florida.com;
- www.365sunshine.com and;
- www.teeoffotsunshine.com.
Its not often I can say this but if your needs are in this area and you want to deal with a guy who is dedicated to his business and your requirements, Paul's your man.
