A selection of our recent nominations...

Nominations are posted in the order received and are not otherwise prioritised.

Sarah Jack nominated Russell Williams from the Roof Rack Centre in Sandringham.

"The service we have had from Russell and his staff at the Roof Rack Centre is superb.

Late last year we wanted roof rails and a roof box as our car wasn't large enough for the holiday paraphernalia of a small family.

Russell was incredibly knowledgeable about the various products on themarket and helped us decide on the best solutions for our needs. 

He made the whole process very straightforward, ordered the stock he didn't have on hand to come in within a couple of days and spent time fitting the products to the car and giving us a lesson in how to use them.  The prices were also very competitive.

 A year later, we got a new car and the roof rails no longer fitted.  I went into the Roof Rack Centre fully expecting to have to buy new rails, but hoping that they might have a second hand market for our old ones to help keep the cost down. 

Their service completely exceeded my expectations when they not only exchanged our rails for a trade-in set that fitted our new car, but also spent a good half hour fitting the replacement rails - all at absolutely no cost. 

The service provided by Russell and his team is nothing short of excellent".

Katinka Keys nominated Emma Crossett of Brother New Zealand:

"I don't even know where to start telling you about this young lady. I don't know her, I have never met her. What I can tell you that she is the most extraordinary, efficient, charming and  generous person I have ever come across in almost 50 years of being in business.

I had recurring problems with a Brother printer. Brother's agents serviced the printer several times (while printer was still less than a year old !).

The service people fixed the problems, but they recurred. Each time it was very frustrating, and the cause of repeated backlog of work and missed deadlines. The domino effect of not having all files complete became a
nightmare.

A Brother customer staff mis-handled the "complaint" resulting in huge frustration and a very high level of anger from me. The problem was referred to Emma Crossett Marketing Manager - Brother Printers, to deal with.

From the very first moment, Emma profusely apologised, empathised and understood my frustration and anger. She immediately offered to replace printer with the latest model.

 While many organisations would do that, she went way beyond this. She was equally concerned ensuring that Brother mades up for the "bad experience" and also arranged other concessions to a very generous degree.

But the clincher was her attitude, her genuine intention to sort this through to everyone's satisfaction.

She did not just pay lip service to customer relations to get this problem off her back.

The steps she has taken to ensure that I was happy was beyond anything that anyone has a right to expect, and she has followed up repeatedly since. 

She has given me her personal mobile number, so I may call her day and night and weekends. I won't, but what an offer! 

She also offered to have my printing work done during the changeover period between printers.

Emma's boss also deserves a huge thank you. Unlike many CEOs he was not primarily concerned with the bottom line, and accepted this as a lesson to learn from, and how to improve their service for customer problems in the future.

He and Emma turned around a very upset client to one prepared to highlight great customer service via the Auckland Awesome Service Awards.

While I often grizzle about appalling service, I always thank people for great service, often via a letter to the company.

 However, I have never come across anything remotely as superb as Emma's genuine wish to help.

The way Emma resolved this situation should be a textbook case for anyone working in a people-contact industry.

I encourage you to speak with this young lady - you will know exactly what I mean!"

Meha Gangotra nominated Shona Addison of Raines Homewares:

"How easy is it going to be to exchange/return a product that I ordered online is the question I asked myself when I looked at the $129 Gorham Hip Flask 5-piece gift set that got delivered a few days ago.

The answer in my mind was a long winded process, possible refusal, if the supplier agreed then a long drive to Glenfield - a trip which I so wasn't looking forward to.

The background is - I bought the gift set using my ASB True Rewards points. The leather on the flask seemed to be coming off or not glued in properly.

As it was not purchased directly from Raines Homewares, going through the True Rewards system would have been time consuming. I had to gift the set this week so I thought I'll give the supplier a call directly & try my luck
(their details were on the delivery box).

Lucky I was for sure- spoke with the Marketing Manager Shona who without a second though offered to exchange the flask. Inquired about my location and said a staff member will be there to see me tomorrow (which is today).

She kindly apologized for the inconvenience.

Now comes the staff member - Phillip - with not one, but 3 flasks in his hands, so I could choose whichever one I thought was best.

Now this is way beyond the call of duty and most exceptional service I have ever experienced.

I thought this was going to be a time consuming nightmare but I didn't even have to move a leg to get a replacement. Outstanding!!! Businesses don't go to this extent these days".

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Ravi Kandula nominated Steven Price of Computer Direct:

"I purchased an ex-lease laptop from Steven's business through their website which, it must be said, is one of the most easy to understand and well laid out sites that I have encountered.

All the information a potential customer might require is presented clearly & concisely, which is something of a rarity in this particular sector. I was pleasantly surprised by the price discount due the fact that no sales support was required - the level of transparency during the purchase process was refreshing.

Steven called me a day after I had expected the product to have been shipped to explain that there had been a delay and he had taken the opportunity to update the software on the machine. It was during this conversation that I mentioned I was planning to migrate an operating system license onto the laptop from my previous one.

 Steven was not only very helpful in advising the procedure for doing so but, in a superb example of going the extra mile, he called back to ask for the license details and proceeded to carry out the entire operation for me, including taking care of the activation process with the software supplier.

 The machine still made it into the courier's hands at the same time he had promised over the phone and it was clear from his emails that it had taken a long evening of work to achieve this. I received the machine today and it was a great out-of-the-box experience.

All this for no extra charge despite the extra work required. I could not be more pleased with my purchase & will be recommending Computer Direct to any friends & colleagues that need their services".

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Jo Moore nominated Dan Hellyer of The Cylinder Guy Ltd:

"We were in need of a new hot water cylinder and I was gathering a couple of quotes.  I phoned one place and still to today I haven't received a reply.  The next place I phoned I did receive a quote but it seemed a little exorbitant.

I next phoned The Cylinder Guy number 0800 234 800 where I received an answering service who took my details to say someone would be in touch soon. 

True to their word Dan phoned only 2hrs later whom, after asking me some details, gave me an approximate price but asked me to send some photos of the cylinder we presently had and to confirm the cupboard dimensions.  That night I did that and the following day I received a written quote which seemed more than reasonable. 

 I phoned Dan to book the job and I also asked him some questions e.g. did I need a new insulation blanket for the new cylinder? Would my present shower head cope with mains pressure etc. Dan answered the questions with great humour and without a hint that the questions I was asking him were silly.

Within 3 working days from phoning for a quote our new hot water cylinder was in and working and the pressure marvellous!  I did email Dan back with a further question about how to lower the temperature and he gave my detailed instructions but said if they weren't clear to me he'd be more than happy to send one of the plumbers back around to adjust it for me.

The service I received from Dan on the end of the phone/email to Tom who came and installed our cylinder for us was INCREDIBLY efficient, professional and cost efficient.  Nothing seemed too much to ask and it made the unexpected cost of having to get a new hot water cylinder all the better for it being so hassle free.

Dan, Tom and the company deserve recognition by receiving the AWESOME SERVICE AWARD because they live the meaning of it".

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Sarah Cross nominated Shyon Foo, pharmacist and owner  of Uni-Health Pharmacy Takapuna:

"On a searing hot day, having just spent several hundred dollars on groceries at a supermarket some 4 kilometres from my home, I loaded the grocery bags in the boot of my car along with my hand bag. I closed the boot and realised I had just locked my car keys, cell phone and wallet in the boot of my locked car.

 I went back into the supermarket and explained the situation and asked if I could borrow their phone. They said I could, but that only local landline numbers could be called, which was no use as I had to call a mobile phone.

The staff offered no further assistance so I went back to my car to will my doors to unlock themselves!

 By this stage I was quite overwhelmed and distressed and went back to the supermarket and asked if I could make a call to a mobile phone  number and come back and pay for it  once I had access to my belongings. But their system did not allow it so I walked to an adjoining pharmacy (Uni-Health Pharmacy Takapuna) and explained my predicament.

I was assisted by a very helpful young female assistant who checked with her manager (who turned out to be the owner) who said I was welcome to make a mobile call on their phone and offered to search online for a land line number.  I then remembered I could ring for road side assistance on an 0800 number. In the end, the pharmacy let me use their phone three times, arranging for road side assistance to unlock my door and for my husband to come and hold my hand.

 All without me making a purchase!

 A few weeks later I returned to the pharmacy with a prescription and asked what time they were closing as I planned to go to the supermarket while they were dispensing it. He said they were about to close but if I waited he would fill the prescription (despite my saying I could get it filled later).

This pharmacy - owned by the pharmacist Shyon Foo - provides wonderful customer service and deserves to be recognised."

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Glenn Mccutehcon nominated Roger Edwards of John Edwards Motors:

"What can I say about this family run business?  I have been a customer of the business for about 20years, with warrants and general small repairs.

Nothing is a problem, two small or two big, from a breakdown (I have had a couple of them) to major repairs. I had to have my automatic gearbox repaired before Xmas. No time before the week before Xmas, but Roger made sure that I was covered if the transmission collapsed before the workshop reopened in the New Year.

 Not only did he give me their private cell number, but organised one of the mechanics to be on standby to rescue me and organise the loan car.  I was reassured over the Xmas time, and fortunately didn't have to disrupt anyone's plans!!

 The staff are obliging and treat all the customers the same. They are professional and hard working.  I have no hesitation in nominating this business for an Awesome Service Award.  Thank you for this opportunity".

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Catherine Andrewes nominated Colin Wigg, owner of Col's Cobble Shoppe, Dominion Road:

"I took my shoes in to be resoled. I was told they would be finished in a couple of weeks and I went back in and they were not finished. When they were finished I received $20 back from the original price which I was not expecting at all and surprised to receive.

 Later, although I was really happy with the workmanship, I was unhappy at how high the soles were.

After wearing them twice I took them back in, along with another pair. The man at the shop did not question me or make me feel like a prima-donna for complaining and did not charge me for sanding the soles down or for putting new velcro attachments on them.

 I really appreciate the way he takes problems  and creates solutions that make me grin from ear to ear. When I leave his shop I feel like I have not been ripped off and I feel like he is on my side, genuinely caring about his customer and trying to do the best job he can for me and not just to profit from me.

 I will be a repeat customer even if I move away from Auckland."

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Coral Timmins nominated Glen Owens of Easy Moves:

"We recently moved from Henderson to Pokeno and only a couple of weeks before we had been let down by friends for the moving day.

I contacted Easy Move through their website and Glen responded that they could do the move for us.  We set a time and he confirmed pricing.  Four days prior to the move my husband was taken ill and was in hospital until after the move.

The Easy Move team of two arrived on time and with only two women on site, they loaded and stacked their trucks. 
Within a few hours they had completed a massive task.  The two guys took direction well and very soon all was unloaded and in the correct rooms.

The guys were cheerful and helpful and did a fantastic job.  Not a thing was damaged, even an old mirror with a crack arrived in the same condition.

Glen obviously has recruited a team of staff with great attitudes.  The pricing was really reasonable - in fact my parents had paid much more in their move a few years ago. 

Then, when there was an error with the billing, I called Glen and it was corrected on the same day.  This is wonderful service, straight up admitting the error and remedying it. 

As you can imagine, this move was very stressful for me with my husband in hospital, but the Easy Move guys lived up to their name and made it really EASY for me".

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Grant Nicholson nominated Greg & Alie of Back Door Cat Door Man:

"Greg and Alie provide the standard of service seldom seen in New Zealand nowadays. Totally professional from start to beginning. Both are so friendly and helpful and will go out of their way to accommodate.

Greg's standard of workmanship is above A1. He is totally honest and trustworthy, explaining everything step by step. I really can not praise this couple enough and would recommend them without any hesitation at all.

In short - simply AWESOME service.Well done guys".

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Catherine Hallinan nominated Drury Tyres:

"I had a slow leak on a tyre which I had to fix.  I took the tyre off my car and replaced it with a spare one.  I took it to Drury Tyres, and they fixed the slow leak tyre in 15 minutes. 

They also offered me a cup of tea and a nice area to sit down while I waited. The whole thing only cost $27
and they put the correct tyre back on my car.  They were super friendly too.

Its refreshing being treated with some respect and to not feel taken advantage of, which is so often the case for a single woman walking into any kind of mechanic. Their service was friendly, economical, and I feel they
were very trustworthy".

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Amanda Kinzett nominated Christine at Onehunga Jewellers:

"Christine is amazing, everytime I go into her store you are welcomed like an old friend.  She is always happy and interested in her customers. 

She has trained her staff up to be customer focused and no matter who serves you, you are well looked after.  Christine always goes that extra mile and the last time I walked out feeling a million dollars.

They are an amazing team and considering other retailers are struggling Christine has increased her team and has never got a bad word to say about anything or anyone.

She is a champion and a great business person. Well worth being recognised for the fabulous service she delivers".

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Denise Walker nominated Heather of Curtain Studio, Wairau Park:

"I had the curtains I was making cut out on the lounge floor when I realised I needed extra thermal lining. So at 4.20pm on 31 December I knocked on Curtain Studio's window as the shop had closed early for the year (I didn't realise they would be closing at 4pm).

Heather was excellent! She let me and another customer in who needed some curtain hooks. I had been served by Heather  the previous day and she knew this was my first time making curtains.

She was so helpful and cut the extra fabric I needed so I could get my curtains finished during the holidays.

Talking to her I found out this was her 6th day on and she had the next 2 days off  -  she didn't have to do this but she went the "extra mile" and she was so lovely about it."

Jenny Rylatt nominated Lea Corfield of Kiwibank:

"When we decided to sell our house we wanted to know if it was possible to keep our existing mortgage, so we contacted Kiwibank who were so helpful and made everything seem so easy setting our minds at rest.

 We put an offer in on the house we wanted to buy and sold ours but just as we sold ours, the vendors of the one we wanted to buy had another offer on the table.

 To cut a long story short the vendors exercised the escape clause in the contract which was that we had to pay $65,000 deposit within 5 days (which we didn't have until we had settled on our house) and were also sticking to the settlement date which was 3 weeks earlier than our settlement date, hence we also needed a bridging loan.  Selling and buying a house is very stressful without added complications.

 This is where Lea Corfield came into the picture.  We cannot praise Kiwibank and these two members of staff highly enough.  Their no-nonsense attitude, efficiency, empathy etc. etc. saw us through a very stressful period.  Kiwibank really came to the party when we needed them most."

Suellen Hurling from the Royal Akarana Yacht Club nominated Penny Smith of Konica Minolta:

"Penny is completely on the ball and touches base with me regularly to ensure that I have all the paper supplies that we need for our business.

Because we operate on a spur of the moment basis Penny takes records of what we get, when and why and reminds me of what I've done in the past to ensure I'm ready for next time.

Her emails are always full of joy!  No matter what demands I put on her to supply, she always does and has never let me down. 

I required an urgent service on our printer and within 10 minutes we had a technician here.  I did an urgent order for more paper and it was here the next morning. 

She is just great.  She is honest and will always let me know the status of anything I've ordered.  Honestly, and I know this sounds weird, but I would be a little lost without her!!!"

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Tamzin Sheehan nominated Charmaine Cooksey of Air New Zealand:

"We were planning a holiday in September when my husband's mother became ill and passed away. We cancelled our holiday and have just re-booked it for October.

On re-booking I spoke to a number of people via the 0800 number regarding our previous seating allocations being replicated to no avail. It wasn't until I emailed Air New Zealand and Charmaine responded that things began to happen.

Charmaine heard our story, and was compassionate and attentive. She investigated and ensured our seating allocations were replicated.

 Charmaine exhibited the most amazing customer service I have experienced in a long time and while our seating allocations were part of our entitlements due to my husbands status, I wasn't heard until I managed to link with Charmaine.

Charmaine's colleagues could learn a lot from her regarding their interface with people and enabling good things to happen."

Rod and Arlene Smith nominated Wendy Witheridge of Auto Rentals Direct:

"A friend from the UK rented a car from Wendy who met her at the airport and drove her to her destination in Howick as she was not knowledgeable about the area. 

Later when she wanted to fly to Christchurch for a short stay Wendy again picked her up, drove her to the airport and upon her return repeated the trip.

At the end of the visit Wendy picked up my friend, presented her with a t-shirt, teatowel and handcream and once again drove her to the airport.  

The service was outstanding, friendly and so convenient that it warrants registering for an Awesome Service Award. 

I also feel with their wonderful attitude their company is a great ambassador for NZ and the tourist industry."

Pat Allen nominated Dean and the team at Central Landscape and Garden Supplies, Silverdale:

"I am getting a bit long in the tooth and I have a few health issues.

I have taken two trailer loads of green waste to this company this week. Not only is the price to unload green waste for recycling into mulch almost half the price of the local recycling company, more importantly on both occasions the staff unloaded the trailer for me, including sweeping the deck for me. I didn't lift a finger.

I took a load to the local recycling company before I knew Central Silverdale took green waste and because of the personal issues I noted above it took me half an hour to empty the trailer myself.

 So I calculate Central saved me an hour, and they are almost $50 cheaper, and their unloading service saved me some pain and suffering.

This is truly a great service."
 

Stoney Burke nominated Heiko Schickedanz of Forrest Hill Motors:

"I have used Forrest Hill Motors for many years for my car maintenance needs, including the time prior to Heiko taking it over some years ago.

When he took over there was a distinct improvement in service generally, personal, friendly and efficient.

There is much competition for this type of business but the superior service keeps me returning.

 The most specific instance of this was within the last few weeks.  I have a very good quality car which had an intermittent minor but irritating transmission shudder. 

Heiko had test driven it  three times in attempting to diagnose the problem and while only narrowing down the likely component, he researched the issue widely. 

This was all at no cost.  Eventually the car stopped completely [in the middle of a traffic light controlled intersection!] and I had it delivered to Forrest Hill Motors. 

Heiko gave me a loan car to get home while he investigated.

He eventually discovered that this was  known problem for the vehicle and that it was likely that the component was the subject of a manufacturers recall.

He recommended that I have it delivered to an official service agent to make that point and have it repaired.

I did, and he was right, my car was repaired under a specific warranty, saving me over $1600.

In the meantime, as I had no other transport, Heiko insisted that I keep his loan car for the two days duration of the repair by the service centre, again at no charge other than my own petrol cost!

I suspect there would be few firms or individuals who display such honesty, integrity and exceptional service when dealing with customers.

 I strongly recommend Heiko for this award."

Kate McKenzie nominated Colin Druce of Acorn Tree Services, Auckland"

"Right from the first dealing with Colin he did what he said he would do. He came out and quoted when he said he would and started the job the time and day he said.

From our experience with tree people this is a rare happening. Colin did a really great job clearing a line of bamboo and cypress hedge. 

He even cleaned it all up! Just loved the fact he communicated with me and I didn't have to constantly phone to find out what was going on.  Just brilliant!

Very reasonable rates too! I think Colin deserves a pat on the back. Talk about stress free."

Barry Stevens nominated Chris at Wet and Forget, Mairangi Bay:
 

"I bought a Marolex garden pressure sprayer from Wet and Forget about 4 or 5 years years ago when they first came out. Advertised as the best on the market and so they should be at $240 a pop.

A seal was malfunctioning in the pump assembly on  the last two occasions I have used it so I went back to get a replacement seal. "Looks like it might have been a manufacturing fault rather than the seal" was the response. "Best we replace the entire pump for you .... no charge"

Did not have to ask. Great service."

Deen Hall nominated Neville Bradford of Ecotize:

 "We arrived back from living overseas and promptly suffered from allergies in the apartment. We spotted a great deal on 'Living Social' for eradication of bed mites, dust mites and general allergy agents.

Neville was able to show the amount of dust and other matter that was removed by the machine - horrifying - and explained what the process was actually doing.

The results have been simply amazing - with No More sneezing! - and the knowledge that the bed and carpets are thoroughly cleaned and cleansed of dust and other mites.

Neville was so informative, communicated his arrival and return times and when I moved the TV/Stereo unit, he even sorted out the reconnection of all the cables.

The quality of the service and the engagement of the technician made me want to tell people about a great experience."

St.John Vuetilovoni nominated Ave Stone of Countdown, Lynfield:

"My wife was the lucky winner of a coffee machine through an in-store Promotion at Countdown Lynfield.

We collected the prize but when we went to use the machine it did not operate at all, an out of box failure as they say.

 I returned to the store with the machine and spoke with Ave Stone - Service & Administration Manager. Because Countdown was merely the conduit for supplying the prize on behalf of the promoter, it would have been very simple for Ave to refer us to the promoter or the supplier of the machine under its warranty provision.

 Ave was adamant that as a valued Countdown customer (she didn't know how often we shopped there which is very often),  she didn't want us to have a negative experience with Countdown.

 Ave provided a credit us to the value of the machine and advised that she would contact the promoter for a reimbursement.

 I did not ask Ave to do this for us or imply that Countdown should handle it, Ave did what I seldom experience, and that was to take ownership of a customers problem, resolve it and in the process turn a potentially negative experience into a enhanced positive customer experience.

 I wish her all the best in receiving an award for her selfless action that in pleasing us, probably created more work for herself."

Sam Hawke nominated Natalie Archer of World Travellers, Remuera:

"We are a small business expanding into Asia.  We have staff that travel at short notice and often without final details of meetings and plans.

 Natalie became our travel agent by accident and has provided the most spectacular service to us. 

No change has ever been too much, missed flights have been managed with grace and professionalism.  Responses to requests are punctual, accurate and friendly. 

I know that many times she has worked on her days off to get a request booked and sometimes changed and re-booked all within hour.

One example of the assistance she has given is - yesterday as a result of an incident on the way to the airport 3 of our staff missed a late afternoon flight to Thailand. 

Within hours Natalie had re-booked the flights for today and negotiated with the airline to reduce the fees on our behalf, resent all paperwork and did it with humor and efficiency.

Without her help I know that I would never be able to manage all the bookings we do.  Her service is outstanding and I can't thank her enough."

Garth Adams nominated Kim at Uniden NZ:

"My Uniden car alarm remote got wet while I was fishing and I was unable to start my car. The AA person who attended my breakdown call couldn't help and I was faced with the prospect of spending $165 to get my car towed home (from Army Bay, Whangaparoa to North Shore a distance of 45km).

I opted to take a chance and leave my car at the beach carpark overnight. The next day I had it towed to a friends place in Whangaparoa where I left it again overnight (it was on a Sunday so Uniden was closed)

I phoned the next day and got to speak to Kim who very patiently explained what I needed to do for him to be able to help. Got a ride back to where my car was(25km away) and managed to find the information Kim needed.

I phoned him and once again he very patiently ran me through the procedure to get my car going. He told me I was free to call again after getting a new remote if I needed assistance programming it.

I thought this was really good service. My car is now running again as thankfully the remote has dried out and only required a new battery."

Janice Mardon nominated Manarah at Dick Smith, Takapuna:

"I am a technophobe and used to put off purchases until I met Manarah at Dick Smith's.  I bought a camera yesterday ( waited until she could serve me ) and, as usual, she was so patient and never made me feel foolish or inadequate.

In fact all the staff seem to meet the same criteria as I hear them talking with customers and their customer service  and product knowledge is outstanding."

 Paul Monzari nominated Kerrie Gregory of Madison Recruitment:

 "I recently applied for a role through a recruitment agency. The agency is Madison Recruitment in the Auckland CBD and Kerrie Gregory was managing the process for Madison on behalf of the client.

The role was a Senior Manager role with a major New Zealand organisation.

Since I have been looking for a new role I have engaged a few representatives from various Recruitment Agencies throughout New Zealand.

There are three things that I found separated Kerrie (and Madison) from the other agencies.

1. Kerrie’s professional approach to the task and representing their client in a way that inspires and support candidates well. Madison represented their client with the utmost professionalism throughout the entire process. 

2. Being reliable by providing the regular updates and information while meeting all commitments around timelines was perfect.

3. Being welcoming and open to any requests and always providing a full response in a timely manner.

 Kerrie and the team at Madison have renewed my confidence in Recruitment Agencies and the role that they perform for their client employers and prospective employees.

 Thanks and well done to Kerrie and the team at Madison Recruitment"

Christine Leach nominated Bhavna Patel of OPSM, Sylvia Park:

 "At a regular eye check I asked Bhavna to check my overglasses  which I had bought over-the- counter last year from an  optician in Brisbane.  They were causing blurred vision. 

She was amazed to discover they contained a strong prescription, instead of just plain darkened glass.  OPSM don't deal with the manufacturer of that brand of sunglasses, so with her manager's permission she went to another optician who did have an account with this firm. 

They imported new lens, sold them to OPSM at cost, who fitted them for me at no extra cost.  All this was done with the most wonderful attitude and other staff involved were also very pleasant.

 Such service really thrilled me as I could not go back to Australia to rectify the matter.

 I believe Bhavna deserves an 'Awesome Service Award' "

Alex Witten-Hannah nominated Alex Marescia of North Shore Glass:

"I ordered a very large pane of expensive glass and arrived with a trailer to pick it up and drive from Takapuna to my home at KareKare on Auckland's West Coast some 60 km away.

It was late afternoon on the day before Easter. Alex, the glazier manager, urged me that it would almost certainly get broken if it was carted lying flat on the trailer. 

He said he could not let me take it.  I was very concerned as I had made arrangements to install the plane of glass over the Easter weekend and if I could not have done so my house would have been exposed to the elements.

Alex arranged for John Ashin, an extremely obliging van driver, to pick up the glass early on Good Friday morning and it was delivered to my home far out in the bush at KareKare, 60 km away, safely and by 9 a.m.

John then helped me carry it into my house safely before leaving to have his own Easter.

 When John drove off, I telephoned Alex to confirm to him that it had arrived safely.  He was concerned that I would be able to install it myself safely and he assured me that if I had any concerns to ring him and he would see what he could do about getting assistance to help me do so. 

Happily, I did not need it but it was certainly reassuring to know that the backup was available.

Over some 43 years in the law I have seen a great many situations where people have been wronged through misrepresentation, delays, failure to perform and so on. 

I am used to writing strong letters condemning such conduct and often issuing court proceedings.  The remarkable service I received from the folk at North Shore Glass is the absolute antithesis.

 (Let me assure you that I have no connection with North Shore Glass whatsoever.  I have purchased glass from them in the past but not for some years.)

 My motivation in taking the time to put forward Alex for the award is to reflect in some tangible way my gratitude for their help.  It would have been so easy to put the glass on my trailer and let me drive away. 

I would have got home to KareKare and then  be as shattered as the glass....................  instead, the whole weekend I had a warm glowing feeling that Alex really cared about making sure that I would be looked after.

I was absolutely amazed at the care and concern and the truly AWESOME SERVICE.

 Frankly, I have never encountered anything like it.I hope most sincerely that Alex, (ideally with mention of John) can be favourably considered for an award.

I know that it will mean a great deal to Alex, and to John, just to know that they are appreciated enough to be nominated for an award. 

Should Alex actually be a winner would be a wonderful outcome for an extraordinary consumer experience."

Wendy Martin nominated Abby at Rockgas, Waiheke Island:

I'm in the shower and the water turns ice cold. No gas! No worries - I will just swap over to the reserve tank. The RESERVE TANK IS EMPTY!!!!

I'd slipped up and not ordered gas when the last bottle emptied. I called Abby for help.

She explained they aren't usually able to help the same-day but as we were good clients she would work it but it may not be fixed till late in the day.

Abby kept in touch all day giving me updates as to the arrival time of the gas guys. At 5.30pm Abby rang explaining they were still trying to get to me but if all else failed she herself would deliver a 9kg tank and hook it up all at no cost so we could at least have a shower.

At 6.30 she calls again. She's borrowed a driver from the local courier company and they will be there in about an hour. AT 7.30 Abby and 'Johnny Cash' (a very good-looking truck driver!) arrived.

It was pretty dark but they negotiated the poor access, swapped tanks, tested connections and at that point realised the reserve tank was NOT empty just not turned on!

They were so very lovely about it, and the words 'Stupid woman' were never uttered. Abby went beyond the call of duty.

She even offered a call to the family to say their mother hadn't forgotten to order gas,the gas bottle was merely "faulty"!

The fact the reserve tank was not turned on didn't even phase Abby or wipe the smile. It can be hard getting good service on the island so Abby deserves to be recognised.

She's a star."

Sheree Gray nominated Chris Roebuck of Hortex Trees and Shrubs:

"About 9 yrs ago I came across a nursery, Hortex Trees and Shrubs which was close to where my husband and I had bought our first home.

We needed to do some landscaping and it is fair to say we had not a single clue where to start. Neither of us had any gardening knowledge and I could only describe what I wanted by saying I wanted it to look 'pretty!'

So in we walked to Hortex and met a busy man named Chris Roebuck, the owner. I asked if they sold to the public and he explained they were a supplier but if we were buying a few he would be happy to help.

Considering we were only small customers to him you might expect he would rush us through. Quite the opposite, I explained we were complete 'landscaping virgins' and he took me around the entire nursery showing me all the different options.

He took the time to listen to what I wanted to achieve and even sat me down and taught me how to tip the plants to make them grow in the desired way.

He could have sold me into plants already looking the way I wanted for ten times the price but instead showed me how to do it myself and sold me the seedlings.

Our garden looked absolutely gorgeous when it all grew in... and now here we are doing the same time again but on a much larger scale at a new property.

I went back probably 8 yrs since the last time I had gone, and took photographs of the new property. Again Chris walked me through the huge nursery looking at all the options.

He is so thoughtful of budget, what we can manage work wise, what it will grow to in the future... everything. Yet again he sorted us out with everything we needed and then to top it off....another gardening lesson for these particular plants.

I swear they would all be dead if it weren't for the advise he has given me. He saved us a FORTUNE.

 That wasn't the most amazing part though. Half of our order was for an area we were still completing work on. The earth works were delayed and it meant we were going to end up having the plants sitting in the heat waiting to be planted.

Chris offered to keep them at the nursery until we were ready (we had paid for them already). It took over 3 months for us to sort out the earth works so I was a little sheepish when I phoned to say we were wanting the plants finally.

They got delivered this week and I cannot tell you how stunned we were. I thought they would have on sold the ones we paid for which were about 25cm high and then replaced them with the same when we were ready, I mean it has been 3 months.

But no, they are absolutely beautiful, stand about 1 metre high and would have cost us a fortune to buy as they stand now. The nursery was flattened in the tornado, and it has been one of the longest hottest summers on record and they kept our plants - they didn't just keep them, they grew them and tended to them and did it without question.

 We are blown away and cannot tell enough people about how impressed we are with Chris's service.

Even if you weren't buying something he would more than happily give me advise, actually I don't doubt he would even get one of his staff to pop by and have a look for me if I were struggling.

You just don't come across that these days."

Kirsty Swan nominated Kathy Xing of Target Furniture, Mt Eden:

"I cant remember the last time I encountered better customer service! Kathy at Target Furniture in Mt Eden is awesome!

I went in to the shop to look at couches for our new house. She came up to me to see if I needed help, was very friendly in a completely genuine way and provided me with all the information I needed.

She proceeded to walk around with me and talk through all the options. When my partner arrived 30 mins later, she recognised him (he helped his cousin choose a couch a few months beforehand).

She was very humorous and fun to deal with. She helped us on subsequent visits to choose fabric and make custom adjustments to the couch so it is the perfect size for my (tall!) partner and I.

She left us alone though when she sensed we needed a few minutes to discuss options.

Kathy was always there when we needed her and not when we didn't - she had a real sense of our needs.

She worked hard to get the couch delivered on the day we moved in. She was so dedicated and authentically happy to help us.

I would recommend the store and particularly Kathy to anyone needing a value for money couch. I wont forget her and would return to Target Furniture to purchase more products.

I will always deal with Kathy and I know she would remember us and provide us with personal service."

Leah Gates nominated Peter Myers of New World, Eastridge:

"My young son bit the head off a new toothbrush and I went to the supermarket to buy a replacement head but couldn't find it on the shelves.

 Despite being a frantic Sunday, Peter came out to help me look and when he too couldn't find the product he took my name and phone number.

Truthfully I had no expectation of hearing from anyone for such a small purchase and brief encounter. 

So I was very suprised when I got a call two days later from Peter to say a replacement toothbrush head was now on the shelves and available.

Great service, its often easy to get excited about the big things and we should have an expectation of exceptional service in those cases. 

This was a little thing and yet the customer service and focus to get an outcome was just the same.

 Well done Peter at New World in Eastridge.

 (Now my son can clean his teeth properly!)"

Fiona Scorgie nominated Maureen O'Connell of Fitness 24/7 Gym:

"Maureen Reihana has been a mainstay in motivating my fitness program at Fitness 24/7 gym. I got to know of Maureen's passion for her work when I first started seriously training.

Her outgoing personality fills the room. Like her company, Maureen is 'on' twenty four hours a day. No task is too menial for her immediate and personal attention.

In June of this year I had the opportunity to offer Maureen a business relationship with my employer, the Air New Zealand Aviation Institute.

Maureen and I have common ground in helping people, in my case students of aviation training, and in her case, gym goers, to achieve their goals.

Since June Maureen's initiative and open mind has brought about excellent life motivation for at least six of my students, and I, and her work behind the scenes is exemplary for us all.

Another example of her helping me, in November I was due for an assessment, and Maureen without me asking offered to be at the gym at six a.m.

These hours are normal for her and her team. However Maureen's offer was out of the ordinary as she was flying into NZ that morning at 4.30am.

Everyone who comes into contact with her feels that their individual goals are paramount to her as well. This is a rare quality."

Petula Patey nominated Adrian at Metropolitan Mobile Mechanics:

 "Adrian is always on time and goes the extra mile to ensure you have your car.

My daughters car was struggling to start and kept cutting out. One phone call to Adrian and, despite it being the week before Christmas he came on the Friday afternoon 21st.

He was incredibly busy but fitted us in before he left to go on his only one annual holiday the next day. He made sure my daughter would have use of her car through the Christmas break and he will be back on his first working day .

He comes to your home or work or wherever you want him to come. He is polite, keeps your car clean and gives you an estimate before he starts the work.

Always a great worker. He deserves recognition."

Jonathan Masters nominated the Manager at Baker's Delight, Royal Delight:

"This lovely man is simply a part of the community he knows his customers and always takes the time to chat.

It is a pleasure going to his shop and you go away feeling better not just because of the delicious bread but also because of that little bit of human kindness. 

For instance he noticed that my daughter no longer seemed to be shopping with my wife and wanted to know if she was ok and what she was up to. 

He also makes sure you get the best deals on the day"

Lynda Flett nominated Viv Landsey at Pit Stop, New Lynn:

 

On Christmas Eve I remembered I had not renewed my Warrant of Fitness. I rushed off to get it and my car failed for brake pressure descrepancies despite the fact that I had had it in for a full service and front brake pad change several weeks before.

I went straight down to the garage who did the work but being Christmas Eve it was closed.  I was going on holiday on Thurs 27th which is when the garage reopened. 

I went straight down there on Thursday morning and they basically said they didnt have a booking for a few hours and maybe couldn't get the parts and didn't know what was the cause.

They suggested a brake expert who might have spare parts on the shelf (if indeed that is what was needed, they didn't look). So..... I went around the corner to Pit Stop. 

I explained my dilema and a lovely man said sure I can have a look at it.  He put my car up on a hoist and bled the brakes, he added gel or oil or something to the new brake pads and generally did what he could.  It took 20-30 minutes.  I sat in their reception and had a coffee. 

The nice man then did a quite test drive which he was happy with it and then said well that's all I do.  I waited for the bill and no-one said anything more.

 I asked for the bill and was told no problem there is no charge we hope you have a great holiday.  I was so impressed.  Why couldn't the company who took my $800 dollars to service my car do that?

I went and got my warrant and was off on my holiday by 11am that day. It was such a relief. 

I rang Pit Stop back and spoke to a very friendly woman who had also served me that day  and told them and thanked them again. I picked up a card with the name Viv Lindsey on it when I was at Pit Stop but it says Viv Landsey is the Franchise Holder. It got the impression the person who Idealt on the day after Box Day was an employee.  

I have told lots of peopleabout it but have not advised anyone to go to the other garage!"

Rod Cornhill nominated Davina at Balloons Direct, Albany:

 "On the day of our daughter's wedding 29/12/12 my wife and I were sent to collect some balloons from Balloons Direct in Albany.

Unbeknown to us we had been given the wrong balloon shop address but the staff at Balloons direct were very apologetic for "their mistake" and immediately filled the order without question or fuss.

It wasn't until just before the service that the correct shop called to see where we were!

We were also given excellent advice regarding transportation and care of the balloons."

When the operators of The Auckland Chamber of Commerce Awesome Service Awards get great service they also like to acknowledge it.

Late last year we needed a toner cartridge for a laser printer and enquired if www.mrcartridge.co.nz had it in stock. We got a prompt response to say it was not an item they stocked. So we sourced one elsewhere.

Out of the blue on the 8th of January 2013 we received this email:

" Hi Grant,

Happy New Year.  I am pleased to advise we now have the CE285A toner in stock which you enquired about last year. 

It is $27 plus $10 freight for delivery anywhere in New Zealand. 

Please let me know if you still require this and I will send through payment details.

Thank you,

Jeff.

Mr Cartridge

PO Box 21 428

Christchurch 8143

Ph: 0800 88 42 10

www.mrcartridge.co.nz"

The email was the result of good computerised record keeping by Jeff and his staff followed up with appropriate demand analysis, and action to satisfy that demand.

It’s service that  demonstrates exactly what wins customer’s hearts (and the wallets attached to them)!

Grant Woolliams

Operator

The Auckland Chamber of Commerce Awesome Service Awards

Robyn Dalzell nominated the staff at Sierra Cafe, Victoria Street West:

 "I work across the road from the Cafe that opened a few months ago, prior to Christmas my daughter came into town to meet me for lunch at Sierra, we both ordered the same meal and sat down in the lovely comfotable chairs they have.

While the meal did seem to take a while i wasn't in a rush, so wasn't bothered. The manager (I think) came over to apologise that the chef had mixed up our order and had prepared a completely different dish, our options were to have that or if we could wait 10mins they would do our meal.

They were very apologetic, gave us complimentary additional drinks and the meals duly arrived in 10 minutes. They insisted we did not pay for our meal, although I said I was happy to as it was worth waiting for. I was also given two free coffee vouchers.

I regularly buy coffees at the cafe, and the people there are unfailingly friendly and welcoming.

By the way they handled a kitchen error and their ongoing service ethic they deserve an Awesome Service Award."

Daniel Oatridge nominated John Birrell of Xplosive Supplements:

"Started buying sports supplements from these guys, they were awesome in terms of serving customers.

They even helped me at 9pm one night which is outside their normal shopping hours, after I placed an order, they always do great discounts for loyal customers and they go well out of their way to help their customers.

John is a really good dude too. I haven't experienced such great customer service and loyalty rewards in a long time.

They are always quick to respond to emails, facebook queries and always willing to give advice and the best supplements a person should use as well as any other advice they can give.

They are a top company and really deserve an award like this.

 John has also started the only sports supplement review website in NZ, which is a great place for people to get real reviews from real people (myself included) who have tried and tested products and written logs and reviews on the results they have had from their supplements.

 Xplosiv are an awesome company with great prices and great customer services. They most certainly deserve this award"

Claire Buckley nominated Martin Sharp, Service Manager at Jet Waste and Water:

 "We had an issue with our septic tank.  We had never had to have anyone look at it before, and having been told by the previous house owners that all we needed to do was clean the filters, we really had no knowledge of the system or how it worked. 

Since it was tripping the internal fuse board, it was something that needed to be sorted immediately. I spent some time on the phone trying to find someone who could help us, eventually coming across Jet Waste and Water who had an after hours number. 

I rang the number and got Martin who was so helpful and kind.  It was not their company who had installed the septic system, and once I described it the system we quickly established it was not a system that he was familiar with. 

However he was still willing to help us.  We were on the very edge of their service area, and he wasn't going to be able to come out until the next day, but was able to reassure me over the phone that we would be fine until the next day when he would come out. 

On the Sunday he arrived and went to have a look at the septic system, he quickly established that it was an issue with the pump and that we probably needed a new one.  He then explained to me very clearly how the system worked and answered all my silly questions well with lots of information. 

After further investigation he worked out the pump was simply blocked and he was able to clean it and get our system working again.  He explained everything he had done and was so good at taking the time to make sure we were happy with what he had done and how it all worked and where to go from there. 

He was professional and knowledgeable and nothing was too much trouble despite the fact he was out to us on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, when I am sure it was most inconvenient for him. 

To top it all off the invoice we duly received was for much less than we anticipated.   

Martin really did go the extra mile for us and given the nature of dealing with septic tanks, and the fact it was  a Sunday we were thoroughly impressed with the service he gave us."

Helen Acraman nominated Nicola of twinklefeet.co.nz:

"I have very wide feet for a woman and finding fashionable shoes is virtually impossible. I first discovered Nicola via her website.

This website gives clues as to Nicola's passion for shoes and for fitting the correct shoe to the correct foot. A sale for the sake of it is not within Nicola's makeup.

This is a huge plus for us. Her customer service is second to none.

I purchased white sandshoes and on the first outing I noticed the tongues were peeling slightly. I contacted Nicola to let her know I would be coming in.

She rang me to say they are an end of line, would I like to keep the shoes and she would credit me fully?

The peeling wasn't that bad, I told her. No matter. I was more important than the sale itself.

Now I had the shoes AND the money! I was recently trying on a pair of fabulous red heels. A little slip at the heel and included for free was a pair of inners.

I would happily have paid for them.

Nicola works extremely hard for her clientelle. I am so impressed."

Neda Banazadeh nominated Hammed Torkaneh of Master Maintenance Services Ltd:

"Remuera New World has had the privilege in using Master Maintenance Services Ltd with their trollies.

After big renovations to our store there is a slight steep from the entrance/exit to our car park.

About one year ago Mr Hammed Torkaneh approached our store and informed us about his services. I then mentioned that we have been having a few issues with customers leaving their trollies by the exit door and a few incidents have happened when the trolley has rolled down the steep drive and hit a parked car.

I then asked Hammed if there is any possibility of them getting in some brakes for the trollies as we have been waiting a few months for another company to order them.

Hammed straight away said to leave it up to him and that he could order some brakes and it would be available by the next week. He also offered us a fantastic deal on washing all the trollies for free for 12 months.

Master Maintenance Services Ltd was prompt with a competitive price and great customer service."

Chris Reed nominated Phil Pirie of Mt Eden Traditional Butchery:

"Mt Eden Traditional Butchery in the village of Mt Eden Auckland have a consistency in their service that I have found second to none. They have a warm greeting, personable and knowledgeable staff and, of particular note, have true customer service.

Recently I had some basic requirements for a BBQ and Phil - the manager - advised me on cooking proceedure, temperature of individual meats to ensure health guidelines, and very specific instructions to ensure quality. Phil had an unbelievable knowledge of the product including where it had originated from (to the local farm it was sourced from).

I had no prior knowledge of some of the techniques but he was patient and understanding and thorough in his delivery. During my instruction other customers came and went and all received the same quality service from other members of staff.

Phil even sent a text to me on my cell phone after the event to see how it went and demonstrated a genuine interest.

 So often we complain as New Zealanders about the quality of service, and yet never celebrate times when we feel valued. I wholeheartedly nominate the boys at Mt Eden Traditional Butchery and particularly Phil. I believe he is truly worthy of this award."

Vincent Mills nominated Air New Zealand Parking:

"In my line of work I've been using Air New Zealand Parking a lot in the last couple of years. I know it may seem as simple as dropping your keys off at their depot, and being driven to the airport in their van, but these guys are ALWAYS cheerful, fast and incredibly efficient.

I've only once had to wait more than five minutes when landing at Auckland Airport to be whisked back to be reunited with my car, and that was because they were even busier than usual that Sunday afternoon.

The drivers are friendly, the counter staff are helpful, and being able to check in for your flight before you even arrive at the airport is a major plus. These guys are open from early in the morning, to late at night, and they always wear obliging smiles.

The whole team is awesome!"

Beryl Wynn nominated John of Farmers, Westgate:

"I was in the Farmers Westgate store looking at lounge furniture and John came to assist. He was friendly, helpful and very patient with me while I took my time between two suites. 

Even when I took photos to show my husband he was helpful in positioning the suites so I could get the best shot.  I returned the next day with my husband and John was there to greet us.  Again he was helpful and no pressure was put on us to decide. His knowledge of the product was very helpful and again when we decided to go away and think about it he put no pressure on us to return.

We left him our details and after a phone call from him on Tuesday advising Farmers had a sale on and one of  the suites I  was looking at was on sale I returned to purchase it. He saved us $800!! 

I would not hesitate to recomend John, and Farmers, to friends and family as we came away with a good feeling about the whole transaction. Sometimes when you have spent more than you anticipated there is always that doubt of "have you done the right thing". Not this time.

Good on you John."

Sandy Benson nominated Stacey Williams of Jaye's Dance, Howick:

"Stacey owns Jaye's Dance which started as a ballet school for under 7's, this has now grown into an amazing dance school in our area and offers varied dances classes to both boys and girls. 

 She is just such a special, caring and compassionate person and does more than is ever required from a dance teacher to ensure that her students (which ranges from the age of 2!) always feel safe, confident and like the best little dancer in the world.

 I enrolled my daughter with Stacey 3 years ago, at the time she was shy, wouldn't talk to anyone and hardly had any friends.  Stacey managed to get her out of her shell and she is now an extremely confident, social little six year old.

There were many weeks when she didn't wanted to participate, but Stacey knew just how to break down the barriers, and I've seen her do the same for many other little ones.

I am forever grateful and to me as a mum, this is more than awesome service as it is not just a once off, but the level of service she provides is consistent and ongoing, lesson after lesson, week after week, year after year.

 Stacey is not only an asset to all her dancers, but also to our community!"

 Myra Humphrey nominated Jo of Annah Stretton, Takapuna:
 

"I was looking for a dress for my son's wedding and tried on a couple of outfits - trying different accessories with them.

I decided to go back the next week with a friend for a second opinion, and told Jo of my plans.

When we got there Jo had several different dresses to try and other jackets etc. to try with them.

Some were colours I had never envisaged that I could ever wear, but lo and behold she found the perfect dress in a totally new colour.

The whole experience made me feel very special and Jo treated me like I was her only customer.

Consequently I will be going back when another special occasion comes up."

Gwen Ferguson nominated Terryn of BP, Northcote:

 "I would like to nominate Terryn for this award as he provides outstanding customer service at this petrol station. 

He is always cheerful friendly and helpful. He remembers what petrol you require and will always ask to check the water and oil. If he is busy with another customer when you pull  in  he will acknowledge that he has seen you and will attend to you and your car as quickly as he can.

He is observant and will point out any defects that he feels may need your attention. Last week he advised me that my windscreen wipers were worn and needed to be replaced.

I have been to the service station  at different times and he remains the same always cheerful and friendly and polite.

I go out of my way to this service station and what draws me back is not the prices, not the discounts but the cheerful efficient service that Terryn provides.

He is worthy of this award."

Darren Parsons nominated Tanu Faleauto of  ITM Pinepac, Swanson:

"The yard staff at ITM Swanson are some of the most knowledgable and helpful staff in the DIY trade.

I had been apprehensive about going to ITM, as I had the impression it was a trade store. However, when I went in with a list of questions (instead of a list of items), the yard staff went through my project with me and helped me figure out what I needed.

It didn't matter that I didn't know what all the bits were called, they worked with me.

Further to that they helped load my trailer, strap down the wood I had purchased, and even attached a high visability flag off the end of the wood for me.

As a result of this great service I have been back to ITM Swanson multiple times.

Tanu and the boys in the yard work with me everytime, and even remember what my last project was and ask how it turned out.

Fantastic, why can't all stores have service like this?"

Gavin & Kerri Sheehan nominated Ken Quadros of Furniture City, Glenfield:

"We have been working very hard to completely refurnish our home, after recently moving into a new house. We set ourselves a goal to complete it by this coming Christmas.

We are about halfway to our goal and have been dealing with Ken throughout our adventure. He has helped us every step of the way with advice and assistance. His whole approach has made our experience extremely easy and relaxed, with no unnecessary pressure.

He has offered and explained all the finance options,and assisted us in doing everything the way we wanted to do it, not trying to bulldoze us into anything we don't want to do.

Because of this approach, we have been back twice for some quite major purchases and we are planning on further visits in the not to distant future.

Ken is someone we would highly recommend to anyone and who we will always ask for by name when we visit."

Mary Wallace nominated Jay and Kusum Patel of the Orakei Post Centre and Superette:

"Recently on two occasions after falling off a bus I spent three nights in the Emergency Department in Auckland Hospital. Fortunately I had no major injuries.

Jay came to my rescue by calling St Johns ambulance ( the first occasion my GP called the ambulance ) He called a family member living overseas who was able, because of this, to call Auckland Hospital and talk with me.

Jay kept in touch with me by phone while I was in hospital and when I was discharged from ED he picked me up from the hospital, brough me home and provided food for me.

On my second discharge from ED he again provided food for me and spent a period of time collecting a prescription for me. Jay took time from his shop to help me. Kusum worked at the shop, supervising staff, while also supervising two teenagers.

Apart from what I have written, Jay and Kusam Patel benefit the Orakei community and go out of their way to help their older customers - and treat everyone with respect."

A big pat-on-the back for William Wu, the owner/manager of Paper Plus Parnell from the Awesome Service Awards!

"The Awesome Service Award’s operators wanted to get hold of 20 desktop business card holders and could only find one type in the whole of NZ that suited – which was through Paper Plus, and they were in very short supply nationally (even the importer had no stock).

But William immediately ordered the holders (Wednesday afternoon) and when we rang on Thursday said our order was ready to pick up – all 20, and they were on a half price special ($50 total) .

Two things resonated about this: William taking the trouble to immediately go into bat for a customer over a relatively small thing, and Paper Plus’s ability to have the order there to pick up so quickly.

Exceptional personal service by William, and a highly efficient delivery system by Paper Plus, have left a big smile on our face. 

We’ll be back to William for all our future stationery needs."

Grant Woolliams - Awesome Service Awards

Bob Wells nominated Daniel McNamara of The Rock Shop, Henderson:
 

"I have been looking around to update my PA system, and had been to a number of stores around Auckland, without really getting too much advice. I went to Henderson and met Daniel and explained what I was wanting to do.

He showed me a few options and explained why these would be good for what I wanted, these options were different to what I had been thinking, but made so much sense when he explained it.

He was using similar equipment which made me feel comfortable in the decision I was making.

He is extremely knowledgable without being in you face. I bought the equipment, he had also planted an idea that maybe I should look at a sub as well. After using my new system for the 1st time I realised he was right.

I went back and we started looking at subs. He initially gave me a suggestion about a sub that they didn't have but would be getting in and the price was great. I booked it, then as we talked more over the week I realized that it may not be right for me, so again he showed me another option that he thought would be great, this also was not in store, so he ordered it in.

I went to audition it, he was unable to be there, but had left all the technical info for me and highlighted he revevant specs that I wanted to know. I listened to both and again took his recommendation.

So in summary I have a new system approx twice what I was wanting to spend, but am so excited because he took the time to really show me options and listen to my needs. The best shopping experience I have had in along long time,and my system rocks.

Thanks Daniel, and I will be telling all my friends, and will be making further purchases from him I'm sure."

Sue Bailey nominated Jan from Harvey Norman, Wairau Road:

"We needed to equip a new house and went there to look at a fridge initially.  We have ended up buying nearly everything there because of her attention to us as customers, her product knowledge across the board and her friendly and sincere interest in us and what we were building. 

When an item is out of her expertise (eg.TV) she took us through to that department, introduced us to another salesperson who had the knowledge and later followed this up by finding us to make sure we were happy.  I have gone back there many times and always seek her out. 

She gives a very good discount so she must have some authority.  I am now in the market for a coffee machine and wouldn't consider going to anyone else to buy one."

Bridget Baker nominated Franny McInnes of Breastmates:

"Franny is the owner of breastmates. I have ordered a few items from her site now and every interaction has been wonderful.

She is  incredibly responsive, which is fantastic, as being a new mum sometimes you don't realise you need something until the situation is upon you and then you want it straight away.

I received my orders very quickly and each were wrapped beautifully with a wee note from her. It was like receiving a beautiful present, even though I'd bought it myself :)

It certainly made my experience with her company muh more memorable. In addition to that I had purchased some items that were too big and Franny allowed me to order the alternative size, try them all on and return the items that were too big.

This was a massive relief - as a new mum with a new body shape I found it difficult to know what fits me in the various styles. So her flexibility was greatly appreciated and made me a very happy and satisfied customer.

 The content on her Facebook page is very engaging. She regularly provides helpful information for new mums, which is just brilliant.

I'm also get impressed with her wearable arts awards entry, which is a tribute to all the couples who have had trouble conceiving.

This clearly shows the indepth knowledge she has about the market she operates in and the empathy she has for her clientele.

 I would love to see Franny win this award."

Ian Read nominated Paul Cornelissen of ALKRIS Signal Solutions:

"To obtain Freeview a technician put an ALKRIS Freeview box in our TV setup. About 18months later the box started playing up and would not settle on the pictures.

I contacted AKLRIS and was advised if I took the unit to them they would check it out and either fix or replace. In a short time the unit was fixed and it worked fine.

However, about 3 weeks ago it stopped sending a signal to 2 other TVs in the house although it workd on the prime unit.

The signal is sent via a "loop" outlet via splitters so you don't have to have a separate box for each TV. I took the unit back and it was checked and worked so brought it home. Worked fine for a week then stopped sending to the other TVs.

Paul lives in the area so he made a visit to our house on his way home and replaced the unit with a new and updated model - no charges.

 All this was done at no additional cost to us.  Not only was this exceptional service but also shows how the company stands by it's prodfuct.

To me this epitomises what I would call "awsome service". I would not hesittate to recommend this company and their products."

Ruth Wallace nominated Eli Matamaki of Fisher & Paykel service centre:

"I would like to nominate Eli Matamaki  ( of Fisher & Paykel's 0800 number call centre ) for an Awesome Service Award because although he was not able to solve my problem he was empathetic and tried very hard to find a solution.

The glass front facia from my range hood fell off and smashed and I was trying to source a replacement. Eli first advised that this would not be possible as there was no separate part number for this.

He then called back later to ask more questions relating to the range hood and talked me through finding a serial number on it. This enabled him to to determine that there was an orginal part number although this part was no longer in stock, due to the age of the range hood.

He then advised that he would call around and see if anyone had one lying around. He called me back again the next day to advise he had been unsuccessful in sourcing this facia glass for me and suggested that perhaps he could investigate whether I could buy a new hood at a reduced cost. I am currently looking at alternative solutions. 

Eli tried his best to resolve this matter and I feel he went the extra mile to try to meet my needs. Eli's very positive and proactive approach has negated my initial disappointment at the part no longer being available.  

He is a credit to Fisher & Paykel and they should be very proud to have him as a staff member."

Sharon Lowdon nominatyed Ryan Hoskings of Vodafone Retail Shop,Orewa:

"As someone who is not so techno savvy, and was trying to do some shopping during my short lunchtime, he was very helpful,patient and informative in regards to setting my new computer up with a connection to the internet.

He was the only person able to serve and has quite a few people come in to be served but he kept everyone happy and was always polite and didn't make you feel that your business was an annoyance.

I feel he deserves recognition for his efforts as this level of service is rare these days."

Lusiana Raibe nominated Mary Lambie of Telecom Place Subway, Auckland:

"The person I would like to nominate works at Telcom Place Subway and has provided consistently efficient personalised service at the busiest times.

Daily this restaurant has long lunch-time queues of people waiting to order in person.  At the same time, there is a smaller queue of those, like myself, who pre-order online, and are waiting to collect.  This means there are two tills, one for each group of people. 

The lady I am nominating works this busiest time managing both tills and both queues simultaneously. 

 With an online order you usually place your name on the order you will collect.  This lady memorises the names and as she multitasks thru serving two queues she intermittently looks up to acknowledge, by name, the people waiting in the online orders queue. 

A few words like ‘I’ll be with you in a minute Lucy’ not only acknowledges you but adds a personal touch that makes you feel more like a friend than a transaction.

Recently, there was a ‘promotion’ by this Subway, where orders online get a free cookie.  Not being one to miss anything worthwhile that is ‘free’ I placed an order online and went to collect. 

When I got to the ‘collections queue’ I discovered, due to my error, they hadn’t received the order.  

Disappointingly, I looked at the long line of people waiting to order and contemplated going without lunch.  Then I heard my nominee say ‘don’t worry Lucy, are you after the usual? we’ll make it up now’.  Then I cheekily asked for the ‘free cookie’, although this was for online orders. 

The response - ‘which type would you like?’ outstanding!  It’s neat to know when you muck up a request for a particular product or service, people can look at your relationship with the business overall and make an allowance.

To my surprise, I also found out recently that this lady is not an employee of the business, but the Owner!  It’s really good to see a business owner that throws themselves in the deep-end providing one of the most hectic parts of the service, managing two tills, alongside her team.

At this point, I have to confess ignorance, although I thought my nominee looked familiar, the only time I realised who she was – was when I asked another member of the Subway Team for her name, for this nomination.  

It is Mary Lambie.  In light of her past achievements, it’s even more impressive that she continues to be a ‘people person’ who is willing to work the ‘coalface’ with her Team, and provide an excellent example of personalised service."

Gavin & Kerri Sheehan nominated Ken Quadros of Furniture City, Glenfield:

"We have been working very hard to completely refurnish our home, after recently moving into a new house. We set ourselves a goal to complete it by this coming Christmas.

We are about halfway to our goal and have been dealing with Ken throughout our adventure.

He has helped us every step of the way with advice and assistance. His whole approach has made our experience extremely easy and relaxed, with no unnecessary pressure.

He has offered and explained all the finance options,and assisted us in doing everything the way we wanted to do it, not trying to bulldoze us into anything we don't want to do.

Because of this approach, we have been back twice for some quite major purchases and we are planning on further visits in the not to distant future. Ken is someone we would highly recommend to anyone and who we will always ask for by name when we visit."

Megan Darrow nominated Donald Crichton of Specsavers, Sylvia Park:

I would like to nominate Donald Crichton of Specsavers Sylvia Park for some wonderful customer service. My mother had her handbag stolen containing her engagement ring, wallet and glasses she wears that are essential for her work.

She was stuck here in Auckland until the spare key for her car arrived the next day and in a state of stress she hurriedly chose frames and was advised she also needed a new type of glasses that are difficult to adjust to and  often need adjustment.

The two glasses she chose came to over $1000 and in her hurried and distressed state she paid and left. However after a worrying afternoon and sleepless night she realised she had made a big mistake and should have just visited her optometrist in Tauranga on her return.

On approaching Specsavers the next day Donald was sympathetic and immediately offered to make it right by refunding her money on the spot.

He was gracious and kind. Both my Dad and brother also use Specsavers for their glasses and have great things to say about them.

Thank you Donald for doing what was right for your customer and not what was right for the bottom line.

Jules O'Malley nominated Symone of the Torbay Service Station:

" Their Motto is expect excellence.  Wow, excellent alright.  I put my car in for a service, and was offered a WOF for a very reasonable price as well as being offered a courtesy vehicle for the day.  Thanks to Symone, this was organised with ease and a friendly happy smile. 

My car had its service (it even got its tyres painted, my dash cleaned and a bloody good vacum.) What a treat when I returned to my vehicle.  My vehicle needed a few bits done to pass the warrant.  We re-booked my vehicle in only 3 days after the service.  

Once again Symone at reception was very friendly and easy to  chat to, a wonderful courtesy car was offered again and my car had its work done in a very timely manner.

On pick up there was a thank you note for allowing them to do the repairs and a wee bag of lollies to show their appreciation.  Well, my kids loved that and there was even enough lollies for them to have two each!!!! 

Thank -you Torbay Service Station, as a team you do achieve excellence.  I will certainly recommend your Service Station to my friends and family, you have the positive, friendly attitude towards your customers.  There were no hidden costs and the presentation of my vehicle after its service was a real treat.

Many thanks - you do deserve to be noticed"

Nigel Howe nominated Nikita of AA Insurance:

"I called to cancel an insurance policy on a car I no longer own and wound up on hold, listening to a fantastic guitar instrumental track for probably 5 minutes.

My call was answered by Nikita, who was thoroughly delightful to talk to, and sorted out my change in quick fire time.

 She then went on to ask if there was anything else she could do to help, and beinf a cheeky sod, I asked if she could find out what the album was they were using for their phone system, as I would love to purchase it.

 Being an absolute trooper, Nikita politely put me on hold, and proceeded to ask around the office to see if anyone knew what it was. When she was unable to do so, she took my email address, and offered to find out as soon as she could and email me the details.

 This small gesture is just fantastic, and Nikita has proven herself to be an absolute asset to the AA Insurance call centre team. Good on you Nikita!"

Heather Child nominated Wendy Wiley at Queensberry Ltd, Pukekohe:

"I am an amateur photographer and although I am happy snapping away, digital jargon and all the options can leave me bamboozled. No more so than in the area of file size and what size enlargements can be made of these, it’s so different from fronting up with your negatives and getting prints made.

I have recently applied to enter both the Franklin Arts Festival and the South Waikato Camera Club “Our NZ” photography competitions.

I had a total of 5 digital images that I needed printing and I knew Queensberry in Pukekohe do a fantastic job. My problem was that I had cropped my images to different  shapes and sizes and was unsure of what exactly I could ask for in the way of prints.

This is where the awesome service came in.

Wendy Wiley in the Art department loaded up my files on her computer and proceeded to go through them one by one with me. She advised me on the appropriate enlargement for each.

Not only that she was so helpful in recommending the various print paper choices for each image and pointed out a few improvements I could make to my photos that I hadn’t even noticed.

When judges are looking at hundreds of photos the print quality and paper choice becomes important if your image is to stand out.

She could have just pointed out the sizes Queensberry offer and left it at that. Although it was probably only 15 mins of her time it meant so much to me.

I left that business on cloud 9. I can’t wait to pick up the finished products.

So for helping to unravel some of the mysteries of digital photography and the printing thereof to me, I would like to nominate Wendy for an Awesome Service Award."

Regan Edwards-Scott nominated Scott at Mag & Turbo, North Shore:

"My wife and I recently purchased a new vehicle, with a son who's almost two and another baby due in December it was time to get a four door car - a Toyota Corolla Feilder station wagon.

 In an effort to make the new car look less like a baby mobile - we went out to find some mag wheels to dress it up, young fella in tow.

 After visiting a number of similar competing businesses we arrived at Mag & Turbo in Wairau Rd.

Initially we weren't convinced that the range available in-store was what we were looking for, however Scott was wonderful to deal with and very accommodating of our young son, additionally he asked ideally what we were after?

 This was Saturday, by Monday Scott had sent us an email with pictures and pricing of a range of mags that were available form suppliers.

One perked our interest but we really wanted to see them next to the car, 'no problem' said Scott in the his next prompt email and ordered them in especially for us with no commitment to buy.

They arrived by Wednesday, and the only hold up was at our end with both of us working full time and having to wait until the following Saturday to see what they looked like next to the car.

Come Saturday the onsite service was again exceptional, staff competing once again for our attention with an enthusiastic 22 month old, Scott was exceptionally patient and understanding.

 Scott fitted the mags then and there and all up we were exceptionally pleased, not just with the product but with Scott's enthusiasm, product knowledge, communication and personal service.

 Faultless execution - and exceptional service - thanks!"

Mike Sanders nominated Ange at Diamond Photo:

 "2 1/2 weeks ago my father passed away, we as a family decided that we would like a large canvas print of Dad to have at his funeral (We didn't have a body - as he had decided he would like to be given to the university medical school).

I supplied Diamond Photo with an image that I wanted printed on to a large A2 canvas.

Unfortunately when I cropped the background I did a rather poor job due to the loss of my dad and my emotional state. The print arrived withen a couple of days.  Complete with the poor cropping.

 I spoke to Ange at Diamond Photo, and the company offered to reprint the newly edited photo free of charge - they even rushed it out so that we would have it in time for the funeral. (received within 2 days - normal turn around is 4 -7 days)

The photo and customer service was perfect in every way - especially during such a stressful time.

Thanks Ange and the Diamond Photo team....it was very much appreciated."

Jan Bowden nominated Levzan Veseli, owner of Faidene Motor Service, Henderson, Auckland:

"I needed to get a warrant so I could register my vehicle and took it to my local mechanic on the last Saturday in June who quoted me $900! I did not have $900 and panicked all weekend and had sleepless nights worrying about what I could do.

On Monday the husband of a colleague at work recommended Fairdene Motors and said that the guys were very honest and would not do any work that was not required. When I phoned Fairdene the owner (Levzan Veseli) was brilliant.

I took in the WOF work quoted by the other mechanic and showed Levzan who picked up on errors in the quote. Levzan quoted me $400.00, and provided me with a courtesy vehicle. A big sigh of relief! His workshop spent a day working of my car and when I picked it up the bill was $350, and it had a new warrant of fitness.

Levzan said the car needed less than a quarter of the work quoted by the other mechanic, and that it is a good car, and safe. So peace of mind for me.

Levzan deserves an Auckland Chamber of Commerce Awesome Service Award for his honesty and for going the extra mile to put my mind at rest."

Tracey Webster nominated Cam Naden, Service Manager, Moyes Panmure:

"Returning from an overseas holiday with my daughter we found that our vehicle would not start as the spare keys I had taken with me were not programmed for the car.

I called Moyes to find out if there was any way to override the security lock but found the only way to start the car was to use the programmed keys [one set with my husband in Australia and the other set at home with a child on his learners licence].

At 7pm at night Cam drove to our house to pick up the spare set and brought them out to the Airport so that we could drive the car home.

What could have been a real downer on our holiday turned out to be a minor inconvenience and

I still cannot believe that anyone could be so kind to go out of their way to help us the way he did."

"I decided to acknowledge Ben Austin, the manager of the Apple reseller store Yoobee in Newmarket for taking care of what I would class as a nuisance customer (me) on a busy Easter Saturday. I needed to have a screen protector for an iPhone (a $20 purchase from Yoobee) supplied and fitted, and wondered if the store might also be able to stick a screen protector on a new iPad (neither the screen protector nor the iPad had been bought from Yoobee). I would have fitted both protectors myself but previous attempts had ended up with air bubbles across the screen that made made it look like the surface of the moon.

I rang Yoobee Broadway on Easter Saturday and Ben answered the phone and said they would happily do both jobs if I could leave the iPhone and iPad with them for an hour.

When I went back to pick the gear up the store was very busy and Ben was attending to a woman who was visiting Auckland, had bought her iPhone in Sydney, and it had some sort of melt down.

Although it might have been more apparently productive for him to simply give her the brush-off and move on to selling a few thousand dollars of gear to someone else he explained in some detail Yoobee's relationship (a reseller) with Apple and that while he would help her as much as he could it was ultimately up to Apple how it handled the repair or replacement of the phone. It was all complicated by the Easter break and the fact the woman was was leaving Auckland on Tuesday on a yacht. 

Ben then took her across the store and rang the Apple help desk so she could talk to Apple directly. All this was done in a friendly relaxed manner.  In completing my transaction I mentioned how impressed I had been with the way he had helped the visitor - and me (having been treated like a $1,000 customer while spending $20). I then discovered he was the store manager and had been appointed three weeks earlier.

With his attention to customer service (actually all our dealings with this Yoobee store have had this hallmark) I can easily see why. His employer should be way pleased to have Ben there, and Apple should be grateful to have him representing its products. Well done Ben. Kiwi retailers need lots more like you."

Arda Van Kuyk nominated Ashley from Ezibuy, Albany:

"I absolutely dread shopping - it is something I fear and literally psyche myself up for - I actually take rescue remedy before I decide to attempt going inside.

We are going away soon, and I lost a bit of weight so the old favourite will not work so well anymore

 I walked in there, bawling already, hid behind some clothes, deep breath deep breath...then I saw this lovely happy face who empathised with me.

She was incredibly patient, helpful, honest, kind, had humour - I am so thankful - I spent over an hour there (usually I last> about 5 minutes) and tried on something out of my comfort zone but look and feel good in.

I am so grateful to know there are salespersons out there who care - they could all learn a lot!"

Scott Nelson nominated Ryan from Fairview Te Rapa Mazda Service:

"Ryan has looked after my car for the last 18 months or so and has always been able to delight me through the way he has treated me as a customer.

 Over this time he has always gone over and above the call of duty.  2 specific examples - once when I called for advice on how to replace a headlamp bulb on my car he said to come down to the workshop and then he himself helped me to replace them and show me through (at no cost). 

Another time I called for advice and he helped me dignose via phone and email - then remembered at the time of my call to book in for scheduled service and remided me they would be checking.

Why do I think Ryan deserves this?  He is a genuinely nice person everytime you have to deal with him. He is consistent in his approach in that I have seen the same level of service the whole time I have been with Fairview Mazda. 

He goes out of his way to make sure the customer knows what is going on - will always do his best to help - and when he senses that thiings aren't quite right makes sure the customer is reassured and the right people are involved.

I haven't received service of this level anywhere else for a sustained duration and hope you take this nomination forward."

Johnny Morris nominated Fuxia Wen of Apex Car Rentals in Auckland:

" My incredible customer service story: despite handling dozens of bookings each day Fuxia Wen at Apex Car Rentals provides incredibly personal customer service.

Recognising me simply by my voice on the phone she recently recalled my complicated booking details from memory (five cars hired for an overseas TV crew, with multiple drivers, pick-up and drop off points and various dates).

I was astounded that she was able to recall this from memory. She was also able to work with me to secure a good price. All arrangements ran to plan and I was always greeted with a warm welcome and made to feel important. Of all the services I have engaged with the customer service provided by Fuxia stands out by a mile!"

Sue Andrew-Johns nominated Anne & Aroha  of Nimon & Sons Ltd Luxury Coaches and Travel of Hawkes Bay:

"This past weekend my husband, myself & a friend went to the Rod Stewart concert in Napier.  When we arrived on Friday afternoon, having driven down from Auckland, the hotel I had booked in Hastings, via the internet, had no record of our booking. 

Luckily they were able to find us a room (thought we were going to be sleeping under the stars) but it was in Napier.  I had booked seats on the bus to take us from Hastings to the Mission so we didn't have to worry about parking & drinking & dirving, so rang to see if I could change it to be picked up in Napier. 

Unfortunately all of the buses from Napier were fully booked but Anne at Nimon & Sons said she would let me know if there were any cancellations. 

About 30 minutes later my phone rang.  It was Anne saying they had a plan & that she would pass me over to another employee of Nimon & Sons, Aroha. 

The plan was that Aroha's partner would pick us up at the hotel we were staying at in Napier & take us to the parking station where we could get the shuttle (also run by Nimon & Sons) to the Mission. 

After the concert, we would meet Aroha at the Bus station & she would take us back to our hotel.  We were gobsmacked at this kindness & how total strangers would put themselves out like this for us. 

We were picked up as arranged, had a wonderful time at the concert (Rod was brilliant as usual) & were delivered back to our hotel by really lovely people. 

This was extraordinary customer service that definitely deserves recognition.  We hope you feel the same."

Monique and Mei Abbott nominated Jason Ireland of The Clearance Shed in Auckland:

"We wish to nominate Jason Ireland as he exemplifies outstanding customer service skills.

 Jason has a remarkable can-do attitude with a permanent and genuine happy smil.

 As a customer of the Clearance Shed - he always makes every shopping trip there a wonderful experience

 I have observed how he has managed to get the grumpiest looking customer to converse and joke with him and then they leave the store with a smile.

 He is able to converse with all ethinicities, and people from all walks of life, he is just amazing and we can say that we have never before received the amazing service or customer service skills that we receive from Jason on each visit to the store.

 Just before Christmas, at the busiest time of the year for retail, we had popped into the Clearance Shed and noted that Jason used his amazing skills and helped destress alot of very stressed (due to Christmas shopping) customers.

 When we approached the store to find out Jason's surname for this nomination, even his colleagues sang his praises and said that Jason is just permanently amazing and his sound customer service skills are effortless for him.

 His whole demeanour is very positive, genuine and upbeat. If only there was more Jason Ireland's in NZ!  We feel that Jason is well and truely deserving of this award"

Richard Webster nominated Jason Harema of Anson Automotive in Auckland

"Our family have been using Anson Automotive to service and repair our cars for about a year. 

Jason always welcomes us with a smile. He explains everything that needs to be done in non-technical terms, carries out the work quickly and conscientiously, and then explains afterwards exactly what he has done. If he needs to replace something, he phones us with the cost before proceeding.

When we pick up the car he shows us the faulty part, and makes sure we know exactly why it needed to be replaced. On every visit he does small extras for no additional charge. For instance, I had been unable to remove some tar from my rear bumper.

I didn't mention this to Jason, but he noticed it, and during the course of the service, removed it.

Anson Automotive have a courtesy car. It wasn't available on a recent service, and Jason drove me back to work in his car. We have always been impressed with Jason's friendliness, his willingness to discuss any problems we have with our cars, and his ability to "go the extra mile." 

He does all of this at a very reasonable price. Jason is a one-man business, and provides awesome service as a matter of course."

Richard Roberts nominated Gordon McDonald of Dunedin Airport:

"Gordon has worked for Dunedin Airport for over 13 years as a member of the Customer Service Team. Gordon deals with people at the airport on adaily basis and works from 6.30 in the morning until 8.00 at night.

Gordon can read a customer from about 50 meters. He can tell you if the customer wants a rental car, toilet or just can't find where they board their plane.

When dealing with lost property, Gordon is like a dog with a bone. He never gives in until he finds the owner. He ( and me for that matter, when requested by Gordon) has delivered lost property to people throughout Dunedin on a regular basis.

Over the years Gordon has become a bit of an institution at the airport and seems to know so many of our regular travelers. Three years ago now, Gordon reached retirement age and gave me notice that he would be finishing up at the airport within a few months.........he's still here.

He's here because he LOVES it! As long as he wants to stay I'm happy for him to be here. As long as he can walk and talk he'll be good for me!

In more recent times Gordon became our guinea pig for Kia Ora Mai. He took on the challenge complete the course and workshop and then provided encouragement to other team members who have now also gained accreditation.

Gordon is 68 and going very strong. I would dearly love to recognize Gordon's contribution to the community of Dunedin and all our overseas visitors in making their experience such a good one! I am Gordons manager and therefore the criteria for nominations will obviously exempt this nomination, but I thought I'd let you guys know how good Gordy is and what a great example he is for Kia Ora Mai. He embraced the course and enjoyed the ride! "

Elaine McMeeking nominated Hugh Davidson of Thankyou Payroll:

"I am the new owner of a company, called Tiffanies Treasures and have never had to do payroll before.

I decided to use Thankyou Payroll and have had the most amazing service from Hugh. Being new to this I constantly made mistakes and was on the phone to Hugh asking questions.

He would answer my calls no matter where he was (even out walking his dog one day!) and would offer to fix the mistakes for me instead of just directing me to how to fix it myself.

I truly believe that if all my suppliers were as customer centric as he has been, then my life would be so much easier!

He typifies the Kiwi attitude of "nothing is too much hassle"."

Colleen Hoskins nominated Anna Pepperill at Razz Print in New Plymouth:

"The extraordinary and truly inspirational service I received spanning two years during the collaboration and publication of my quote book series to celebrate my 70th year was supported beyond belief by Anna.

Having an eyesight and hearing disability made Anna's job 'very challenging'to say the least for this 29 year old who diligently had to repeat herself repeatedly for me to hear, not to mention the vastness of alterations for each book which she attended so willingly.

No matter what her situation was she held her beautiful arms wide and kept her heart open to support me, coming to my home on occasions to help make it happen and publish exquisite work for me, which incidently sold into the top N.Z. independent bookstore  2010 Page & Blackmore in Nelson.

I  definitely owe my achieved dream to Anna. This girl  is a legend!"

Sanjay Weerasing nominated Jo Te Paa, Manager of The Helm Bar & Kitchen, Hamilton:

"Jo has always provided the best possible service everytime I have been to The Helm. It's the little things he does like knowing who you are, knowing what company I work for and knowing what I drink.

 Over the last 2 weeks, we booked a table when the RWC games were on - needlessly to say it was an extremely busy time, but Jo was always very friendly, made sure we were well looked after and even very nicely ushered away some people who had hijacked our table. I noticed that this attitude was extended to every client he spoke to.

 He always seems to be very calm and level headed and obviously has the respect of his staff.  In a very difficult service industry, I believe Jo is a standout."

Gillianne Ray nominated Magician Mick Peck of Mick Peck Magic, Auckland:

"We needed a magician for my daughter's 5th birthday that would be highly entertaining and value for money so we looked on the internet.  It’s always nerve racking to hire someone based on information from  a website rather than word of mouth but that’s what we did.

It paid off for us in a big way! Mick was punctual and extremely funny. He not only had the kids eating out of his hand but he also had the adults in stitches too. Loved the personal touches he added to the show eg pictures, vouchers etc especially for a large party (45 kids,  55 adults).

It should also be mentioned that Mick’s administrative skills are superb – he answered phone calls, emails and followed up with newsletters and receipt promptly.

These are things that should never be taken for granted. We have no hesitation in recommending Mick Peck the Magician for this award – we had so many of our friends ask in admiration  ‘where did you find him?’ They were mightily surprised when we said we found him on the internet! We would dearly love Mick to win the awesome service award because he definitely delivered impeccable service.  He made us look good!"

Lisa Rogerson nominated Grant Burness of Spotlight, Te Rapa

"My 86 year old grandmother regularly walks up to spotlight to browse and buy wool etc.

She walked up 2 weeks ago and brought a new sewing machine and Grant in dispatch went out of his way for her and carried the machine home for her so she didn't have to call a taxi for the 5 minute walk.   When she had problems with the machine they offered to come to her house and fix it so she didn't have to try to get the machine to spotlight.

The staff absolutely made her day, she said you don't really get service like that anymore and they went above and beyond to make her happy.  Could not be more impressed with the way the staff have treated my supernan."

Charlie Tevaga nominated Gloria of Palmers Garden Centre, Glen Eden:

"On Fathers Day Sept 2011 I stopped in to Garden Centre to get something for my dads gravesite at Waikumete Cemetary (which is opposite the Garden Centre).

When I first walked in I spotted a worker and asked for help. They in turn put me on to Gloria. Gloria asked what I would imagine are stock standard questions. My desciption was something nice, would grow with little maintenance and manage without water for long periods (as Im not there every week). Gloria picked up that I had no idea about flowers or plants and provided me with a range of options. She then asked what I was planning to put it in and I said I didnt have anything. So she led me to a specials area where she recommend a mid size pot for my plant.

She recommended a flower and some additional ones to plant along side the flower in the pot. She then asked if I was going to take it home and put soil in before going to the cemetary. I said no, I would head over straight after I left the Garden Centre. So she took the pot, the flowers she had recommended and put it all together for me. When she finished she took me to the counter, explained to the young cahsier what my purchase was and said not to charge me for the soil.

Gloria was absolutely wonderful. At no time did she push a sale, she explained why some flowers that looked beautiful wouldnt be suitable for my situation. She found some cheap pots and would have spent at least 25 mins with me. My total purchase was less than $20.

When I returned to my car my wife was thoroughly impressed with my selection but I couldnt take any credit for it. I often think in the Service Industry the more you're spending the better the service gets. But that was not the case at all with Gloria. She was patient, proactive and wasnt at all concerned that I was only spending $20. In fact she did things to try and keep my costs down. This summer I will be back at the Garden Centre to buy more things for my home because of her service. An absolute asset to her workplace!"

Jo Morgan nominated Aiyub Hassan of Green Acres:

"Hassan and his friendly crew recently cleaned my elderly parent's townhouse. To be honest it was a mammoth task as my dear mother has been smoking in the house for around 10 years. Sadly as people get older their eyesight isn't the best and even finding the energy or strength to clean major areas becomes harder. I was doing what I could on a regular basis but in the end I was only making a small difference.

The family chipped in to have the unit cleaned so I could have a clean base to work with.

Hassan was very respectful of the sensitivity if the the job as to not offend my parents.

On a Saturday morning the team turned up including Hassan. Not only was the price very reasonable, he also went the extra mile by spending more time then quoted for and doing extra finishing touches than expected as a complimentary service. He is a very kind and caring businessman, and we all really appreciated his and his team's hard work.

The result was amazing, I can now keep on top of the housecleaning for my Mum & Dad. Hassan and his team made  a huge difference, trust me.. a huge difference!"

Diana Edwards nominated Helen Wilkes of Abode Mortgages, Upper Hutt:

Earlier this year my 20 year old son contacted Helen asking for some advice about how to go about purchasing a property, mortgages etc. She was very helpful to him and was always happy to give advice and keep in contact even though there was no guarantee that he would use her services as a mortgage broker.

The purchase of the house was to be a joint venture along with his sister and her husband and also consequently with some back up from myself and my husband.This was therefore quite a complex undertaking.

Helen was so helpful at answering all our questions  regarding properties, mortgages, trusts, insurance, solicitors etc. Anything we threw at her she was always happy to work out and it never felt as though we were being a nuisance or problem to her, even though she was dealing with phone calls, visits etc from 2 or 3 of us individually. We were pretty much novices in some of these areas and she always treated us with respect and no question seemed too frivolous.

After helping us with an initial property auction pre-approval, which consequently didn't work out, we finally decided on a property which had to be unconditional within a few days. Helen handled it all promptly.

The final accolade belongs to Helen for the patience she showed in dealing with the bank and solicitor on settlement day. There was alot of complicated paperwork involved because of the nature of the transaction and the bank had some last minute difficulties with it all. She sorted it out through the day without stressing us out even though the bank looked like putting us into default at one stage as it approached 3pm and it was all meant to be sorted by 4pm. There were 2 or 3 properties to follow on in a chain after ours too, so a number of people would have been affected with penalties and inconvenience. However Helen got it all worked out for us in conjunction with our solicitor.

We can't speak highly enough of her great service and continued follow up since."

Dee Hunter nomimated Verner Eicholtz of Proudmouth Dentistry, Auckland:

"Verner has been my chosen dentist for 20 years, as I had two dentists tell me they needed to extract my wisdom teeth at considerable cost. I went to him for a third opinion without him knowing and he told me that I should not have them extracted as there was no need; they have never caused me a problem since.

Recently my 28 year old Step Daughter Jemma was in pain with her wisdom teeth and of course I referred her to Verner to have them checked. She called his practice in Auckland Central and explained what she needed to find it was his day off.

She explained I had referred her to him exclusively and was in a reasonable amount of pain and wondered who else she could see. After waiting a few minutes on the line, the receptionist came back on and said she had called Verner and he was coming in from his home in Coatesville and would be there in about 90 mins to see her.

Verner saw Jemma and knew immediately that he would be unable to treat her and offered to refer her onto an oral surgeon. (So no fee for him!) He made the appointment for her, sorted her with adequate pain management and 48 hours later they were removed and she was pain free.

I was astonished to find out that he had travelled that distance on his day off and for the sake of a referral as it turned out. I have not personally experienced that level of service or humanity at the hands of a medical professional before, I am sure others exist but felt this one was worth highlighting."

Marilyn Guinan nominated Bella Marie Todd of Boulevard Motel, Rotorua:

"For the past 4 years, a group of Mah Jong players (who are in Rotorua for the National Tournament) have eaten at the Boulevard Restaurant and been served by this very friendly, efficient and helpful waitress. Every year we comment on her great personality and her way with people.

Nothing is too much for her and we have always remarked to the Motel receptionist as we leave on the great service at the restaurant yet again from the same happy person.

This year, with these awards in mind, we asked her name.

She is the waitress of the year in our book. The Te Kawau Mah Jong players would like to recommend Bella Marie for an Awesome Service Award."

Angela Tremain nominated Leigh and Louise, Onekawa Dental (Based at Onekawa School) Hawkes Bay:

"I phoned Louise and requested an appointment for my daughter which was additional to her yearly check. Knowing how busy dental therapists were and the challenges they face with limited resources I felt a bit precious.

From the first communication Louise was welcoming and reassuring. She made me feel like a good and caring parent and that I was well justified in seeking some reassurance. She asked me when I would like to come in.

When we arrived on the day of the appointment we were greeted with genuine warmth. Once meeting Leigh, the Dental Therapist, my child and I were delivered a informative thorough check and treatment. All her history was on file and immediately at hand.

They worked as an effective and efficient team. I know a number of Dental therapists in the Hawkes Bay and I am consistently impressed with the care and concern they show, however this experience made my day. I would love to see all dental therapists acknowledged for the work they do in difficult circumstances."

Philip Bradley nominated Nick Zheguang Li from Mt Smart Colour Centre, Auckland:

 "I was in need of a specific paint set to redo a damaged door in our commercial premises and called in to the Mt Smart Colour Centre.  Nick was there but the available paints were not.  He said he could source them by the next day.  True to his word I received a text saying that they were available. 

Phoning him I conveyed that I was unable to get there and that I was out of town the following day - I'd call by next week.  He offered to deliver the paints to my offices later that evening; again I was not available. 

He then proceeded to tell me that it was his day off on Monday and that he lived nearby so could drop by. I could also pay him at that time. Monday arrived - with a text to check if I was available Nick did exactly as promised, arrived with a grin and now we are good to get the paint brushes out.

So, an employee is willing to drop around after hours, then even call by on his day off, just to provide me with $130 worth of paint. Whilst a business owner might do this, in eighteen years of business I have not had such willing and dedicated service from an employee.  Well done Nick."

Charlie Dickson nominated Joseph Sipaia of Air New Zealand:

"From the moment we boarded our flight at Wellington Airport (bound for Tauranga), it was clear Joseph was going to be a delightful host. 

The first sentence into the initial announcement welcomed us all on board our flight to... Rarotonga(!)  At each announcement, Joseph built in a one-liner.  His approach seemed to encourage interaction amongst the passengers.

One thing we noticed Joseph did differently was offered a biscuit to those who didn't request a hot drink - a treat generally only reserved for the tea and coffee drinkers.

The young teenage girls at the back of the plane were thrilled with getting someone like Joseph as their 'host'.

Joseph's humour and professionalism and the way he went the extra mile made me believe he is destined to move rapidly ahead in his career progression."

Mena Bassily nominated Stephen Murhan of Blue Planet:

 "I had purchased a Blue Planet Aquarium heater from an Animates store, it was working fine for two weeks and then it stopped working properly, I sent BluePlanet an email and Stephen replied himself explaining causes of heater behavior. After the first reply I sent him, he understood that he is dealing with a professional and he admitted that the heater is not broken because of misuse.

 He offered to send me a replacement heater and the next size as well for me to review it and as a gesture of customer appreciation. I explained to Stephen that I had to buy a heater otherwise my fish will die, and I have got a heater from another company. He offered to send me a UV water sterilizer (a product his company sells as well) and I accepted his offer. I received the UV sterilizer in 2 days.

 The quality of the heater is not the best, even he admitted that himself. I would also expect that for the UV sterilizer, but despite all that, the attention and customer care level was way above expectations. The Malfunction heater was $20 and the UV sterilizer I got as a replacement worth $100

 I was expecting a lot of arguing and debating when I sent the email to the company, expecting nothing in return, but I found a very welcoming friendly customer service (by the manager himself) and for that I nominate them for an Awesome Service Award."

Robert Houston nominated Mary Moss of New World, Waikanae:

"In an era that we don't seem to care about people, Mary Moss is the real exception.

We live in an era where we are trying to depeople operations, and Mary is living proof that this shouldn't.

She is an older woman, who in friendly and caring, to the extreme, and often the line to get through Mary's checkout is longer than any others. Not that she is slower, wrong, she isn't, but she is so friendly, plus always ready to share a story or a joke, and she attracts people to her.

By the very nature of Waikanae, with a number of older people in the area, it is often only people like Mary that these oldies get the opportunity to talk to. Thank goodness she is there.

Mary Moss is a real local personality and I would believe that she exemplifies what this award is about."

Jon Scrivin nominated Mark and the team at Rapid Radio, Auckland:

"I went to Rapid Radio for a new car sound system, and they recommended a great system that suited my needs. Install was quick and efficient, but the next day there was a problem.

I took it back, where they spent a day diagnosing the issue, before swapping the faulty unit for a different one, free of charge.

A couple of weeks later one of the speakers started having issues - again I took it back and they figured out the issue and and fixed it, and in addition recommended a newer head unit that had come in - and due to the issues I'd had they did a like-for-like swap, all without it costing me a cent.

Throughout the whole process they've been friendly, honest, and have dealt with the problems as well as they dealt with selling me the stuff in the first place. All the guys were extremely helpful and went out of their way to do me deals every step of the way. A great example of good customer service more than making up for some issues (which happen from time to time)."

Kathleen Clements nominated Jennifer from  Countdown Supermarket, Pukekohe:

"Jennifer always has a smile on her face when she sees my two boys. She takes time to talk to them and has a smiley face stamp in her pocket to use if they are behaving.

Jennifer has taken the time to learn Makaton sign language so she can say please and thank you to my 4 year old who uses Makaton.

Jennifer has a pleasent personality and is very good at distracting my boys when they are irritable which makes my life alot easier when I am shopping.

My boys always look to see if Jennifer is there when we arrive at Countdown. They look forward to talking to her."

Ray and Maree Goldring nominated Mark Jeffery of MJ Contracting, Canterbury:

"We live in the mountains at Castle Hill Village within the Selwyn District.

 Mark first came to our attention here in the Village when he was replacing a neighbour’s windows with double-glazing. Because he was doing such a good job – we asked him to replace our windows as well. Because our aluminium window frames were of an older type, it was difficult to get all the new window flashings to fit the old frames. One did not work well so Mark altered one to suit. A couple of weeks after the job was finished, a section of the new flashing fell out. Because he was unsatisfied by the uncompleted job, at no cost to us, he travelled the 100 + kms back here to install a better-fitting flashing.

Months after this job was done, we decided to build a conservatory on the northern deck of our house at Castle Hill. Mark came up to measure it up and give us a quote for the job. He returned to Christchurch and instigated the process of obtaining the permit and getting the manufacturer to produce the product which Mark would assemble and install on site.

During this interim period, Mark told us he was going to Australia to work as his wife had a new job over there. Mark said, because he had instigated the job for us and committed to doing it, that he would return to do the job for us.

We had a deadline for the job to be finished – the 20th August – as this was our 40th wedding celebration, and we needed the extra conservatory space for the extended family during their stay. The permit took an interminable amount of time to arrive and we were panicking to get it done in time.

We had an email from Mark to say he was arriving from Aussie to start the job on Saturday 13th August – to be finished before the 20th!

He and his team of two started the job on the 13th. They knew the big storm was on its way so they worked into the night under flood-lights to get as much done as possible before it arrived in force. That night the snow started. Sunday morning dawned with a layer of snow everywhere and cold temperatures. During Sunday the temperatures got colder and the winds got higher. The job was still not finished.

The next day, Monday, the snow was thicker, the temperatures colder and the winds were nearing blizzard force.

Mark wanted to finish the job so worked in the blizzard conditions to get the job completed. His drop-saw benches were set up under the open-ended carport at the southern end of the house while the conservatory was being constructed at the northern end of the house. Mark had to take the measurements at the northern end, take the aluminium pieces to the southern end to be cut, and then trundle through the deepening snow back to the northern end to install the pieces in place. If they did not fit he had to repeat the process until it did. All the time this was going on the winds were howling around the house. Snow was drifting all over the place, the temperatures were below zero and the wind-chill was mind-numbingly cold. Mark was covered in drifting snow, his feet and hands were freezing - yet throughout this time, the work done and the accuracy of the work being done was exemplary.

Some tradesmen will stop working at the hint of rain. But Mark insisted the job had to be finished and worked in horrendous conditions to do so.

As a result of his beyond-the-call-of duty service and for the accuracy and quality of the finished product we think Mark (and his team) deserves being nominated for the Awesome Service Award.

I have photos and a video of Mark working under the extreme conditions experienced during the “worst winter storm for 40 years”.

Samiulla Shariff nominated John Hannon of Autoselect, Mt Wellington, Auckland:

"I bought a Toyota Camry from Autoselect a few months ago. I am writing to you to say that I was very pleased with the service I received from  sales person Mr.John Hannon.  I felt John genuinely looked into what I was looking for and never pressured me into buying the car.  He made sure that I was satisfied before I signed the paper to buy the car. 

After the sale,  there was a problem with the seatbelt and he then passed me on to Eric who really followed up with Toyota to get me the required part though a bit late, but it was all done entirely to our family's satisfaction.  John fnally made sure I had a courtesy car when our car was getting fixed.

He is an asset to his organisation and  knows how to treat a customer geniuinely. May his tribe rise.  In these times where customer satisfaction plays a great role in any business,  he is surely welcome.  I also have to mention Eric here, as he also followed up with getting our car fixed.

 John has a pleasing personality, always smiling and willing to help so that we can get on our toes ASAP.

 I would like to nominate John for the awesome service award as he deserves it."

Anita Teutscher nominated Rosina of Big Save Furniture, Wellington:

"Rosina has left a positive impact on myself and my two daughters.  We were looking for a lounge suit when we met Rosina for the first time.  Rosina was friendly and genuinly interested in what we were looking for.  As it was a big purchase for me I needed to make sure it was the right one so we visted the store several times. 

Each time Rosina was consistantly friendly and helpful.  Rosina took an interest in my daughters and the sport they were involved in. While I was having a look around the shop Rosina spent time chatting to my daughters.  

My daughters and I had an awesome experience shopping at Big Save thanks to Rosina and hope she will be there next time we need furniture"

Lewis Civin nominated Tom Coates of Tor Builders Limited, Auckland:

" We needed assistance in fitting a physiotherapy swing into our childrens' playroom. This was a small job, that was bitty, and technical. We needed help from a builder to fit a bolt securely into our ceiling.

 We were referred by our Physio to Tom Coates.  We called Tom, and he said he could come around the very next day. When he came around, he was sweet, polite and absolutely not "put out{ by how small the job was.

 We schedules a time for the following week.  Tom kept in touch with me by phone, confirming the time.

 When he came to do the job, it was clean and quick and professional. He charged me for only one hour's work. I do wish I had more construction / handyman work to give Tom, and I endeavour to tell as many people as possible about his great manner."

Adam Banks nominated Isabel Fish of The Isabel Fish Academy of Arts and Performance:

"Isabel is a highly skilled teacher and communicator with an extensive CV.  Her success and skills are known by hundreds of people.  For decades she has taught and/or coached people in the fields of singing, dancing, studying, communication, acting, confidence and presenting. 

She has helped young, old, skilled, unskilled, professional and unprofessional people to identify and develop their weaknesses and strengths.  Many of her students have achieved great things in academia and business including media. 

 Being raised in a society that educates so badly (one of many faults: it encourages memorisation & repetition, not intelligence, creativity & critical thinking), many people, when they first meet her, cannot learn or communicate effectively.  It is difficult to teach such people but she does so. 

 Below are the details of a couple of Trinity Guildhall of London assessments that were taken with the support of Isabel. 

Mark             Student                     Year     Information

96%               Isabella Denholm     2009    Highest in her category in NZ

97%               Guy Fisher                            Highest ever

 Her academy’s prospectus (https://sites.google.com/site/isabelfishacademy/Prospectus.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1) contains just a few of the many positive testimonials that one could obtain. 

She has been providing me with training in the fields of communication and teaching for over a year."