Great customer care

I HAVE always been a sucker for notebooks, like Bernie I have fallen for the moleskin which I only write in using a pencil so I can rub out my thoughts if they don't warrant being there in the first place. To date I haven't rubbed out anything more because I know I am being too precious about such a lovely thing than the fact what's in it is more nonsense than good.

I also love handbags. There is nothing nicer than a great handbag, for other women it is shoes but not me. I have also been known to choose a handbag because my notebook will fit in it, well what's the point otherwise.

In whatever I have done work wise I have always needed to juggle lots of different things, a good diary is everything I need to be organised. I don't know about Blackberries and all those other such like gadgets, a good diary beats all.

I had a great one last year bought in Reids and it was great. Made by Quo Vadis it was the business. A week over two pages with spaces for notes, an address book that inserted into the back and a notes booklet insert. I used it to write what I had done, was doing, need to do, places I needed to be, numbers, names, passwords, notes from meetings, ideas, doodles - it contained it all.



Protected with a sturdy but flexible faux-leather cover it took all sorts of batterings in my handbag over the year. And even now it looks respectable.

So I tried this year to get another one and only managed to get a pale imitation. I have tried to use it but it disappointed me every time I used it, it's flimsy pages, the horrible plastic cover, it's stiffness. There just never seems to be the room to do all I need. Even the Young Wan's cute penguin sticker failed to lift it.

I looked on the web and found an outlet in Bangor, County Down. What joy, I found my diary so I ordered one, paid for it online and went on about my business. About ten minutes later I got an email to say my payment was being refunded. A following email told me the lovely diary was out of stock but they were sending me an academic year diary for 2006-7 running out in August.



How's that for customer care, I haven't actually bought anything with them. So check out the site, here's the link.