\u201cAt the beginning of November I placed an online order for a fresh door wreath and a Christmas table arrangement, with collection scheduled for Saturday, December 6th,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I arrived, the team realised there had been a mix-up and they had prepared two wreaths instead of the wreath and the table arrangement. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey apologised profusely and immediately refunded the cost of the table arrangement.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"Christmas](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/25I6J24H65BGFOWOUNZN3DVFVA.jpg\")
Christmas wreathes are attractive, popular decoration. Picture posed <\/p>\n
She is undergoing cancer treatment and had been driven quite a distance to the shop by her partner as she had recently had surgery, which meant returning another day was not really an option. <\/p>\n
\u201cI accepted the refund without any issue. However, the following day, Sunday 7th, I received a genuinely thoughtful email from the owner Emily Gaynor, apologising for the oversight and explaining it fell short of the standard they aim for, especially for orders placed well in advance for Christmas. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs a gesture of goodwill, she insisted on creating the table arrangement free of charge and arranging delivery to my home. It arrived today and it\u2019s beautiful. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor a small business to go to such lengths after having already refunded me speaks volumes about their integrity and commitment to their customers. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn a time when good service can often feel rare, All Seasons Flowers in Lucan really stood out.\u201d <\/p>\n
Niamh contacted us to praise the Christmas-tree sellers outside the Tesco<\/a> in Newbridge, Co Kildare. <\/p>\n \u201cMy 75-year-old mum couldn\u2019t make the Christmas tree stand on her own, so they went up and put up the tree for her as well free of charge. I thought that was really sweet.\u201d<\/p>\n [\u00a0\u2018Regift the bejaysus out of it\u2019: 21 tips for a cheaper Christmas, from readers and from us<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n Gina, meanwhile, had kind words for Clarkes Bakery in Cabra, Dublin, although it is more of a story of kindness on the double, really. <\/p>\n \u201cMy husband was recently in the Mater recovering after a heart bypass,\u201d she says. \u201cHe heard one of the nurses was celebrating a big birthday, but had to work over the next few days and wasn\u2019t going to get out to celebrate,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n So Gina\u2019s husband called Clarkes. \u201cHe ordered a large birthday cake and had planned for a taxi to collect it and deliver it to the hospital \u2013 on the phone with the bakery when everything was ordered they told him that they are a cash-only business. <\/p>\n \u201cBut they took the order and delivered the cake on the basis that when he was out he would call in and pay for it. Of course, he couldn\u2019t drive for weeks and when I called in to pay it was … no big fuss. <\/p>\n \u201cSuch a lovely kind thing and amazing customer service. They deserve a big shout-out.\u201d<\/p>\n Fiona had two stories to share: one from times past and another from recent days.<\/p>\n When she was a student about 17 years ago she was getting the Bus \u00c9ireann<\/a> service to Limerick from Galway to visit an aunt. <\/p>\n \u201cI lost my ticket and needed to get on the bus. I was really flustered and nervous. I was too broke to get a new ticket and the bus driver saw me looking anxious. When he came over to me, my face was so flushed and I explained that I lost my ticket,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cHe must have felt sorry for me and told me he saw me buying a ticket, which I doubted because he had just got off another bus. He said it was OK, took my bag, put it in the luggage area and told me to go on to the bus. <\/p>\n \u201cI was so embarrassed and grateful that I welled up when I sat down. I couldn\u2019t believe his kindness.\u201d<\/p>\n Fast forward to 2025 and she has another transport story to share, this time involving Aer Lingus<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cI was on an Aer Lingus flight and the woman in front of me looked so stressed. She was flying on her own with a baby and a toddler. When the flight took off, the baby kept crying and mother looked increasingly flustered,\u201d Fiona wrote. <\/p>\n \u201cLater, she was trying to hold the crying baby with one hand and unzip her bag to get something for the toddler with the other hand. <\/p>\n \u201cThe air hostess came over with a broad smile and asked if she could take the baby for a while. <\/p>\n \u201cShe picked up the baby, kept her close to her chest, started rocking her and cooing her for about half an hour. The baby stopped crying and the mother looked so relieved and grateful. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was lovely witnessing an act of kindness that meant so much to someone in a state of stress and anxiety. <\/p>\n \u201cI always find Aer Lingus have brilliant customer service and it\u2019s not the first time I\u2019ve witnessed an act of kindness from their staff.\u201d<\/p>\n Margaret, meanwhile, recently had to email Spotlight Oral Care as her toothbrush of less than a year old gave up. <\/p>\n \u201cI got an email requesting some details and short video of the toothbrush,\u201d she writes. \u201cI sent the requested info and the next email was to confirm replacement on way. It was so efficient and all within a matter of a few days. Excellent customer service.\u201d<\/p>\n We are big fans of the Saw Doctors on this page, so were delighted when the band \u2013 or at least someone acting on their behalf \u2013 got a shout out. <\/p>\n \u201cMy wife and I recently brought our 14-year-old son to his first music gig \u2013 the Saw Doctors in the Olympia,\u201d Shane wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cOur son hadn\u2019t been in the theatre before so when we got in, we brought him down to the front of the standing area so he could look up and back at all the levels and boxes and see how fantastic a venue it is.\u201d<\/p>\n As it happens, there was a section cordoned off at the very front where they restrict numbers standing close to the stage. <\/p>\n \u201cAs we went to make our way back into the general standing area, the floor manager (we think) came over to us and gave us wristbands so we could stand in the priority area at the front, where it would be less crowded and more suitable for our son,\u201d Shane says. <\/p>\n \u201cAs if that wasn\u2019t enough, the floor manager then sought us out and came over to present our son with one of the handwritten set lists from the band to keep as a memento of his first gig. <\/p>\n \u201cI believe his name was Tommy K (apparently a coincidence that it was one of the Saw Doctors songs on the night) \u2013 he certainly deserves a shout-out for going above and beyond unprompted on the night.\u201d<\/p>\n Grainne from Galway recently needed some ties for her outdoor Christmas lights, so called to O\u2019Higgins in Shantalla.<\/p>\n She told the sales assistance what she needed \u201cand he could not have been nicer. He brought me out to a big stockroom at the back of the shop. He went through all the options and said, \u2018While these may not be what you are looking for, they will work\u2019. I decided on tile clips, which did the job. <\/p>\n \u201cI just want to call out the time, the interest and how helpful this gentleman was. The sale came to \u20ac5, so it wasn\u2019t as if I was a big customer with a large order, but he still gave me the time and showed interest.\u201d<\/p>\n She also praises Blackthorn Candles and Blazer Candles, two Galway candle companies. <\/p>\n \u201cI ordered candles from both above candlemakers in Galway to shop local. The candles from both places were really good quality and well made with a lovely scent. To my surprise both gentlemen arrived at my front door and delivered them personally.<\/p>\n \u201cGreat service, great candles, great to support local companies.\u201d<\/p>\n Staying with fragrances, Paddy wrote in about \u201ca small business called Handsome Scent on Stephen Street in Dublin. They do home-produced fragrances (with \u201cinspiration-from\u201d) some of the higher-priced shop ones. <\/p>\n \u201cI bought a set of three fragrances and one of them had leaked in the post. I sent a message on Instagram and they posted a new one that day and I had it the next day. <\/p>\n \u201cNo messing, quibbles, just really good service.\u201d<\/p>\n [\u00a0100 Irish websites for all your Christmas presents, from Claddagh Guinness socks to cheese<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n Ciara Kelly<\/a> \u2013 the one on the radio \u2013 also got in touch to highlight how a cold Christmas was once averted by the soundness of Ultima Oil in Kilpedder, Co Wicklow. <\/p>\n She ran out of home heating oil on Christmas Eve and tells us she \u201cleft a message on Ultima Oil\u2019s answering machine (they were finished up for Christmas) asking if we could get a delivery as soon as they reopened. <\/p>\n \u201cWe went out for lunch and came home to a full tank they had delivered on Christmas Eve afternoon so we wouldn\u2019t be cold. They said we could pay after Christmas. It was unbelievably kind,\u201d Ciara said.<\/p>\n She actually has a second story of goodwill. \u201cAnother Christmas, it was a week to go and Greystones butcher Des Doyle rang me to say I hadn\u2019t ordered a turkey and no problem if I\u2019d ordered elsewhere, but just in case I\u2019d forgotten he was checking as it was the last chance to get one. I hadn\u2019t ordered elsewhere and Des Doyle saved Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n Last January reader PJ bought an air fryer from Harvey Norman in Rathfarnham, Dublin. <\/p>\n \u201cA couple of weeks ago it started to switch off halfway through the cycle. It was still under warranty, so they asked me to bring it in so they could have a look at it,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n \u201cThe unit was taken away and five minutes later the sales assistant returned with a replacement. The paperwork was sorted in minutes and she put it on a trolley and followed me out to the car. That\u2019s what I call customer service.\u201d<\/p>\n Another reader, Richard, says: \u201cThere\u2019s the best of small bookshops in Blackrock in Dublin called Raven Books. Louisa runs it and she\u2019s an absolute gem. Helpful, knowledgeable, affable, dedicated, hard working. She\u2019s just brilliant. <\/p>\n \u201cBut best of all, and although some time ago now, she delivered books on her bicycle to my three kids to the door during Covid, when things were closed. They were utterly delighted by it. <\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t bought a book anywhere else since. She more than deserves a mention.\u201d<\/p>\n We also heard from a reader called Doreen, who got in touch to praise Global Windows. <\/p>\n \u201cThe attention to detail, professionalism, courtesy and reliability is way beyond any other company\/contractor who worked on our house refurbishment,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n \u201cEvery single contact I had from the initial sales person to the guys actually fitting the windows were a pleasure to deal with.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/JL2JLLLCTZGUHDJQJJ6DAFUKNY.JPG\")
The Saw Doctors play the Galway International Arts Festival in 2023. Photo: Andrew Downes <\/p>\n![\"Good](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/HBWC74SNPNHX5PPUOAPLOIRN5I.jpg\")
Good service is rewarded with customer loyalty. File image <\/p>\n![\"Ciara](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/7BN2HQ4KH4TALZOF6MB2EAK4IU.jpg\")
Ciara Kelly is a presenter on Newstalk’s Breakfast Show. Photograph: Tom Honan <\/p>\n
![\"Businesses](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/5W742O4FQNHALDN3JFW6F4SQQU.jpg\")
Businesses that put matters right swiftly get praise online, too. File image <\/p>\n