At the holidays, history has shown that people seem more stressed, sometimes grumpy and in a rush. I had an experience the past few days that evidenced true professionalism and outstanding customer service. I have no other way to applaud this woman publicly beyond sharing my little story and her name. Her name is Helen and this is her website: www.refinedgiftware.com

I collect Spode’s Christmas Tree china and am really somewhat in the early stages of it given how much there is though I’ve collected it for about 8 years. I really have a few odds and ends, 18 plates, 14 soup bowls and 4 cereal bowls plus a slew of cups and saucers. In the wintertime, and in furthering my parents tradition of daily tea, I love making a pot of tea nightly. I use a teapot every night from Autumn thru early spring. I have wanted a teapot set to match my Spode for years. I saw such a set at Macy’s for $325 for a teapot, creamer and sugar set. Wow, even with the 50% off sale, at $160+, it seemed well out of reach for a long time. I went home resigned to not having it for years and popped onto eBay just to poke around and compare. I found this seller: n2nlm with a price for a new tea set for $63 + normal shipping. Oh my gosh, what a deal! I was so excited because this was affordable and would be my one big annual Spode purchase.

This seller shipped fast and I had it before I knew it. I opened the box, put it into a sink of soapy warm water and immediately began washing it so it could air dry and I could use it that evening. The last item I pulled out of the sink was the teapot and wouldn’t you know it but I tapped the side of the sink with the spout and it chipped! I never do stuff like that as I’m just so careful so I was SO disappointed 🙁

I contacted the eBay seller asking if either by any chance I could buy just the teapot again or if she would be willing to cut me a deal on a replacement. She was immediately understanding and responsive though %0 of it was her fault. The conclusion is that I am sending the broken set back and she’s replacing it for the shipping cost of $15. I am THRILLED!!!! I had already left her glowing feedback on the first purchase so there’s nothing more I could do publicly to thank her for her excellent customer service. That’s why I decided to share her website with anyone who reads this so that if I can help her get even one more sale thanks to her kindness, it’ll be a tiny measure of repayment. She has been gracious throughout.

I know many gals collect lots of china items and you cannot go wrong by buying a $365 item for $63 like I did. Take a peek. There may be some treasure there for you!! Link here for Helen’s lovely store