Hi Chris, Cecile and all the nice staff in Cardiff Violins,
I want to write to you to let you know how much did enjoy the visit to your shop. Also I would like to stress the fact that my testimonial is addressed to those that are absolute beginners or one or two steps below, like me. Those that have not idea about violins and are in need of beginner’s instrument and much more, really a lot more, help to make the decision on which one will suit him/her. I decided to go to your shop by recommendation of a good friend of mine, already playing violin, and firstly I did my research through internet and did read other people testimonials about you, your job and your shop. I have to say, after I knew you personally, that all those testimonials I did read were in some way wrong. My only fear is that my broken English possibly won’t allow to say all that would like, to express all my feelings and how successful was for me the decision of going to your shop.
Formerly I did visit some other shops. Shops where violins were kept locked. That instantly sent a message to my brains: “We are not here for you, go away”. Shops where the first sentence after the “Good morning/afternoon, sir” was “how much is your budget?”. In short words, shops where they didn’t look at the music lover, they looked at the customer wallet. Since the first moment, when I did phone you, the warmth, the will to help, was present and very noticeable for me. That got me instantly hooked. The moment I crossed your step door was a delight for my senses. My only worry was not to break anything. All the instruments were there, to the reach of my fingers, they weren’t jailed in nice glassed urns. They were there telling “try me, please”.
And what to say about you, the persons behind all those instruments? The welcome was warm enough, even when I changed my appointment time, you were still there smiling and waiting for me. You knew beforehand I was an absolute beginner and I felt like you were waiting for a famous performer. All what followed was magical. Your attendant was simply brilliant. She showed not dismay, restless, giving me all the explanations for my questions. Trying violin after violin. More like if we were friends. I never felt her rushing to close the sale. Never in a hurry to see me going and go for the next customer.
I could be here writing for hours about all my feelings. But nothing I can write will be even close to the reality. They were three fantastic hours in my life. And what to say about you Chris, abandoning your workshop and finding five minutes to come to know me? Thanks very much for that detail. Amazing, simply amazing. I just will add that your way of doing business is far away unsurpassed.
You are brilliant, all you, stars in a world of mediocrity, in a world of money as the main moto, yours is the satisfaction of your customers, and probably you don’t have customers, you now have friends. I am. I will, probably, carry on being an absolute novice for many years. I probably won’t play decently a violin in my life. But now I am richer as a person, as now I knew you. From the bottom of my heart, a big thanks to all you.