On a positive note

To Mr Lino Apap, general manager, Aplan Ltd.

Thank you for your letter of March 24 and the refund cheque for the service charge you had originally made.

I appreciate the promptness with which you dealt with my complaint and the fact that you wasted no time in trying to solve the problem regarding my electric hob. This more than made up for the fact that my request for service was not followed up originally. I also appreciate all the effort you and your technicians put into finding a way to repair my appliance. The fact that the problem was only partially solved is not important. It is more important that my complaint was taken seriously enough and prompt action was taken.

I thank you again for your excellent customer service and for restoring my high regard for your company's products. (Doryne Abela)

I add my compliments to Aplan Ltd on having made such a positive impression on Ms Abela. Yet again I will reiterate that, from a supplier's point of view, what matters in a given bad situation is to see to it that the customers' impression of the company is better than it would have been had the bad situation never happened in the first place.