Prologue 2007/8 Season - A Six-Tilley Family

For the first time in our history in the Algarve, the number of our Tilley Hats exceeds the number of our Porsches!!
Unlike most we haven't spent the summer visiting exotic places, and honing our fitness in cooler climes, but we did have to go back to UK for the significant matter of an eldest daughter's pre-nuptials, and In-Law Appraisal.
I had already corresponded with Tilley UK on the matter of the sartorial elegance (or lack of) given to me by the Tilley AirFlo which had been a free replacement for my original torn through overwashing model. The brim had crinkled (probably from being stuffed in the Berlingo overhead compartment), and the wonderful Customer Relations lady had asked me to return it when I got back to UK, for examination. I honestly felt it made me look a bit like an England Cricketer on a sunny day (rare thing that!), as the brim no longer had the sexy sweeping shape that it came with. Just before we returned to UK, my other Tilley hat sustained a tear on the brim, which too I felt was unsightly.
We arrived in UK on a Wednesday evening with the threat of a postal strike. My first thought was to pack the Tilleys off, as I had only two weeks, and preferred to have it sent to my UK address, Into the post they went on Thursday morning, with the admonition from the Postmistress that she couldn't guarantee it would be delivered before the following Monday.
Well swipe me if, on first post Saturday, I didn't receive a package from Tilley UK containing TWO brand new Tilley hats of my preferred lightweight LT5 model AND the two that I had returned for examination.
If I ever had a way of ensuring that Tilley UK won an award for best Customer Service, it would be nominated in a trice. It is by a long street the best company that I have ever had to deal with in UK (and we all have our horror stories)!
I take each of my fleet of 5 Tilley hats (one is Myriam's generously donated by Diane W, when upgrading her own holding) off, consecutively, to Margaret Kitchen, and the CR Department of Tilley down in Helston, Cornwall.
And what is more, I omitted to enclose the return postage for the hats and they still came! I had forgotten this requirement until I read the guarantee in my new hats again, and immediately contacted Margaret and apologised, offering to send the postage to her. She topped all her previous magnaminity by saying that she would be glad to waive the postage on this occasion, and if I wished I could donate the money to charity, which of course I did to support the refurbishment of the magnificent Kinwarton Dovecote - but that is a geocaching story!
Now a couple more strokes like that and my Algarve Tilley Hire Company will be a reality!!