Derek Caplen is a specialist in upholstery and antique restoration and has become the youngest fellow of the Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers for services to the trade. Derek established his Dee Cee Upholstery & Interiors business in 1978. He told us: 

'I’ve been doing upholstery for a long time. During that time, I’ve stayed away from a number of trader review services. Many of them are just about collecting an annual membership fee from anyone, regardless of how good, or bad, their business might be.

Which? Trusted Traders is different to the other schemes. I joined quickly, because Which? has such a good reputation with the public. Which? is known for it’s thorough testing and Best Buy scheme – being associated with that was very appealing.'

Derek found the assessment process to be more robust than he anticipated. 'The assessor looked through all of my business processes and documents, and chose customers to contact at random from my order book. You can’t cheat a Which? Trusted Traders assessment. It’s absolutely designed to sort the good guys from the bad, giving the consumers confidence in the quality of any Which? Trusted Traders-endorsed business.'

Derek has added before and after photographs of an upholstery job to his profile page on the Which? Trusted Traders website. 'Prospective customers will be reassured to see the evidence of the quality of my workmanship,' he explained. In addition to photographs of Derek’s products and services, customer reviews demonstrate that Derek and his team offer exceptional customer service.

'We were delighted by their continued attention to detail, high levels of customer service and the finished product,' comments Kate from Hampshire.

'No hesitation in recommending to others,' says Gary from Hampshire, who has used Derek’s business twice.

'Customers from Which? aren’t interested in finding the cheapest job,' said Derek, 'They want value for money – a good finish, delivered on time with great customer service. Which? Trusted Traders recognises the tradespeople who do an outstanding job every time. It’s going to do a great deal to improve standards in all trades. I feel proud to be part of it.'

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