Catching the attention of our judging panel with its generous charity work and glowing customer reviews, Bluebell Fitted Furniture Ltd has been named Which? Trusted Trader of the Month for May 2021.

The family business, which designs and installs bedrooms, media areas and kitchens, says it will always place its customers at the centre of the process when creating new spaces. Bluebell is clearly sticking to its promise, with the trader currently recommended by 99% of customers on the Which? Trusted Traders website.

We had a chat with Alison Reuben, founder and co-director of Bluebell Fitted Furniture Ltd, to find out more on how the company maintains such a high standard of work.

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Taking care of customers

Bluebell Fitted Furniture Ltd started its journey nearly 30 years ago as a small family business. Since then, the company has gone from strength to strength and is now managed by a talented team of 26.

One satisfied customer said: ‘All of the Bluebell staff who came to my house were very polite and friendly from the initial survey right through to installation. [The team] even finished work quicker than anticipated. I would definitely recommend Bluebell.’

Scroll through the customer reviews for Bluebell Fitted Furniture Ltd and you’ll see they all tell a similar story – this is a company that cares deeply about its work and its customers.

Another recent customer review on the Which? Trusted Traders website says: ‘Bluebell designed, manufactured and installed a fitted wardrobe for us. As part of this process, we visited the Bluebell showroom in Sale where we were impressed by the hospitality offered and the compliance with Covid-19 safety practices demonstrated by the staff.

‘Overall, we are extremely happy to have done business with Bluebell. The personnel we interacted with throughout the procurement, manufacture and subsequent installation were very professional, friendly and focused on ensuring that they were meeting our requirements.’

Reacting to the results of Which? Trusted Trader of the Month, Rory Trainor, Which? Trusted Traders account manager, said: ‘Congratulations to Alison and the team. It’s great to hear how proud the company is of its Which? Trusted Traders endorsement and it is a pleasure to have Bluebell Fitted Furniture on board.

‘It’s clear how much the company cares about delivering exceptional customer service by always going above and beyond. A thoroughly deserved win – enjoy the celebrations!’

Joining the Which? Trusted Trader scheme

In Bluebell’s application to become the Which? Trusted Trader of the Month, Alison explained that joining the scheme was a ‘logical next step’ as the company continued to grow.

Alison told us: ‘Which? Trusted Traders is a well-respected, established scheme and we feel it gives confidence to our customers – they know they are dealing with a reputable business that is going to look after them.

‘Our philosophy of providing outstanding customer service at all times reflects the values of Which? Trusted Traders and therefore reinforces our values as a business. It’s the perfect fit!’

Bluebell Fitted Furniture Ltd is always keen to mention the Which? Trusted Traders scheme to new customers. The company promotes its affiliation in its initial design presentations to clients and shows off its Which? Trusted Traders title on social media and its website.

The company recently invested in a new fleet of vans and decided to make the Which? Trusted Traders logo a key part of the design. Alison told us that Bluebell has also worked the logo into company stationery and business cards.

Before a company can become a Which? Trusted Trader, it must pass our detailed assessment process. This journey includes a credit report, customer reference checks and a visit from a Which? Trusted Traders trading standards professional.

Alison told us: ‘Our Trusted Trader assessment was extremely rigorous and truly showed that Which? is a respected organisation and a Trusted Trader accreditation well worth having.

‘The Which? Trusted Traders representative visited our showroom and also contacted several customers at random to discuss their experience.

‘To us, being a Which? Trusted Trader is a huge privilege, and it forms part of our mission statement and vision as a company to provide outstanding products and customer care. This is evident in everything we do, and we are always working on our processes and training our team to ensure customer detriment is avoided whenever possible.

‘As with any business, the odd hiccup is sometimes unavoidable, but we believe it is the way you handle the issue, take responsibility, and move forward which is of paramount importance.’

The importance of charity work

As a family business ‘born and bred in Sale’, Bluebell Fitted Furniture Ltd believes passionately in supporting the community. The company’s co-directors, Alison and Mike, are very active in this arena, and our judging panel certainly appreciated their efforts.

Every year, Bluebell chooses its ‘Charity of the Year’. For 2021, the group has decided to support Chris Ingram, a local rally driver who is an ambassador for the mental health charity, HUMEN.

For the past two years, the company has also sponsored a sunflower-growing competition through Raring to Go, which encourages local school children to grow their own sunflowers and share their successes.

A number of our judges praised Bluebell’s dedication to worthy causes, with one member of the panel saying: ‘It’s great to hear that the company is supporting local charities and the community.’

Another judge added: ‘Bluebell seems like a good fit for the Which? Trusted Traders scheme, with a real emphasis on the customer being at the forefront of everything they do. The company clearly has a really good outlook – this is a professional family business.’

Working through the coronavirus pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on traders up and down the country. Having to adapt to a new way of working has proved challenging for many businesses, but Bluebell seems to be coping very well under the circumstances.

The company’s Which? Trusted Trader of the Month application explains: ‘Due to Covid, the last three months (and last year as a whole) have presented a number of challenges. But rather than see this as a negative, we have used the time wisely to develop and evolve our processes and the business as a whole.

‘To avoid customer detriment, we have stepped up our customer care and attention. We always pride ourselves on going the extra mile and we understand our customers needed extra reassurance in such exceptional circumstances. We always want our customers to feel supported, especially after a job is completed.’

As a manufacturing company with its own factory, Bluebell has been able to continue trading. We heard that business has been ‘even busier than usual’ as families have focused on home improvements during lockdown.

Speaking on its health and safety measures, Alison told us: ‘If a customer or staff member suddenly has to self-isolate, we have a robust procedure in place and everyone understands the process. Communication is key, and our system ensures the customer is kept informed throughout their entire journey with Bluebell.’

Congratulations to Bluebell Fitted Furniture Ltd for winning the May 2021 Which? Trusted Trader of the Month award.

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