Testimonial

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I would like to say a heartfelt 'Thank You' for the lovely funeral service provided by Melville & Daughters on Thursday 28th October 2010.

Prior to this, we were in Tenerife dealing with the death of Gifford so it was left to my niece Carlene Noel to find a funeral director in England. She therefore informed us about your business but at the time I was somewhat reluctant and had apprehensions about "This young professional black man who Gifford would have chosen and liked" as my head and mouth were saying "black culture equals lateness, no mercy attitude, no sensitivity, and such like comments. I made my points very clear to my family. This was due to my personal experiences of various funerals in the past.

I must say on the first visit to your office I had a good look around. I checked your whole manner of conversation i.e.: dress, attitude, etc., including your toilets (yes, they count too), I smiled when I saw you pick up a tiny piece of litter from your light coloured carpets! Thought I was the only OCD one left, and this cheered us on the way home thinking the more successful the business becomes equals more cleaning, ha-ha. Your offer of tea/coffee was nice but maybe a chilled sweet white wine from Germany may have got a yes please. The whole conversation my family had with you gave me confidence that you were the right person. Things were on the 'up' and I was the more so impressed when you sent my receipts via post within a day, as I didn't have to wait several weeks then hunt you down like a mad woman for something I was entitled to. Anyway, I did the same checks on the second visit and you seemed consistent in your approach. Thanks for the duty of care you showed when you explained to all of us about seeing Gifford.

Thursday 28th Oct 2010 started perfectly with you arriving in good time (oh how I loathe a late start) and the drivers were extremely polite and gracious. There was absolutely no panic when the roads on our journey were cordoned off by police as I informed my family in the car that you were more than able to deal with any arising issues and "bend or break" would arrive in respectable time, although any lateness was not due to you. Throughout the whole funeral you and your staff were brilliant, I can offer nothing but praise and gratitude for Melville & Daughters, and have already commented on this to many people, and will continue to do so in the future. I have even gone so far as letting my family know that should I be taken 'voluntary or by force' to the grave, although my body is to be donated to medical science first - if for any reason this cannot be done at the time, then its Melville & Daughters I request to 'sort me out proper'.

Thank you again, for the professionalism, the peace of mind, and going above and beyond what was expected of you. Thank you for taking such good care of our beloved GIFFORD who will be sadly missed but never forgotten. Damian, don't ever let your standard drop.

Regards Celia

May 16, 2016

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Dear Damian (Melville & Daughters),

img8You might say that you were just doing your job, but we think its fair to thank you so very much for the really excellent care, you carried out your work with precision, you did it with such love and care. We will never forget your dedication and professionalism.
It is the most painful thing to loose someone we loved so much, but knowing we did our best is such a comfort.

Thank you so very much for helping us to say goodbye with dignity and grace. Angels lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly,

God bless Coline, Paul & Family

May 16, 2016

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Dear Damian,

Thank you, the phrase is simple and the words are few, but behind them lies a world of appreciation.

From the Yearwood Family

May 16, 2016

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Damien,

I just had to write this email now whilst I remember most things about my brothers celebratory send off yesterday.

From the moment I met you I KNEW you were the right person to direct my brother's funeral however the final decision was not mine to make - I knew my Mum would agree anyway because everything you have done from beginning to end has been so professional yet sensitive at the same time.

I appreciate the way you were just always available to the family and especially my Mum at a difficult time like this - the personal touch that your service offers makes ALL the difference - you were more like an extended member of the family than a funeral director of choice.

Everything you did yesterday was precise and ran more smoothly than expected - even when we encountered unexpected road works/accident you were able to re-direct the entourage and we still made it to the Church on time. Your drivers were almost invisible in the car, they were respectful and never spoke unless spoken to - my Mum even offered them 'Smints' as I'm sure she just wanted to make them feel comfortable/included even though I am sure they were fine.

Because I am a 'detail' person I noticed everything from the way you had the flowers placed in the hearse to the musical clef's you had added to the coffin (a very thoughtful and relevant touch - thank you).

Please feel free to use my email as a testimonial to your fabulous work. You made what should have been a difficult time easier for us. (I'd be happy to say more for a testimonial if needed).

Thank you so much Damien - you really did a fantastic job and I hope you know my mum will probably still be calling you from time to time hahahahah - sorry mum “hahahah",

Take Care God Bless, Carlene Noel & Family xx

May 16, 2016

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Damian and Patricia Melville and Daughters,

Before we make any comments we just want to say a huge THANK YOU!

We don't even know where to start.

Should we start with the warm and friendly welcome and a huge smile from Patricia inviting us into the softly decorated and relaxed office, when we turned up half an hour early for our appointment or should we start with the firm handshake from a well dressed and softly spoken young man named Damian on our third visit.
We can write about all the details that made our visits to Melville & Daughters a straight forward and stress free process but we won't have enough space and time.

However we're going to write about the impressive and thoughtful service packages that you offered which covered things that we couldn't and didn't even think of for the funeral service. We were even impressed with the prices compared to other local funeral directors who actually offered alot less but at a higher price.

All we can say is the professionalism, the empathy, the patience, the calmness and the willingness to deal with external parties on our behalf left us speechless, not to mention the promises of contacting us on certain days and at a certain times which you've always kept.

I have to mention the way you drove into the estate with our beloved on the day of the funeral followed by your limousines which we could tell was carefully planned out and in a very orderly fashion and greeted by VERY friendly, helpful, patient and well dressed chauffeurs. Even though emotions were high on the day those little details put us at ease and reassured us that everything was under control.
You even helped out when someone heels got stuck in the mud at the cemetry. WOW!!

I still have alot more to say but I'm concern about the length of this e-mail.

We were always anxious about funeral parlors for obvious reasons but you've completely changed our minds, you went above and beyond and really exceeded our expectations.

Once again on behalf of the Liverpool family THANK YOU!

July 19, 2016