Name-It! and Oakwood-Studios have come out trumps for me at short notice to sort me out a couple of plinths and some nice name plates. This is a bit of a new foray for me as I don't usually leave my plinths wood coloured (I almost always go black), and I've never bought a nameplate, but I think these look pretty good...
The nameplates are gloss black with gold detailing, but have a thin protective plastic film on at the moment. They should really stand out when I pull it off. I might not do that until Saturday morning.
Whilst we are talking about the Name-it has a really old school website, and no automated online store, and I must say, that is partly why I have never used them. Being a bit of a techno-phile, I was unsure about the sort of service I would get... I must say though, I would definitely use them again. The website tells you to print out an order form, fill it in and send it to them which really wasn't a great option considering I had just one week before the competition - time was at a premium... However, after dropping them an email it ended up being a very easy process - I emailed them with what I wanted and they sent me the stuff! The slightly scary bit was that I didn't hear from them for a few days after confirming my order by email - I had pretty much given up (not that I would get my goods, but that I would get them before Salute). But Monday I had an email letting me know the nameplates were in the post! Thanks go to Julie at Name-It!
The Oakwood-Studio plinths are also pretty good. The edges are really sharp, and the larger one in the photo above (with the pig-man) has some really nice grain in it. I know that there is a certain amount of luck involved in that, but it makes me feel confident that Richard at Oakwood-Studios has a pretty good eye for the wood he uses. I also think that the best customer service isn't necessarily perfect service, but the way you handle any issues which may arise. This was the case with Oakwood. They accidentally sent me the wrong plinth for my pig-man, but after I contacted them to let them know, they made a real effort to get me my replacement before the show on Saturday - thanks Richard at Oakwood-Studios!
Anyone else heading to Salute?