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I'd like to be the Minister of Integrity, but I'm a jerk.
I'd like to be the Minister of Integrity, but I'm a jerk.
Yeah, surely not a font since there's too much variation for each letter. Look at the capital D's, for example.
Very nice to know about Republic of Tea, though I generally stick to buying my tea from Todd & Holland since they're local and can send you how much you want, rather than going and buying a huge tin of something and then letting most of it go stale.
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It never occured to me to mention this here before, but I've had a similar situation occur with a tea company. I had been drinking Choice Organic Teas' Earl Grey Tea for a while, and had been really enjoying it.
My problem wasn't with the tea itself (all the teas I've tried from them are great), but with the tea bag. When I poured the hot water over the tea bag in one box I'd bought they would swell and rupture at the staple. Not a big deal if you're expecting loose tea, but tea bags aren't supposed to do that. I emailed the company and let them know that this was happening, and they promptly emailed me back asking for the lot number stamped on the box and requesting my address so that they could send me some replacement tea. A week later two new boxes of their Earl Grey appeared in my mailbox.
That company really seems to care about their product quality and their customers' experience. I've never had the problem with the tea bags again, and it's the only tea I buy now. (Their Organic Japanese Green Tea is fabulous too.)
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My guess is that they had one hand written and made several copies, or perhaps scanned and printed them, seeing as the lettet is rather vague.
I (we) have been drinking R of T for many years; always a quality product; always personalized customer service. That note is the real deal.
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I second the recommendation for Todd & Holland. If you come by Forest Park, IL, their store is great for samples. Good service over the phone too.
I bought a tin of their bagged tea and about half the bags weren't sealed. They sent me a new tin, some samples and coupons, and, yes, a real, honest-to-gosh handwritten note.
Plus the customer service person I talked to was fun. She seemed really disturbed that such a horrible manufacturing defect could have been unleashed on an innocent public. Show or not, it was certainly entertaining.
PsychicPsycho,
Unless all their customers are named Eugene Dimarsky, this is likely 100% real no-foolin' handwriting.
We've all been so lambasted with big faceless corporate bullshit that we can't even recognize when a small company makes good.
I think we need to add more 'cheers' to this site. All this complaining is making us all so curmudgeonly.
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Easy way to tell handwriting from offset printing:
Look at the back of the letter. If there are little embossments from pen marks it's real.
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They're Mango Ceylon black tea is heaven in a teacup.
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And they use the scraps from making the teabags as packaging. Pretty nifty.
I received a hand written postcard from the Republic but I can't why?
It is so sad that a good customer experiance is becoming a rare thing in this day and age. Good customer service is such a simple thing, and a damn good investment for any company to make. Good customer service will always cost the company less in the long run, builds a loyal customer base, and provide free word of mouth advertisment.
There are very few things I require from customer service... it must be easy to find, don't make me wait, have reasonable hours, listen to my problem, and respond quickly and appropriately. For example, if I tell you I did not enjoy the taste your product, don't send me a replacement, send me a coupon for something else you make.
For the love of crap, listen to what your customers have to say, and say, \"thanks for taking the time to tell us what you think.\"
Good job Republic of Tea, I think I'll have a cup of Earl Grey.
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Am I the only one who feels like the note smacks of sarcasm? I guess I'm just too jaded of a consumer...
Also, The Minister of Integrity is a little too close to the Ministry of Truth for me...
I'd be surprised if sarcasm was the intended tone of this note. I think it was an attempt at cutsie humor that, to some, comes across a little strange.
Sometimes sentiment doesn't translate into writing too well...
The note isn't really sarcasm, it is written in the style of all their ad copy. Think a sort of new agey-18th century british combo. The Ministry of Integrity is part of the image too, they have a Ministry of everything. (tea, integrity, sipwear, travel, etc). R of T teas a great, even if the image is a bit silly.
If that's a font, it's the most sophisticated one I've ever seen. It appears the Minister of Integrity had the, well, integrity, to write the note out him/herself.