I’m so excited about the new Mary Portas series beginning on Channel 4 tonight and thought it timely to share a feel-good customer service story with you (the fact that it could help out a bride or two with underwear dilemmas is an added bonus!)

Bad customer service makes me sad, and angry, and has resulted in me walking out of shops on more than one occasion… I have come to expect the worst in the hope that I will be pleasantly surprised and there’s an underwear shop on the High Street that has delighted me not one, but twice, in the last month.

Come on down La Senza (specifically the Milton Keynes store), you are officially on Magic Dust’s Most Fabulous List! I found myself, the day before New Year’s Eve, with a backless dress and no suitable underwear… A quick trawl of the internet, a telephone call to La Senza and an even quicker dash to the store and I was the owner of something that looked slightly dubious but that I was assured would do the trick (and some magic was most definitely necessary, let me tell you!) I was sceptical but, on New Year’s Eve, my Silicone Adhesive Bra did me proud. It won’t win any prizes for looking beautiful but who cares – it works brilliantly, I felt secure and confident, and I cannot wait to wear it again! If you have a backless wedding dress or something very fitted that you would prefer not to wear a normal bra with, check it out. I only wish I’d found it sooner.

I was back in the same store last week with a very dear friend of mine. She decided to take the plunge and get measured – something all of us ladies should do regularly but life just gets in the way doesn’t it? Anyway, the lady in La Senza who looked after my friend was wonderful. Once she’s ascertained the right size she went off to the shop floor and returned with an armful of styles for her to try, pointing out the styles that were in a ’2 for £20′ offer and offering her advice on the fit of each and every one. My friend was delighted and left the store with a spring in her step and some very lovely new underwear. I’m treating myself to a trip for the same treatment next week and, if you’re anywhere near Milton Keynes or indeed any La Senza store as I suspect this is a company-wide approach to customer service, why not treat yourself too.

Until next time, happy planning and enjoy ‘Mary Portas: Secret Shopper’ tonight!