Greetings from the Greek island of Rhodes. If you were wondering what happened to good old-fashioned politeness, customer service and good manners, don’t worry I’ve found it!

From the moment we arrived here we’ve been met with nothing but a smile and helpfulness. I’d heard from others and seen on Facebook groups that was the case, and it’s certainly proved to be true.

The taxi driver who picked us up from the airport was really happy to chat about Rhodes and tell us how much he loved it. He was full of top tips and happy to tell us where to go and where not to.

As we pulled up at the hotel, the staff couldn’t have been more helpful. We were greeted with big smiles, just as if we were old friends coming to stay. Nothing is too much trouble for the locals, from the taxi drivers to the waiting staff in restaurants, they’ve all been fantastic.

So why is it? Well, I spoke to a cab driver who grew up on the island and he said they rely heavily on the tourist trade for their living and they know how important it is to welcome people to the island. He told me they must make their money during the seven months of the year when tourists come, and he wants them to keep coming back.

What a lesson we could learn in the UK from the inhabitants of Rhodes. For some businesses customer service is really good but for others it’s appalling. I’ll never forget a few years ago we took one of my friends from the United States to a Little Chef. He ordered granola, only for the server to roll her eyes, and let out a small groan. He asked what was wrong and she said: “Oh, it’s a pig to make.” We turned around said: “Welcome to the UK.” It’s probably why you don’t see Little Chef today.

Sometimes when I go into a shop or restaurant it’s almost as if I’m an inconvenience. Staff do not seem interested and are often having a conversation about something unrelated to work. Here I am wanting to spend my money and they just don’t seem to be bothered.

No wonder businesses are going under. If you’ve had bad service, word spreads, people tell others and now with social media it often pops up on Facebook.

We had a problem the other day with our Sky TV box. Eventually we got to speak to someone. He offered to send us a box the next day but when I asked for an engineer, he said we’d have to wait two weeks. So I went for the box and fitted it but it’s still not working properly. So now I’ll have to go through the whole rigmarole again when I get back. We’ve been one of their customers for more than 20 years and spend a lot of money with them, but it doesn’t seem to matter.

In contrast we recently held my 60th birthday party at La Vida in Felixstowe. The owners and all the staff were simply superb. No wonder they’ve just won an award. It doesn’t take much, just a smile and an attempt to help is all it needs but often in the UK that’s just too much trouble.

Perhaps some staff training wouldn’t go a miss or maybe a trip to Rhodes to see how it should be done!