Email's great, it's so quick - in comes an enquiry and out goes our reply, same day if we can. Even if it's quite a complex and individual set of questions (which it often is). Communication complete, hooray!

Except that it's often, in fact far too often, not like that. We always reply to emails. Usually the same day, sometimes next day if we have to get some information together. But always, always within two days. We spend quite a lot of our working time replying to emails. Because of the nature of what we do we get a lot of very specific questions, and that can take some time to think through and respond to. We put a lot of effort into taking time to consider the best advice and suggestions, and we always get back to people.

So then it's very frustrating to hear that people haven't received our return email. Frustrating and disappointing for customers too! It's hard to know how often it happens, because I guess people just don't get back in touch again if they think we haven't bothered to reply to them.

Mostly it seems to be down to over-active spam filtering, so if you haven't heard from us then it's worth checking your spam or junk mailbox. Or your trash. Unfortunately though, it could be that our email gets filtered out before it even gets to your mailboxes. Sometimes, if you contact us via our contact form, and there's a small mistake on typing in the email address, our reply bounces back to us, sometimes straightaway, sometimes days later, (at least then we know it didn't arrive, but we still can't send a reply).

So, if you haven't heard from us within 2 days, latest, something's gone wrong. Please don't give up - check your spam, junk or trash. Forward your email again, or give us a ring. Even better, put your contact number on your email so that we can call you. Please don't think that we can't be bothered to get back to you, it's just not how we work.

2014 is a year of change for us at Dojo.

After 16 years in our lovely old silk hat factory in Manchester we are about to start a period of refurbishment and building work. We moved into a new workshop between Christmas and New Year and we are going to be here for quite a while. It's been quite an upheaval as we have swapped the industrial landscape of the city for the green rolling hills of the Welsh Borders! During this time our shop will be closed but our manufacturing and sales are going ahead as normal from our new place.

We have tried to keep any disruption to a minimum but there have been some delays in getting phone lines sorted out (Christmas/New Year has proved a somewhat tricky time administratively...) so there are going to be a few days this week where you may not be able to contact us directly and we won't have credit/debit card processing facilities. However you can leave a message on our answer phone, or send us an email.

Warm wishes (our new workshop has a toasty little office!) for a bright and beautiful New Year!

And our little workshop is filling up with orders!

We are fast approaching our Christmas/New Year shutdown and the time frame for completing orders before Christmas is narrowing. Whilst we can usually make up items super-quick if necessary, the carrier's ability to deliver at such a busy time is more limited. We have been busier than ever this year, so if you are hoping to order a mattress or futon for delivery before Christmas then please contact us as soon as possible.

The last open days for coming into our shop this year are going to be Friday 13th and Saturday 14th December. We will then be closed until the new year.

Just to let you know, we will be closed all day on Saturday 16th November - so don't make a special journey to see us then! We will still be open on the Friday before as normal 10 - 5.

We have had it posted on our site for a while by our opening times, but just as a reminder - we will be closed for a week from Monday 16th September, which means that the shop won't be open Friday 20th or Saturday 21st September and no messages will be taken from the phone during that week.

We are pretty much up to date with our manufacturing, so on the whole it shouldn't affect our lead times. But if you do need something quickly then let us know as soon as possible!

Our shop and workshop will be closed, as usual, for our annual shutdown from the middle of May. Our last day before we close will be Saturday 11th May, the shop will be open (and we will be answering the phone) until 4.00. We will re-open on Wednesday 19th June and the first shop day will be Friday 21st June.

We are heading south and will be camping in France and Spain during this time, but we will be in email contact as much as sensibly (!) possible, so you can still ask questions and place provisional orders. It can get quite busy for the first few weeks after we open, and we already have orders booked in for when we return, but we will do our absolute best to accommodate urgent delivery dates!

...that we will be completely closed on Saturday March 2nd. We will be open on Friday March 1st, as usual 10 - 5.

Looking ahead a little more, our shop will be closed over Easter on Friday and Saturday 29th and 30th March and then the weekend after, Friday and Saturday 5th and 6th April. Unfortunate timing, really, but we will be taking part in an aikido seminar the weekend after the Easter weekend.

Frost on the inside of the workshop windows this morning reminds me how fast we're heading to proper winter and that means we don't have too long to go now until our End Of Year - Beginning Of Year shut down...

This year the very last day we can send mattresses and futons for delivery before Christmas is Thursday 20th of December. So, if you want something made and delivered before we close, make sure you get your order in as soon possible - we are really getting quite busy now as the Christmas deadline approaches! We will do whatever we possibly can to fulfil all orders, we often find ourselves working evenings at this time of year, but in the end the limiting factor may well be that we run out of fillings as most of our suppliers only take orders until the middle of December. Our little workshop will be stuffed full of wool, coir and latex, but when it's gone it's gone, until 2013 of course... We already have orders on for the beginning of next year, so if you need something in early January then it is worth letting us know before we close.

This year we are closed from Friday 21st December until Tuesday 8th January. The first shop day of 2013 will be Friday 11th January.