A retired businessman was surprised by the gift of a brand new Chromebook laptop from a local business when he ran into trouble with his old computer software on their website.

David Crawford-Emery, 54, of Leonard Street, was struggling to use the new website of Shoreditch-based office rental company Hubble on his vintage Macbook when he sent in a complaint.

“They said they had this amazing new website, but when I went on it all I saw was a white screen. I told them: ‘don’t forget you have clients on both sides of the fence, not everyone is a young techie’,” he said.

Figures show that many older adults continue to lag behind online, with 41 per cent not using the internet at all.

Hubble’s tech-savvy team quickly responded to the problem and Adam Maskell, 29, Hubble’s community support manager, ran out to buy the laptop.

He said: “He bothered to give us feedback, which is crucial and we were able to build the product with that feedback.

“Even if someone is complaining it’s still useful and that’s why we say thanks and go to extreme measures to say thanks. He was expecting a mug or merchandise, standard swag.”

The laptop was intended as a Christmas present, but David did not receive it until recently.

“We had a two hour meeting and they whipped out this huge box. I couldn’t believe it,” he said