I've recently bought a Thorn Nomad - heavy-duty expedition tourer. I'm very pleased with the bike, and with the hub.
As far as Thorn's service is concerned, I'd say OK rather than excellent. It was fine for me because I pretty much knew exactly what I wanted, was familiar with my measurements and the fit I required etc. But the young man I discussed it with in the shop wasn't especially informative or helpful. Polite, but not much in the way of suggestions or guidance. Of course, I have no way of knowing what he'd have been like with a less opinionated customer!
Having said that, it was ready four weeks after I ordered it - they'd promised five weeks - and it's a great bike. It's a heavyweight, but I knew that when I ordered it and it's a surprisingly nice ride. I can see it taking me and however much baggage I want to take - its weight-carrying capacity is far greater than my capacity to pedal those weights uphill - wherever in the world I want to go.
One thing. Their builders assume that as a tourist you'll want a very upright riding position. As a result they cut the steerer very long - longer than I needed, anyway, so that when I got the bike I took 35mm off it to avoid a stack of spacers above the stem. So if you order from them it is probably worth being very specific about the height you want the bars to be relative to the saddle, and telling them you don't want the steerer cut longer than you need.
Hope this was useful. There's another very good builder you might consider. I don't know exactly what sort of bike you want, of course, or how much you want to spend, but
Bob Jackson in Leeds, UK will build you just about whatever you want, with a Rohloff. They build really nice bikes and - for a custom builder - their prices aren't too bad.