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August 05, 2021

Reader react: Bell has the worst customer service in Canada

Well, the people have spoken!1249794_vintage_french_dial_phone

Kudos to all our MSN readers for their performance Thursday when prompted with the one question that might make even the most timid consumer boil over: who has the worst customer service in Canada?

Thanks to you guys, we got several hundred replies (and God knows how many more opinions went uncharted) in this space and were able to come away with a neat little sociological study on the perils of modern-day commerce.

And if we can use three words to sum up Canadian sentiment toward bad customer service, it’s this – Bell stands alone.

Yes, Bell came through with a Mel Gibson-like performance in reader comments Thursday, taking far and away the majority of pissed-off consumer reaction to our post, Who has the worst customer service in Canada?

As of press time, a staggering 36 per cent of Everydaymoney commenters singled out Bell as having the most terrible, awful, horrifying consumer relations in all of the country.

Rogers came in second (13 per cent), Telus third (seven per cent), while an amalgam of hated government programs (just under seven per cent) and Air Canada (six per cent) rounded out the top five.

Now, think about these stats for a second. Unprompted, MSN readers pooled together and insisted on lambasting Bell, which has obviously earned its reputation as the company Canadians hate most. And 36 per cent saying Bell has the worst customer service shouldn’t be confused as a small percentage; that’s just the number of people who think it’s the absolute  poorest. There’s a good chance the remaining 64 per cent of readers think it sucks, too, but just hate someone else’s customer service a tad bit more.

In any case, other notable vote getters included Sears, Walmart and Canadian Tire (Santa Claus even got one reader’s ire), but there’s no mistaking whose show this was.

“BELL! I used to work for those morons!” said reader Steve. “I would get no less than 15 calls a day about people getting crap added to their service without their consent … when you call Bell for ANY problem, take it from me, they ARE NOT there to help you. They are there to sell you crap you don’t need.”

Adds fellow commenter, Mark: Bell is “by far the worst customer service ever. I really like when they talk about customer loyalty, then try to shaft you in no time. Service reps must be programmed to hose the consumer. Happy to be rid of them!”

What do you think? Do you share Mark, Steve and the other hundreds who claim Bell is, indeed, the worst? Does Bell have the poorest customer service in Canada?

By Jason Buckland, MSN Money

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Gordon PowersGordon Powers

A long-time fund company executive, Gordon Powers now heads up the Affinity Group, a financial services consulting firm. Gordon was a personal finance columnist for the Globe & Mail for many years, has taught retirement planning...

James HaversJames Havers

James is the senior editor of MSN Money living in Toronto. He has worked for the Nikkei Shimbun (Tokyo), canoe.ca, AOL.ca, Canadian Business and other publications. Havers turned to journalism after teaching overseas.

Jason BucklandJason Buckland

The modern-day MC Hammer of money, Jason can often be seen spending cash that isn’t his with the efficiency of a Wilt Chamberlain first date. After cutting his teeth as a reporter for the Toronto Sun, he joined the MSN Money team with...