Who has the worst customer service in Canada?
Any Seinfeld fan remembers that scene from the third season where Jerry and Elaine get stumped by a snooty car rental agent.
You know the one, where – despite Jerry’s calling ahead – the woman informs him they’re out of cars. It leads to old Jerome dropping this beauty: “See, you know how to take the reservation, you just don’t know how to hold the reservation. And that’s really the most important part of the reservation – the holding.”
Anyway, it’s a nice little nugget of pop culture that reflects how poor customer service was (and continues to be) in modern-day commerce. But whose customer service is the worst?
As a contributor to a finance/consumer-related blog, you begin to realize there are certain companies and businesses that draw the ire of readers no matter what the subject.
For instance, Rogers could unveil the cure for cancer tomorrow, but all anyone would want to talk about is how they gouge us each month for cable TV, and if they have to wait one goddamn minute longer on hold to speak to someone about it, they’re going to explode.
It’s a no-win for companies like these. Air Canada, Sears and Bell seem to draw similar fury from pissed-off Canadians.
Of course, in most cases these reputations are deserved, and we shouldn’t feel totally bad about trashing those companies who have trashed us first.
As it happens, the Consumerist today wondered which industry has the worst customer service, a loaded poll that’s garnered the kind of results typical to what we’ve come to expect.
Based on their readers’ feedback, the big losers are still telecom companies and airlines, notching about 32 per cent and 24 per cent, respectively, of negative consumer appreciation. Banks also featured noteworthy disdain: almost 10 per cent of Consumerist readers thought financial institutions had the worst customer service of any industry.
But what if we took this a step further and tried to highlight which Canadian companies – not just industries – boasted the worst customer service in the nation?
Certainly Rogers, Air Canada and Sears get honourable mention here, but which businesses continue to rub you the wrong way? Based on your experience, who has the worst customer service in Canada?
By Jason Buckland, MSN Money
Posted by: SK | Aug 4, 2021 7:54:02 PM
And, of course, Hewlett-Packard Canada!
Last year I called to HP Canada and for 2.5 hours different guys bouncing me "back-and-forth" doing nothing to resolve the situation and "inflating cheeks"…
Posted by: Marg | Aug 5, 2021 12:11:28 AM
For me its between Bell Canada and Zellers
Posted by: Parisa | Aug 5, 2021 12:22:16 AM
For us its all chinese and east indian stores...
Posted by: MB | Aug 5, 2021 12:22:41 AM
BELL!!! By far the worst customer service of all time!
Posted by: Dan Keely | Aug 5, 2021 12:24:15 AM
The worst customer service by far with no one else even close is WalMart. We sent a letter of complaint to their head office about a year ago and have still not even had an acknowledgment back. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give Walmart a -10
Posted by: nat | Aug 5, 2021 12:25:57 AM
Moneris. Boggles the mind the ineptitude of this company.
Posted by: Mike | Aug 5, 2021 12:30:14 AM
Rogers...no doubt about it...they are the ELITE and most professional BS'ers is the business...followed very closely with honorable mention is the good ol' RBC Royal Bank Toronto employees...they really do treat everyone the same...like they ALL are beneath them...I would name DELL in here...but after trying to solve a technical problem with them...I was made to realize that they only exist in Malaysia or Mumbai...but not in Canada...bwahahahaha!
Posted by: Maribari | Aug 5, 2021 12:33:14 AM
definately HEWLETT PACKARD (HP) COMPUTER COMPANY AND FIDO, and HP does keep bouncing their customers back and forth and nothing gets resolved. FIDO can't admit to their mistakes and bad customer service where they go say one thing and do things to your account and then say another and charge you for things you never asked for.
Posted by: Mike | Aug 5, 2021 12:33:22 AM
You are right about Bell...and maybe Air Canada...they INVENTED poor customer service...but Rogers PERFECTED it! They think nothing about lying straight out and then denying they said it at all. Try this out...cause it is priceless...when you have to discuss an important issue...let them know that YOU will be recording the conversation for quality control...you will be amazed how quickly and for how long you are put on hold...lmao
Posted by: CW | Aug 5, 2021 12:36:35 AM
Walmart Warning: don't try to use a coupon unless you want to wait for a supervisor to come along to approve or disapprove it after waiting 10 mins or more in line to buy five items. Very annoying
Posted by: Sean | Aug 5, 2021 12:37:10 AM
Bell! Hands down...I had to email George Cope (Bell CEO) directly to get their marketing calls to stop. They stopped for about 7 months. They started again last week, and when I mentioned that I would contact him again, the woman on the phone said "I'm sorry I don't know who that is..." He's only the CEO of the FU#$*@# company you are working for!
Posted by: Shannon | Aug 5, 2021 12:49:13 AM
Bell!!! If it wasn't that I had a PVR reciever sent to me that was broken to begon with and then having to wait 2 weeks for a new one (I live 3 hours from where they ship from). It could possibly be after waiting those 2 weeks and then calling customer service, being put on hold for 1 hour only for the guy to come back on the line telling me he had to call me back and when he did not (of course) call back and speak to someone else who told me they never sent the PVR and was shipped that day!! Or could it be the fact that I pay the bill on the due date (due to it being the same day of me being paid) and being billed the next cycle a regulated late fee of $5.00 and a unregulated late fee of $15.00 and when I call them they say "it may have been paid on the due date but we reserve the right for it to not be posted to the account up to 3 days which makes it an over due payment and subject to penalties. Or can it be the fact they call me every day wanting to give me a free cell phone and I tell them I do not want it and to take me off their call list and they never do... last time I told the guy if they call one more time I was calling the police since I asked not to be called and by law they have to remove me from their call list, i also told them they are bordering harrassment..... Bell does not like when you know about the laws pertaining to telemarketing!!! he got very upset with me and said he did not particularily like being "threatened". Or it could be the hours spent on hold when they somehow crashed their satelite tv,or their ignorant/rude employees., or the fact it took 6 months to get them to bundle my packages when I know for a fact they should have been done when I set up the account (another thing Bell hates... a daughter of a telecommunication company who knows how they are suppose to run things). take your pick.
Posted by: Celina | Aug 5, 2021 12:50:50 AM
SEARS - they have moved their customer service centre to one of those countries where you can't understand a word they are saying. They never showed up for a appointment at the house and after calling the service centre at least 6 times that day and night, and having to hear the same "script" over and over. You know the script that these people are given to read off when a customer calls pissed off. Sorry - I understand your fustration. No actually you don't or you would have set a service techican over to my house. I even had one person say to me "Well, what is the problem your stove is working" Well, I think I lost my mind and proceeded to inform her that the point is we had a schedule appointment that the techincan did not show up for, nor did he call to say he would not be able to come. I was let not knowing whether or not I could or should use my stove - we ended up having to eat out that night. That will be the end of my shopping days at Sears.
Posted by: ian s burnby | Aug 5, 2021 12:52:09 AM
bell is by far the worst... they say you have to phone to cancel the service then they make it impossible to get anyone on the phone.. i sent a registered letter along with two months payment and they cashed the cheque with 'cancel service' printed right on the cheque and four months later they try to extort 400 bucks from me..... i took the 'black mark' on my credit before i'd give them a dime!!!
Posted by: Shannon | Aug 5, 2021 12:55:56 AM
I also have to agree about Air Canada too. My grandmother came down east from vancouver for my wedding whis year, her gift being a nice antique cake knife and lifter with an antique cake plate (all being Royal Albert China) and when they smashed the cake plate they refused to pay for the ruined wedding gift. basically saying we could not prove Air Canada ruined the plate!! How nice is that?
Posted by: Tricia | Aug 5, 2021 12:57:02 AM
Super Store by FAR! It's like they figure if they are rude enough to the customers, they won't come back. I hate them & can't believe a store who must instruct their staff (esp the "customer service" people) is still in business. It's appalling!
Posted by: samantha | Aug 5, 2021 12:58:28 AM
Sears by far has the worst customer service I have ever encountered. After many missed appointments for faulty equipment, the manager of the sports department actually tried to tell me that Sears was known for its "outstanding customer service across Canada". Yah right.
Posted by: ajm | Aug 5, 2021 1:03:41 AM
"Posted by: CW | Aug 5, 2021 12:36:35 AM
Walmart Warning: don't try to use a coupon unless you want to wait for a supervisor to come along to approve or disapprove it after waiting 10 mins or more in line to buy five items. Very annoying"
And I've had the complete opposite where there was a coupon attached to my item the cashier goes "Do you want to use that now?" I told her it had expired last month and she goes "I didn't see that" and ran it through anyways!
Posted by: KENNY WAY | Aug 5, 2021 1:07:33 AM
in my case it is sharp electronics, i have a sharp convextion oven the mother board blew i have tried for 35 months to get the replacement parts. the unit was only 7 months old when it broke even after over 92 e mails and some 41 phone calls i still do not have the part. Two weeks ago i spoke to their parts supplier in Edmonton and he told me they no longer make that part because the unit is to old. It was made in january 2005. lies lies lies they are the worst Second on my list is Workhorse truck parts i have a 2005 Holiday Rambler motorhome on a workhorse chassy. I had brake failure in November 2006. I found out the problem was with the brake calipers made by Bosch. They would overheat and seize the brakes. I have been told my unit is in a recall but after three years i still do not have the parts and no effort to help me get it repaired. Most G.M truck dealers will not do the work on the Workhorse chassy. over 50,000 of these units in Canada and usa. There is a class action finally in place now for a problem they admit they new about in 2002.
Posted by: Andre | Aug 5, 2021 1:13:02 AM
BELL!!!!!
BELL BELL BELL BELL BELL!!!!!!!!!