Customer Service Hall of Shame
Dell (tie)
Per cent of total complaints: 1.8 per cent
When faced the challenge of naming Canada's worst customer service, a handful of MSN commenters listed Hewlett-Packard, the Palo Alto-based manufacturer that's been making PCs since 1980. But, after the tally was in, it's Dell that takes the dubious distinction of being the country's most loathed computer maker. One reader punctuated her tale of Dell Canada sending the wrong laptop in the mail by angrily labelling the company as "Cheaters!!!"
Per cent of total complaints: 1.8 per cent
It may be a surprise to see Tims on this list — certainly, speaking ill of the donut chain is Canadian sacrilege — but several readers nonetheless blasted the restaurant for its poor customer service. One reader, Bernard Miron, said Tims has "lousy service" and its servers have "no personal manners," while another said "only idiots would wait for a cup of coffee for twenty or so minutes."
Per cent of total complaints: 2.9 per cent
Canadians can get quite snarky in the face of perceived slights. To wit: one MSN reader actually ripped Santa Claus for having the worst customer service in Canada, whining that "year after year I poured my heart out in letters to him telling him what I wanted ... Did I ever get what I wanted???? NO!!!" Still, at least one shopper at Canadian Tire may not be returning to the retail giant. Says commenter Tracy of Canadian Tire workers, "There must be a standard 'duh' test taken by teenage employees."
Per cent of total complaints: 3.2 per cent
The Walmart experience, as summed up by reader Doug: "I hate this place. It doesn't matter what section you go to, if you ask someone a question, they suddenly 'don't work in this area' and will try and find someone for you. Then they walk away and you are left in a barren wasteland trying to find some stupid item. On the off chance you find it, your [sic] stuck in a lineup that's about an hour long for 1 item ... I hate hate hate Walmart."
Per cent of total complaints: 4.5 per cent
Oh, did we mention Canadians enjoy bellyaching about government services, too? Over nearly 500 comments, MSN readers pointed out the flaws in several of the nation's provincial and federal programs, including but not limited to Revenue Canada, Canada Post and Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Said one reader of Health Canada, "Waiting in the hospital for 7 hours will not compare to anything [said] above ... We c
Per cent of total complaints: 5.0 per cent
According to one reader, shopping at Sears is so bad, even employees of the store admit they don't shop there. Commenter Gailz tells the story of one parts centre worker saying he would "never shop at Sears," while another dissatisfied customer takes a more literary approach to his frustrations with the department store. "I could write a bestseller about my problem(s) with Sears," reader Brian noted.
Per cent of total complaints: 5.3 per cent
Now we start to enter the depths of the Customer Service Hall of Shame. If nothing else, all Canadians appear to be united in their stance that telecom companies offer the lousiest customer help. And, we start here with Telus, one of three telecom businesses to fall in this feature's regrettable top four. One reader, Carol, wrote that after three years of dissatisfaction with the B.C.-based cellphone outlet, "hell would have to freeze over" before she'd sign another contract with Telus. Of course, she then raises a good point: "From what I'm reading however, who IS a good phone provider???"
Per cent of total complaints: 5.3 per cent
Airlines deal with customers for the long haul; they're there for the booking of the ticket, the check-in at the airport, the service on the plane and the hope - the hope - that you arrive in the same destination as your luggage. In other words, this is known as the Customer Service Ticking Time Bomb. One reader, Shannon, ripped Air Canada in a story of how the outfit allegedly broke a set of her grandmother's antique dishes on a flight from Vancouver, then refused to admit any wrongdoing in the snafu. Of note, too, is that WestJet, Air Canada's chief competitor, received just one nomination in MSN's worst customer service poll.
Per cent of total complaints: 15 per cent
Reader Mike makes our slide-to-slide transition for us. "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." Indeed, dozens of commenters wrote long passages about their frustrations in dealing with Rogers, yet remarkably the Toronto-based media giant isn't the most abhorred telecom company in Canada, after all.
Per cent of total complaints: 36 per cent
Just looking at that number, 36 per cent, it might not register just how hated Bell's customer service was by commenters on MSN.ca. Consider: 36 per cent was just the per cent of readers that said Bell's customer service was the absolute worst in Canada - several others named the telecom company as a secondary or tertiary option. What appeared to irk Canadians most about Bell was pushy sales reps (they "must be programmed to hose the consumer," said reader Mark), erroneous charges showing up on accounts and the language limitations of some company employees, which prompted many to derisively refer to the business as "Bell India." After it all, though, when asked who had the worst customer service in Canada, commenter Andre voraciously summed it up best: "BELL!!!!! BELL BELL BELL BELL BELL!!!!!!!!!"
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