Rayne

New member
So... I'm going to just post my complaint letter which explains the incident and shows what I've done about it. Will keep you updated!

To whom it may concern:

I have been a loyal customer of Canadian Tire for many, many years and have experienced excellent service almost every time I have shopped at your store. I am approximately 140 kms from your store and have had employees extend sale prices either a week before or week after a sale, understanding that I cannot always make it in during the sale. I’ve always taken for granted that Brandon Canadian Tire, my ‘go-to store’, will have what I am looking for and have great customer service to go with it.

As a consumer, I am not usually one to complain; most often chalking up a bad experience to someone having a bad day, or things just being out of someone’s control. What I experienced on Saturday, December 8th at your store simply cannot be overlooked.

My husband was going to purchase a remote starter for my vehicle and booked me in for an appointment at 1pm on December 8, 2012. He told whomever he spoke to that it was for an automatic 2012 Ford Focus, and he was told that the installation would take about 4 hours. After leaving my home 2 hours in advance to arrive on time and travelling through some less than safe roads in my area, I arrived at your store at 1pm. I picked out the remote starter to be installed and was informed I would need a relay bypass. I handed over my keys and settled in to your waiting area, prepared to wait four hours as I had no other means of transportation. Moments later I was called back to the service desk and was told “Ma’am, your husband did not tell us you have a push button start car. It is a huge process and will take 5 hours to complete. You will have to book another day for 8am and leave the car all day.”

Needless to say I was appalled and quite speechless. All I could manage was “You have got to be kidding!” and again all she said was “I’m sorry but we didn’t know it was a push button start vehicle.” All I could do was take my keys and leave, drive the two hours back home again only to try to figure out when I’m going to be able to come back into the city and what I’m going to do in the waiting room for five or more hours.

Now I have to ask, when did it become the customer’s responsibility to ensure the service employees have all the information needed to adequately service my vehicle? How are we supposed to even know what information you need? My vehicle is a 2012, why would the service employee not ask if it was push start ignition? Also, if we were told it was going to take four hours why did one hour make such a difference that I had to be turned away?

I feel completely let down and quite frankly, betrayed. If I am going to come back to your store to have this starter installed I am looking at 560 kms total and almost 4 hours of wasted travel time. Also, to just assume I can just pop in another time, like I’m shopping there so I must be from Brandon is ridiculous. Your store has customers travelling from many kilometres away and booking another day may not be so simple. Furthermore, for this to be put on us as if we ‘should have known’ is unfair.

I bought the remote starter and took it with me, and at the moment I am feeling that this may be the last purchase I make from your store. At the very least I will not be returning to your service department again without some sort of recognition of my inconvenience.

I hope that if nothing else comes from this letter, at the very minimum some training will be extended to your service department employees regarding labour hours for newer vehicles’ technologies and what information to be asking for when booking appointments so that this does not happen to anyone else.

Thank you for taking the time to address this matter.
 
Update!!

The service manager called tonight and thanked me for my letter. He agreed that they should have gotten more information before booking my appointment. He asked what it would take to keep me as a customer I suggested 50% off installation...and he said he can do better than that. So, in the end I will have 50% off installation, a deal on some winter tires and he'll lend me his vehicle to get around for the day if I want!

I am so impressed with they way the handled this situation!

Thumbs up Brandon Canadian Tire!
 
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