By Jennifer

My husband and i stopped in at this store while shopping last Saturday. I noticed they had a whole shelf of blood pressure cuff’s clearly marked $19.99. I picked one up with the intention of purchasing it. When I got to the cashier she rudely told me it was $29.99. I told her no thank you. I tried to explain to her that it was clearly marked at 19.99 and someone should change it so the next customer doesn’t get upset. she went off on me. She yelled at me that all I wanted to do was cause a scene. She was rude and insulting. I will never go to this store again. We called the manager after leaving the store and he was just as rude, hanging up on us. I have an email into the head office but don’t have much faith they will do anything about it either. If you are ever in the Peterborough area, skip this store.

By Aaron

Just over 3 years ago we bought a dryer from Sears. We noticed a couple of holes in some clothing, little nicks in the fabric about 2 or 3 months later. I thought is was my kids just being kids. Then we started noticing LOTS of little holes in the clothes, and I saw one article of clothing caught inbetween the drum and the door. We called the service dept and they sent a tech to fix the problem.

When we sold our house and moved the house we moved to had a dryer so we put ours into storage. We just got our dryer out again 6 months ago and it started to tear clothes again. Called for a tech and they said they would charge a call out fee. I said no, I would not pay it just as this is an ongoing issue. The guy shows up and tells us the original problem was not addressed and it will now cost $500 to fix the problem. Then we were billed for the call out. Now I am arguing with head office about the issue and they refuse to do anything about it. I am going to take the dryer to the local Sears, set it up on the side walk along with a sign and smash the dryer to bits. I think I will call the news people too…I will never buy another item from Sears, EVER!!

By Chun

A “never fulfil promise” Chinese furniture store

We have ordered a so called custom made from this store. The owner’s name is called Raymond. When we entered the store, we saw signs in Chinese saying that they will copy other store’s sofa, even high end ones, and do it for you by tailoring your needs, such as the grade of leather and the stiffness of height, etc.

We are stupid enough to believe in his words, though we have heard so many horror stories about Chinese furniture. WE HAVE MADE THE BIGGEST MISTAKES IN OUR LIVES BY TRUSTING THIS COMPANY!!!! We order the sofa from the store in Feb 2010, asking them to copy the sofa from EQ3 (The only thing I have to complain about EQ3’s sofa is it is too soft for my back!) Raymond said they will do a great job, and even have their staff go to EQ3 to look at the actual sofa. He promised that the sofa will be done in about 6 weeks. We have emphasis again and again to him that they have to copy the style completely, such as the way of stitching. We did made some adjustment for the height though for comfort level. His sofa is not cheap. He charged us over $1700 for the 3 seater (leather)

After six weeks had been past and we have heard nothing from the store. We called Raymond for follow-up. He told us that they would need to delay the sofa because they have to re-do the sofa frame. Apparently, they are trying to use an existing wood frame and “modify” it into the sofa that we want! Come on…each sofa has its own style and shape. How could you try to fit in your existing frame to make our very own “custom” made sofa…

Okay… we waited for another 6 weeks and no response. Again we called. This time they said that they are almost ready for the frame. It was Jun 2010. We went on our holiday in July 2010 and came back in August. We called and he said that it was almost done. So instead of having the store to ship it to us, we take an extra step to view the sofa. MY GOODNESS…they made the sofa in a WRONG COLOUR!!! Also, they made the stitching wrong too. We complained to Raymond about the wrong colour. I cannot believe that he denied about the wrong colour and said that we picked the colour as shown. Finally, he gave up and let us choose the colour again. When we see the samples, we compare the sample code # with our invoice. It was him and his workers who made the mistake by reading the code # wrong. Also, I complained to him that it is inappropriate to use an existing frame for our custom made sofa. He then made an excuse that our sofa was never indicated as custom, so it is expected to use the existing frame and modify it.

Now it is Nov 2010, and we still have not received the sofa. It is such a sad store that they are just like other Chinese furniture store that they will promise you with everything, but they can not fulfil their promises.

Name: Modern Living Furniture Ltd at 21 Trojan Gate Scarborough , ON

By Cheryl888

Recieved a “non brand name” xbox 360 controller as a gift a few weeks back. Tried it out, needless to say, its nowhere near the quality of a microsoft controller. We decided to take it back, and either exchange for a microsoft version, or just get in store credit (based on the fact that it was opened). This was 2 days after it was purchased. Took it in, and was told because there was an extended warrenty purchased, we would need to call them, and deal with the issues through them. …..Ok……so we called. After about an hour on the phone, we were told to take the remote back to HMV, as they should be accepting the return. By this point, my head was hurting. I called our local store (where we attempted to return the first one), and was told their policy was not to accept any returns. After a few more hours of run-around, I was told the best I could get would be an exchange on the controller, for one of the same brand!!!…..and that HMV would “eat” the cost of this issue

Where is room for an unsatisified customer? Sadly, HMV was not familiar with the brand they carried (I know…….), and could not give me any info to contact.

I wrote a email to customer service, and now I need to attempt to find a fax machine in order to fax a copy of the reciept (easier said than done). I will update as I go!!!!!

PS - All people I spoke with were VERY helpful as much as they could, and professional. Its sadly HMV that has the shoddy policies, and they endorce silly 3rd party extended warranty companies, and products they cannot stand behind. GRR!!!

By Choked

I am a graphic designer who works part time and homeschools my daughter part time. I bought a HP Pavillion dv44-2160us Notebook in May 2010.

In October of 2010 the screen of my Notebook starting shorting out. I called the service center, they said, “No problem it’s under warranty. Send it in for repair. It should be a 3 - 5 business day turn around.” I had a school deadline and couldn’t send it in for three weeks not knowing how long it would actually be until I saw my Notebook again. That was a wise decision in hindsight!

The day the deadline was met, Nov. 12th, I sent the Notebook back to HP via UPS.

I received an email that said my laptop had been fixed and shipped back to me. It arrived back Nov. 16th IT WAS THE WRONG COMPUTER. They sent me SOMEONE ELSE’S Notebook!!!

When I called the customer service line, they didn’t believe me. Luckily I had written down my own serial number. It was the only thing that convinced them.

Much confusion - they didn’t know WHERE MY UNIT WAS!

The service center called me and asked me to ship back the incorrect unit which I did on Nov. 17th.

Since that time I have had nothing but run around. Many phone calls to the ‘Case Managers’ who they all insist is the ultimate authority - right below the CEO - no he doesn’t have a boss (isn’t THAT a dream job!) My Case Manager, Nazir, finally tells me they have found my unit on Nov. 24th and they are just having their engineer check it out and make sure all is working before sending it back to me. They will also extend my warranty for 1 year to compensate me for aggravation. He promises to call or email me with a UPS tracking number later on the 24th or on the 25th for sure.

I finally phone him back at 4:30 p.m. PST of the 26th. I can’t get through (usual scenario) I leave a message and inquire when he is off today. I am assured he will be there until 8 p.m. PST. I don’t hear back from him so I call again at 6:30 p.m. PST and am told he has gone home early. NO RETURN CALL - no notes on the file to show WHERE MY UNIT IS!

I am beyond choked and highly recommend you think twice before ordering from HP Canada online. You have no store to yell at. It is all done via phone or internet and there is no boss or manager to escalate too.

I am beyond choked.

By JB

Here’s an interesting way to try and boost profits:

My wife purchased some appliances on her Sears card for about $800. It was a do-not-pay for 3 or 6 months. Credit limit was $1000. Sears sends her a monthly statement noting that her credit limit was reduced to $500, therefore she was over-limit and a $25 charge appeared. She called Sears and the first person there argued that the $25 over-limit fee would NOT be reversed! And next month another $25 fee would be charged. She finally did get it reversed, we paid off the the DNP, and are now canceling the account. We won’t deal with Sears ever.

By Samantha

In August I received a gift card for Glow Hair & Nails in Calgary that was worth approximately $50. In Oct I went for a pedicure, and after my pedicure was finished, I tried to pay with my gift card. The manager/owner began to tell me that she just recently purchased the company and that the previous owner did not pay for any of the outstanding gift cards. She said they have hired a lawyer but cannot find the previous owner, and that they have already received over 100 cards since they’ve taken over. She would not accept my card, and said “her girls have to be paid”, and that she would give 10% discount. I paid the bill and walked out of there fuming. Is it just me or is that the risk you take when you assume another company’s name?? Why should the customer be penalized for their poor business decisions.

By WR

I’ve shopped at Sears Canada for over 25 years. Even though their prices are often a little higher, their money-back guarantee made it worth while. But apparently they no longer guarantee their products.

I purchased a pair of slippers for my grandmother as a gift. She needed one size bigger so I ordered a larger size through the catalogue and planned to return the other slippers on pick-up. Well, they refused to take the slippers back because I missed a deadline I didn’t even know about by 5 days. Even though I explained it was a gift and I was ordering the same slippers one size larger (so I wasn’t asking for my money back), they wouldn’t budge.

So now I’m out $52.00 and Sears no longer has a loyal customer! In the past 25 years I have purchased furniture, appliances and clothing through Sears because I could count on the fact that they back their products. But that is no longer true and therefore they won’t be getting any of my business in the future!

Unfortunately in not even offering an exchange they have a return policy that is less then some of the worst stores in Canada. Shame on you Sears!

By Sela

I bought a treadmill a week ago. On the first hour of use I noticed that the running belt keep coming of center and the equipment makes to much noise. I tried to contact TEMPO the manufacturer. Initially there was a recording saying we are experiencing high volume calls please call us again in the next business days.

I tried again and again when I finally was waiting for the a representative. After waiting for 45 minutes my call was disconnected.In the next day after the purchase I went back to the Canadian Tire that I bought the equipment from. For my surprise the manager said that they wouldn’t do a refund!!!

They said that a RA (return authorization) was needed from the manufacturer and that would take fewdays. Now after many calls they are saying that I should deal this the manufacturer. No return for this item!!!

By Ashley

I needed a new pair of glasses, as my new prescription I was given by my optometrist is stronger than my current prescription. I had heard a lot about Clearly Contacts on SC and other areas on the web, and decided to give them a try. I ordered two pairs, one regular pair of glasses, and one pair of sunglasses, and used the coupon code I found on SC. I received my order 4 days later, and the glasses were great quality!

However, the frames were too large for my face and didn’t look right on me. I called their customer service department (which has excellent hours too by the way!) and asked if I could return them and place a new order. She promptly sent me a prepaid Fedex label to ship them back, and said that they cover the cost of shipping for returns! The return process was quick and simple, and I was only on the phone for maybe 10 minutes. I placed a new order a few days ago and am waiting for my new glasses to arrive. I’m very happy with their customer service and the quality of the glasses they sell. I highly recommend them!

By Tina

Recently there was a posting on Smart Canucks regarding using the Buy2/Save $5 coupons for the $1.44 Secret or Old Spice anti-perspirant to get them for free. I wanted to warn anyone planning on redeeming their coupons at Rexall that they will not be accepted if they are more than the value of the product. I found this out the hard way at the Barrie location.

I brought 7 items to the register so the total was $11.38, but she would not accept my 2 coupons as she would be “giving me money”. I pointed out that I would be giving her money as the total was over $10 and that Rexall would be re-imbursed the $10, but to no avail. I asked if she could adjust the coupon value to $2.88 instead of $5 so there would be no price difference but she said she couldn’t.  She then stated that taking the coupons for more than the price of the product would be “theft”. When I told her I took offence at being called a thief just because I am trying to use a coupon she said “Oh, not you, Rexall would have an internal investigation, so I would be in trouble”. She offered to help me choose Secret products that were not on sale so that I could use the coupons, which was very nice of her, but by then I had had enough Rexall for one day.

P.S. I redeemed both coupons the next day at Zehr’s. Secret $2.49 X 4 =$9.96-$10 coupon = -.04. I hope Zehr’s does not launch an internal investigation over those 4 cents.

By Suebee

SOLUTIONS: YOUR ORGANIZED LIVING STORE

Their mission is to create a positive, organized and inspiring place to shop & work. While making an exchange, at the new Newmarket location, on Sept 14th, the sales associate handed me a pen to fill out the required paperwork. I removed my yellow leather wallet from of my purse to pay the difference and noticed that my fingers were covered in blue ink. Imagine how alarmed I was to notice that I had gotten ink on my wallet. My wallet was less than three months old.

Their first solution: discount my $24.00 purchase. This does not equal the amount I need to spend to replace my wallet.

Their second solution: a $50.00 in store gift certificate. There is nothing in the store that I needed or wanted. All I wanted was my wallet replaced!

Their third solution: After a week they decided to have the wallet professionally cleaned.

Their fourth and final solution (after two weeks): The wallet could not be cleaned. I was to be given the purchase price of the wallet. My predicament was this — I purchased the wallet in June while visiting an outlet shopping mall in Atlanta, GA. I was able to prove this by providing the original receipt. I paid $29.99 plus tax (USD). To replace the wallet locally, it will cost me $65.00 plus tax for a total of $73.45. The difference is $39.63. So, unless I add another $39.63, I cannot replace my wallet.

Their response to me: They can’t believe I am making such a fuss over an old wallet. It is not their fault that the pen leaked. We are being more than fair by giving you what you paid. My response to them: My wallet is not old. It was your pen. Your sales associate handed me the leaky pen. All I want is my wallet replaced. I am very angry and feel that I have been treated unfairly. I do not feel that Solutions is honoring their mission statement. Many phone calls were made, including to the owner of the company. You would think that when a customer takes his or her dissatisfaction this far, regardless how small, that the owner would surely take this matter seriously. Boy was I disappointed! He was told that I was not happy with this settlement and that the story would be made public. His answer was “Go ahead. I don’t care!”  So, here I am letting you know.

Does this sound like a positive and inspiring place to shop?

By Catherine

Yesterday I was out shopping to find a particular item I had never bought before, it was recommended to me by someone I know. My first stop was Canadian Tire at Shoppers world (only because it is closest to my house). After staring blankly at the rows of products I saw someone walk down the aisle and quickly looked to see if I was lucky enough to encounter a sales associate but sadly it was just another shopper. I left without buying what I was looking for (or ever seeing one associate on the sales floor) and headed over to the new Home Hardware on Hansen just off of Queen near Rutherford. I was greeted by 3 different people- one associate helped me find exactly what I was looking for (and for a great price) then apologized for making me wait while she ran to the back to check with someone else about the product. I told them I was so pleased with their service and friendly attitudes. I actually left there smiling! I will definitely go there for any of my household needs and suggest the rest of Brampton do the same! Be sure to check it out- Home hardware on Hansen just off of Queen st. ! LOVE IT!!

By Sheena Smith

I had my battery replaced in my car last night which took 3 hours. I was told that it usually takes around 20-30 mins to change a battery. I had a bar that they had to take off to replace the battery which I was charged extra for and it was only a matter of unbolting it. It took 1 1/2 hours to have the battery checked and then another 1 1/2 hours to put a battery in. This was my first visit to a Canadian tire auto centre and it will certainly be my last. One comment made by a customer service person was that the mechanic did not like to do that particular job and no one would tell him to do it. Great job having staff like that.

By Jenn

Virgin Mobile charged me twice in a month for phone service.  The first time I tried to call their customer service line to get it rectified, I was on hold for over 30 minutes.  I had to hang up.  I’ve since tried calling again and I get the automated message they are very busy and are having long wait times.  I sent an email and got an response 1 month later telling me the best way to reach them is by calling….How on earth am I going to cancel my phone when I can’t even get a hold of them?