Every so often a business will fail to live up to your expectations for customer service. When that happens to you, you may want to write a complaint letter pointing out why you think you’ve been unfairly treated. A good business will take action to correct any problem and may even offer you a coupon or a voucher as a gesture of goodwill.
Last fall, Air Canada misplaced our checked-in baggage that contained some sentimental items on a flight from Toronto to Ottawa. The airline claimed that it was still searching for the baggage four days after the bags went missing and finally, I decided to drive to the airport and search for the baggage myself. Thankfully, the baggage was stuck at the Ottawa airport with all the tags intact, though Air Canada kept claiming that they are “actively searching” for the bags. I shot off a complaint letter (Air Canada actually asked me to call their local delivery company and ask them why my bags are still missing) and forgot all about it but a few months later, I received an apology letter in the mail and a $300 voucher for any flight on Air Canada, valid for one year.
Related: Don’t get mad, write a complaint letter
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19 responses so far ↓
1 Craig // Feb 26, 2007 at 11:04 am
So my question is…to whom at air canada did you write the letter? Did you address it to the president’s office, or the customer service department?
Please LMK, as I often think our letters sink into oblivion in a big corporation.
Thanks in advance.
Craig
2 Stephen // Feb 26, 2007 at 12:06 pm
I had a terrible experience using the Home Depot website in ordering a garden shed and some other supplies. The main reason I had used the HomeDepot.ca website was because they gave free delivery.
Anyway, after far too many phone calls with the customer reps. I wanted to send a letter to formally complain about the service. Talk about a crappy system. The only contact information they gave on their website was their phone number. No addresses could be found.
Eventually, I convinced a service manager to give me the address to head office in Toronto, but that required a few phone calls.
So, not only did Home Depot get a letter about the crappy service they also got an ear full on how hard it was to get their address !! Definitely fits into what seems to be a far too common issue with most companies.
Some one did call me back, but it took far too long for him to offer me compensation for all my trouble. He should have jsut apologized and made his compensation offer rather than spending far too long telling me why I should continue to use buy from Home Depot.
I still have to wait and see if they have credited my account.
Needless to say I would recommend that if anyone is considering using the Home Depot website to order things to be careful.
3 Winawer // Feb 26, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Articles and blog posts about writing complaint letters to resolve a situation where the company has wronged the customer are a dime a dozen…have you considered looking at it from the other side? The mantra may be “the customer is always right”, but in my (thankfully short) time at one of Canada’s largest banks, I can tell you that the customer is most certainly not always right, and is very often an idiot.
“What, you mean you’ve maxed out three credit cards and a line of credit, you’re behind three months on an auto loan, there’s a large fellow outside named Guido who would like to talk to your kneecaps, and you want us to extend you some overdraft protection on your chequing account ‘just to get you through’?”
“You mean you’re actually going to write a complaint letter because we wouldn’t give you more credit? Uh-oh, we’d better change course and give you all the credit you want…”
Don’t just dismiss this as “well clearly, your hypothetical person was just one of those extremely rare morons”. First, “extremely rare” and “morons” do not belong in the same sentence when you work as a telephone banking agent. Second, there are going to be many times when the customer is truly in the wrong, but because we as a society have a fetish about providing “good customer service”, these people never receive feedback.
Perhaps you could explore “10 steps to cooling off before you write a complaint letter that you probably shouldn’t have even started”.
(God, I’m glad I don’t work there anymore… compared to that, “publish or perish” is paradise.)
4 Steve Heath // Feb 26, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Winawer, you’d love this website:
http://bbcamerican.blogspot.com/
It’s the blog of a Wal-Mart customer service person, pointing out how at Wal-Mart, often the customer is wrong… and dumb… and crooked
5 Winawer // Feb 26, 2007 at 4:53 pm
That was fantastic, thanks.
6 Canadian Capitalist // Feb 27, 2007 at 6:29 am
Craig: Actually, I contacted them through their website. I forget whether it was the main site or baggage claims.
7 Philip S // Feb 27, 2007 at 6:38 pm
Yikees! It looks like someone spent way too much time on the phone lines.
When we talk reality, the rule “the customer is always right” isn’t in fact a rule…it’s a slogan. It ranks right up there with “Because you’re worth it”, “Have it your way”, “Just do it.”, or “Do the right thing, buy a chicken wing.” It’s meant to make the customer feel good about themselves and gets them to buy something.
CC, when you are truly slighted, like you were, then it is good to write a letter of complaint. Sure it may be tough to get in touch with someone but it always pays. If you were (in fact) wronged, you should always look for a formal redress process. If you don’t exercise that process, you are denying yourself compensation you may be entitled to.
8 Edward // Mar 11, 2007 at 9:36 am
For Stephen: Could I possibly get the address for the person at Home Depot Head Office you contacted. I too am having difficulty getting some satisfaction or answers. We have been getting a bathroom installed here in London for the last five weeks. Inferior contractor, yet Home Depot won’t address our concerns. This has gone on too long and still far from completion and costing $9500.00!
Thanks
Ed
9 Doug // Jul 10, 2007 at 12:39 pm
For Stephen and Edward: Would also appreciate the address for the person at Home Depot Head Office. I am also caught up in a bathroom reno disaster here in London. Contractor’s manager skipped with the money - what should have been a 2 week job now in it’s fourth month, with no sign or plan of completion. Just one delay after another. Fiasco is so big that the London Home Depot store now has a “Special Cases Manager”. He must be busy as I haven’t heard from him in a month.
Thanks, Doug
10 Kim // Sep 21, 2007 at 1:28 pm
For Doug and Ed: I’m planning on writing a letter of complaint to HD head office in Canada. Just did a search on Home Depot Canada Head office, and found the following address:
1 Concorde Gate, Suite 900
Toronto, M3C 4H9
(416) 609-0852
11 Mellissa // Sep 24, 2007 at 8:56 pm
For Stephen: Could I possibly get the address for the person at Home Depot Head Office you contacted. I too am having difficulty getting some satisfaction or answers. I recently had wood floors installed which took approximately 7 weeks to get the materials and get the job done. Not to mention the contractors provided terrible service. In addition, Home Depot has me waiting for 3 weeks now to get compensation for all the trouble they caused. I live in Queens, New York and would never recommend Home Depot to anyone for any large scale projects.
Thanks
Mellissa
12 Canadian Capitalist // Nov 14, 2007 at 3:37 pm
The following email is from reader ES:
Would like to get an E-Mail address of someone at Home Depot, British Columbia main office to complain about there service. I have been waiting for almost two weeks to get measured for my carpet, and keep getting the run around. Not even a phone call from them
13 Rock // Jan 31, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Not sure if this is the way to go about asking this, but for what it’s worth…
Questions for Steven indicated above (2 Steven//Feb26, 2007 at 12:06 pm).
1. It’s been almost a year now… what was the outcome? Did the Depot use common sense or cents??
2. I’ve been dealing with the Depot’s Customer Service / Credit Services since July 2007 simply requesting proof of purchase(s) to NO AVAIL. Luckily for me, I’m a bit of a legal houndog by way of my office adminning & customer service background myself. I’ve record of every communication associated with this simple request. At this very moment (Thursday, 31 January 2008) I have yet to hear back from the mighty american giant box store here in Canada. Funny though, I have received all their promo stuff (even sent in my name and account number) tempting me to buy more.
My question here?? What is that head office address in Toronto, cuz I can’t find it or have them give it to me either!! Who knows, maybe were dealing with the same clerk/rep/manager/supervisor/associate/flavour of the day dude!
IN CLOSING…
Anyways Steve, if you can help me out in any way (or anyone else out there for that matter), I’d gratefully appreciate it. All I want are the copies of those little pieces of paper we all sign when using their almight credit card to pay for our purchases.
Also, before closing, just let me say that even though I don’t know the “actual figures”, we all know for every such “vocal” complaint, there’s a whole pile of silent ones. Smarten up depot dudes… you’re in Canada now (remember the Hudson Bay Co.)?
Use your heads… use some common sense. I don’t care who your ship captain is here in Canada… Go big or go home!
Think I’ll get a response from the Depot??? I’ve got nothing to lose. Think they do? Who knows.
Thanx.
14 Ed - London // Feb 14, 2008 at 9:28 am
It has been a year today since they started my bathroom. It was finally completed just before easter last year. I went right to the head office in Atlanta and they contacted the store. The story the store told and mine conflicted however I did persevere and got $1500.00 off the cost. It was a horrific experience and the craftsmanshop inferior. I kept at it until it was to some degree what I wanted. Never again. I also contacted Mike Holmes not that I think that made a great difference. All I got was an email response that is like a template of whatever Home Depot sends out to their “held hostage” clients. All in all just plain inefficent and only after I threatened that I wanted everything out that had been done and my money back did I get action. It was just by chance I had this web site on my “favourites” and sorry for a late response to those of you who inquired after my posting. Buyer beware!
15 LW - Toronto // Mar 18, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Special Order Doors - East York. We had HD come in and measure our openings. Turns out that we needed custom order, more$$$. After waiting 6months, (one order screwed up) they finally came last week to install them. I would give the installers a 6/10. They left holes in the jams with no insulation, no flashing on the doors to prevent water getting in. AND they notched up all of our NEW based boards.
A whole lotta of paint and poly-filler to cover up the mess. Should have done this myself and save HUGE $$$. Now the letter to HD HQ to complain and get these guys back to finish the work. Beware buyers. If you can remotely do this yourself DO IT!
16 R H // Mar 19, 2008 at 1:52 am
Well, Doug & Edward, as someone who works for THD (as a specialist, in our top installed services store in Canada) there’s not way the manager ’skipped out’ with the money, or the store had no control over what was going on. In reality, we don’t pay the installer until you’re satisfied with the job. Possibly, the project co-ordinator was such an idiot that they confirmed, key’rec’d and sent off your job Purchase Order without actually confirming with you that, yes, things were satisfactory.
Otherwise, if anyone needs an install in the Toronto area, generally the folks at the company’s Leaside store (flooring or Kitchens, meaning David, Philipp and George for flooring, or Janet/Maria for kitchens/bath will go the distance… they’re actually people who know what they’re doing and talking about….)
17 Kevin Taylor // Apr 24, 2008 at 10:14 am
I too made the mistake of ordering something from Home Depot online. The air conditioner arrived with the box opened from the bottom (an old retail trick where they open the box from the bottom, put the item on display and then repack it so that it still looks new)
The unit was damaged, had packing material missing and a vital piece of installation hardware.
It was obvious that whoever shipped this to me was fully aware of what they were doing.
Now I’ll just see if writing to them does any good.
Home Depot Head Office
Annette Verschuren - President
1-900 Concorde Gate
Suite 900
Toronto, Ontario
M3C 4H9
1-800-553-3199
18 Lee-Ann // May 5, 2008 at 8:15 pm
I’ve been trying to get my mismatched, misinstalled, incorrect windows fixed or refunded since the day after they were installed over two years ago. Despite the fact that Home Depot has never disputed that they were wrong, even sending out representatives last summer (July, 2007) to, once again, establish the fact that they’re wrong. I’ve gotten nothing but the runaround, lies (claiming the windows are waiting to be installed; setting fake installation appointments) or non-responsiveness from the store, the contractor and now the “Customer Resolutions Specialist” at head office in Atlanta, Georgia. Despite her letter of apology, my many calls go unreturned.
Here’s her number, fellow Home Depot victims … tell her you got it from Lee-Ann in Ajax … let them know the word’s getting out!
Amy Robinson
Resolution Specialist in Customer Care - Canadian Division
1-800-654-0688 ext 82690
19 Marilyn Clare // May 8, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I too am a victim of Home Depot in the amount of $26,000.00 for kitchen and bathroom renos, and replacement flooring for dining room and living room. This started back in Sept 07, and the job has been one big mess up with measurement errors, installation of ceramic flooring with the wrong design, lying about sealing the grout, and botched workmanship. Never ever use Home Depot for anything! I am absolutely disgusted with this company. I am trying to find the correct address for the home office to write a compliant, and I am also writing to onyourside@thestar.ca
which printed an article of similar circumstances of other unsuspecting consumers.
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