An Aldershot man’s anger and disappointment with Tim Hortons remains both hot and fresh. He has made over fifteen attempts to discuss his concerns with someone in authority at Tims but can’t get past the company’s customer service line.
Colin Carslake is using the company’s advertised customer service line, 1-888-601-1616. He does manage to get through to customer service agents. They listen to his story and advise that someone will call him back. He even got as far as a customer service supervisor but got the same answer. Someone will call him back. He was even told that his concern had been moved to “tier two,” but no one called him back. It’s now been three months.
“They basically say, we feel very sorry for you. It’s unacceptable, but there’s nothing more that they can do. No one ever calls back.”
Carslake even tried communicating with Tims via social media. “I took to Facebook and Twitter to try and get some reaction; is there any news, is anything happening, can I have an update, and I couldn’t get a response.”
Carslake’s original concern was about the poor condition of the closed Tim Hortons store on Plains Road East at Falcon Boulevard in Aldershot, but his anger has now escalated to include the company’s failure to have someone in authority call him back as promised.
It all started in the summer when the vacant Tims property became overgrown with grass and bushes, while the building’s walls were being used for graffiti. Carslake, and others in Aldershot, reached out to Tims via the customer service line. Some of the neighbours also took to social media.
“How [about] everyone in Aldershot boycotts Tim Hortons until they do something about this eyesore? You can make much better coffee at home! And save!” said one Facebook post.
Nearby residents contacted Councillor Kelvin Galbraith who reported having the same problem reaching Tims. “Reached out to head office and they do not respond.”
Carslake talked to the former manager of the closed store who operates another Tims outlet in Aldershot. “She was very helpful. She also did agree that the store was in a terrible state. She gave me a couple of numbers but with the same result. I didn’t get anywhere.”
By late August, seemingly because of city crews and the routine arrival of a Tims’ contractor, the property was tidied up.
Carslake, however, remained unsatisfied. He wanted to discuss his continuing concerns with someone in authority so he kept calling with no result. Now, he claims that “the face of the store still looks pretty appalling. It’s got graffiti on the front left-hand side that’s still present. A plastic wrapper on the glass is peeling off and the grass has become overgrown again.”
“I really want to talk to somebody because I don’t feel that I should be ignored…I’m struggling to get anybody to acknowledge my existence.”
There seems to be no other way to contact Tims management other than through the customer service line. A website search still shows that the Canadian headquarters for the company is in Oakville and promotes the same customer service phone number. The Better Business Bureau also declares that the head office is in Oakville and offers a different phone number that does ring, but nobody answers.
The fact is that the Canadian headquarters moved to the Toronto Exchange Tower at 130 King Street West in 2018. Media attempts to contact this headquarters on behalf of Mr. Carslake have been unsuccessful as, once again, the only phone number listed for Tims is the customer service line at 1-888-601-1616. A Canada 411 inquiry did not find any phone number for the national headquarters in Toronto.
On October 29, a media call to the customer service line resulted in a representative named Ruka promising that someone would call Mr. Carslake within three days. It never happened.
Carslake won’t give up. He wants his call back. “I’m no quitter.”
