Consider Montreal's Home Care Assistance (4464 St Catherine Street West) as primarily "a business". Be wary of the contract they ask you to sign. It is all geared towards limiting any liability on their part. Be sure to check the section which limits their liability should they cause damage in your home. Don't be fooled by superficial caring, it is all about "business". Our experience: we cancelled the last of the three service days we were pressured to sign up for. We were disappointed with the assigned "caregiver". We asked for our credit card to be credited for the charge of the cancelled service day, it was denied. We then asked for the service day to be rescheduled. We would have accepted a rescheduling with a different caregiver, as we had already been charged for it; also denied. End result: paid for 3 days, received 2 days of disappointing services. In our opinion, Home Care Assistance is a pretentious franchised company who over rate themselves. They are dealing with a vulnerable population and know how to play them. They should be ashamed. If you need home help, turn to your community non profit organizations and your local CLSC (community health clinic) first. Also ask friends and relatives for a recommendation of possible private people you can hire. Experienced and competent private caregivers do not need to turn to private agencies to hire them for minimum wage, they find work and work finds them.
3 WEEKS LATER: After having contacted the franchise supplier of Home Care Assistance in the USA, I was pleased to hear that they would intervene with regards to our issue with the Montreal office. The franchise supplier got back to us and told us that the Montreal office would honor the rescheduling of the prepaid day and would be calling us to schedule. Ten days past, no call. So, we contacted the franchise supplier once more, and within a day we received an email from the Montreal office. A service day was scheduled and it did take place! We are pleased to report that the caregiver sent to us was great. As planned, the caregiver took our relative, who is temporarily in a wheelchair due to having broken both ankles, out for the afternoon to enjoy the outdoors and the sunshine. Our relative had a wonderful afternoon!
While we are familiar with the saying that "business is business"; doing the right thing, responding with generosity, understanding and integrity should always come before "business". Customers should never have to fight for good customer service. Thank you H.C.A. for finally doing the right thing. read more
