Customer Service Accessibility Policy

Providing Goods and Services to People with Disabilities

 

Who is Padinox Inc.?

Padinox Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (referred to as “Paderno” herein).

 

Our Commitment

We are committed to eliminating barriers, to improving accessibility for persons with disabilities and to providing goods and services in a way that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities.  People with disabilities will be given the same opportunity to access and benefit from our goods and services, in the same place and in a similar way as other customers.

 

Communication

When communicating with a person who has a disability, we will communicate in a manner that takes into account the person’s disability.

We will train employees who communicate with customers on how to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities.

 

Telephone Services

We are committed to providing fully accessible telephone services to our customers.  We will train employees to communicate with customers over the telephone in clear and plain language.

 

Assistive Devices

We are committed to serving persons with disabilities who use assistive devices to obtain, use or benefit from our goods and services.  We will ensure that our employees are trained and familiar with various assistive devices that may be used by customers with disabilities while accessing our goods or services.

We will also ensure that our employees know how to use assistive devices that are available in various locations for customers use.

 

Service Animals

We welcome persons with disabilities who are accompanied by service animals.  Service animals are allowed on the parts of our premises that are open to the public.

If a service animal is legally excluded from some parts of the premises, we will provide alternative measures to enable the person to obtain, use or benefit from our services.

We will ensure that all employees are properly trained on how to interact with people with disabilities who are accompanied by a service animal.

 

Support Persons

Any person with a disability who is accompanied by a support person will be allowed to enter our premises with his or her support person.  At no time will a person with a disability who is accompanied by a support person be prevented from having access to his or her support person while on our premises.

 

Notice of Temporary Disruption in Service

We will provide customers with notice in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption in the facilities, website or telephone services usually used by persons with disabilities.  This notice will include information about the reason for the disruption, its anticipated duration, and a description of alternative facilities or services, if available.

This notice will be placed on the Paderno website, and at all public entrances and at the point of the disruption to facilities.  A standard telephone outage message will be deployed to advise customers of a disruption to website or telephone services.  This notice can be provided in accessible formats, as required.

 

Training

We will provide training to all employees, volunteers and others who deal with the public or other third parties on behalf of Paderno, and to all individuals who are involved in the development and approval of the customer service policies, practices and procedures. 

Training must be completed during the employee orientation process.

Training will include:

  • A review of the applicable accessibility legislation and the requirements of the Customer Service Standard.
  • How to interact and communicate with people with various types of disabilities.
  • How to interact with people with disabilities who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a service animal or support person.
  • How to use the equipment or assistive devices that are available on our premises or that we otherwise provide that may help with the provision of goods and services to people with disabilities.
  • What to do if a person with a disability is having difficulty in accessing our goods and services.
  • Policies, practices and procedures governing the provision of goods or services to people with disabilities.

Training records will be kept, including the dates when the training is delivered, the number of employees to whom the training was provided and their names.

 

Feedback Process

The ultimate goal of Paderno is to meet and surpass customer expectations while serving customers with disabilities.  Comments on our services regarding how well those expectations are being met are welcome and appreciated.

Feedback regarding the way in which we provide goods and services to people with disabilities can be made by completing the Accessibility Feedback Form and returning it to customer.service@padinox.ca, by speaking directly with a store manager or supervisor on duty, or by contacting Customer Service at 1-800-263-9768.  All feedback will be directed to the appropriate parties for review.  We will make all reasonable efforts to address concerns or complaints promptly.

Click here to obtain a copy of the Accessibility Feedback Form.

 

Availability of Accessible Customer Service Documents

We will, upon request, provide documentation in an alternate format to any person.  Requests for accessible customer service documents should be made to the store manager or supervisor on duty, or to Customer Service at customer.service@padinox.ca or 1-800-263-9768.  If a person with a disability requests a copy of this policy, we will provide the policy, or the information contained within the policy, in a format that takes into account the person’s disability.

 

Scope

This policy applies to the provision of goods and services provided by Paderno and addresses the Customer Service Standard requirements.  As a reflection of our commitment to the principles of accessible customer service, all efforts will be made to apply these accessible customer service principles to the provision of goods and services in other Canadian Jurisdictions.

 

Modifications to this or other policies

We are committed to developing customer service policies that respect and promote the dignity and independence of people with disabilities.  Therefore, no change will be made to this policy before considering the impact on people with disabilities.

Any policy that does not respect and promote the dignity and independence of people with disabilities will be modified or removed.

 

Questions about this Policy

This policy exists to achieve service excellence to customers with disabilities.  If anyone has a question about the policy, or if the purpose of a policy is not understood, please speak with the store manager or supervisor on duty, who will escalate your question or concern accordingly.

* Some businesses within the Canadian Tire family may have developed their own retail specific customer service accessibility policy.  Should there be a conflict between a retail specific customer service accessibility policy and the Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited Customer Service Accessibility Policy, the one which offers the greater accommodation to our customers shall govern.