Home Hardware Stores Ltd.

I just received an email from a former Home Hardware shopper. She informs me that some Home Hardware Store Owners claim they don't own the company. Where is the pride of ownership? Here's what Home Hardware Store Owners website states when you click the "Contact" link. Another former shopper sent me this link, http://www.thestar.com/article/197680 it's well worth the time to read.

This is an actual cut and paste from the website of Home Hardware Stores Ltd.

(start of paste section) "All 1,000 Home Hardware, Home Building Centre, Home Hardware Building Centre and Home Furniture Dealers are independent Canadian storeowners who, collectively, own the company. When you speak with your local Dealer, you are speaking to the owner of not just the store but of the company." (end of paste section)

If you came from the Vendor / Supplier link, CLICK HERE

Home Hardware Scandal

A year ago, or so, the air was thick with tales of corporate scandal, lost pension funds, big time theft and even bigger time prison sentences for the Enron gang. Then there was Dennis Kozlowski, CEO of Tyco who was found guilty of in effect using Tyco's immense financial resources for what the prosecution described as "His own personal piggy bank." Yes, corporate bullying, theft and power abuse is alive and well. It takes on a wide rang of various forms and activities ranging from the lining of ones own pockets with stolen money, to third party trade deals that amass small fortunes while crushing competition, and much more. Now the latest scandal, and it's one hundred percent Canadian owned.

Many of us, 4 out of 5 according to one study, identify with the helping hands at Home Hardware. But is it really that way? When I, a company owner discovered that Home Hardware was using my product to redirect sales to a new competitor, I told Home Hardware to stop the practice at once as it was causing irreversible damages. The request fell on deaf ears and the response was shocking. Instead of admitting it was an error on the part of Home Hardware and righting its wrong doing, Home Hardware arrogantly insisted this was legal and even ethical.

After years of development, marketing, and dedication, my business was nearly in financial ruin. The actions of Home Hardware caused sales for my product to dry up while sales for this new competitor flourished at my expense. Calls to various stores all echoed the same response. They were all selling the knock-off product as head office recommended this on it's HomeInfo system. It seemed that Home Hardware was in essence, in bed with this new competitor, and was a member of the same association. Sales receipts showed one product was now another product and both product SKU's appeared on the same receipts. Even store owners weren't sure which product had been sold?

If you caught your neighbour red-handed stealing your car, you'd throw him or her in jail. And if that neighbour was a friendly local successful business owner you'd still throw him or her in jail. You and I would be thrown in jail without any question. Should the laws be any different for them? Would you still shop at that store? Would you still see the store owners like the television commercials portray them to be? What if it was your RRSP's instead of your car? Think about it for a moment. 19 years of growth plus annual compounding equivalent to my rate of sales growth shown below, they caused these losses and damages and more. My son was to succeed me for another generation of sales, then his son, and so on. Some Home Hardware Stores see growths of 50% a year because you shop there. Retailers sell manufacturers goods so they share the same growth rates as it's their products the retailers are selling.

What benefits of private wealth to a corporate head are more important than those of the company owners. The owners permitted and encouraged this kind of crooked backdoor arrangements for years and are all equally as guilty and responsible. Years of being a respected honest company were being ruined. The images we are bombarded with of shiny clean honest do-gooder store and company owners is forever tarnished.

Analysts frown on these ethics and practices, calling them "strange" and "irresponsible behavior." But when there is weaker than expected performance, while corporate heads still enjoy excessive pay packages, guaranteed bonuses and extravagant multi-million dollar retirement packages, are company officials truly concerned about the consumer or the local store owner? Not at all. And what about consumers?

It wasn't until I started fighting back, with my ticketing cars, writing vendor/suppliers, and faxing the members of the Builder's Association that Home Hardware agreed to stop this practice, almost a year and a half after I'd notified them. BUT Home Hardware asked that I immediately take down all reference made to Home Hardware on my website. Still Home Hardware admits no wrong doing for causing irreversible damages, nor has it offered any compensation for its intentional and irresponsible behavior.

So every time you hear the famous jingle "Help is close to Home" I hope you ask yourself, "Who are they helping?" I employed 17 people over the years but Home Hardware helped put everyone of them out of work! Aren't you glad Home Hardware isn't helping you with your business? Possibly hundreds or thousands of businesses have been helped by these friendly folks. I encourage you to shop where you like and have only presented the facts that are seen here. If Home Hardware considers posting its business practices to be slanderous, then perhaps they need to be more ethical.

This is what I was able to find out about the ethics and business practices of Home Hardware Stores Ltd.

TRADE PRACTICES ACT

Breaches of the restrictive trade practices provisions of the Trade Practices Act could result in fines (for each breach) of up to $10 million for companies and $500,000 for individuals.

Home Hardware is breaking federal trade laws and blatantly continues its disregard for the law. It was informed verbally and in writing to stop breaking the laws and informing store owners and consumers that my product was now another product made by another company, Home Hardware continued this practice stating it was legal. This is a restrictive trade practice in my opinion.

For consumer protection breaches the maximum fines are $200,000 for a corporation and $40,000 for an individual. In addition to fines and penalties, the Court can vary contracts, impose injunctions or damages orders on companies or individuals, require divestiture of shares or assets and can order the implementation of compliance programs and corrective advertising.

Your management & dictator V.P. Ray Gabel ignored the law and continued this practice. It is illegal and yet Steve Somersford of Home Hardware Stores Ltd. told me this is legal, and so did Stephen Caron - Corporate Attorney at Gowlings for Home Hardware Stores Ltd., and so did Home Hardwares Stores Ltd. Director of Legal Services - Gord Mackay, and remember what Harry Geerlinks (a fellow owner of Home Hardware Stores Ltd. told me when I addressed this issue, and I quote, "If you are going to play with the big boys, you play by the big boys rules" unquote. So, that's the law in Canada, and not what Home Hardware Stores Ltd. claim it to be. Home Hardware Stores Ltd. did intentionally and with malice violate and ignore the law as well as misrepresent the law and caused a major delay in due process of justice as well.

On Friday March 16, 2007 I received an email from Home Hardware Stores Ltd. regarding its business practices and ethics.

The email header appears here: ( Mackay, Gord Mar16 (no subject) 37k )

Now I had no idea who Mackay, Gord was before this email and I usually don't open unsolicited email but for some reason did this time.

Upon opening the email, this appeared:

Dear Mr. Bobiash - Please see attached.

Gord Mackay
Director of Legal Services
Phone: (519) 664-4998
Fax: (519) 664-1251
e-mail: gord.mackay@homehardware.ca

This e-mail may contain privileged, private, proprietary or confidential information which is intended only for the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient, or the person responsible for delivering this message to the intended recipient, you are notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please reply with the notation "Received in Error" in the subject line and delete the e-mail from your computer

Download Attachment: bobiash-letter-16.doc

So, I opened the letter from Home Hardware Stores Ltd. and here it is. To save you time, Home Hardware only admits it has HomeInfo System for its dealers to use. It makes no reference to the information being used in the public domain for customer sales. It does not state any wrong doing, it does not explain why it wasn't removed at my request long ago before irreversible sales and market share damages were done to my sales seen below, it does not explain why if Home Hardware was helping its dealers who already carried Liqui-Fire Pipe Thaw that it was NOW SKU # 3211-349 which is the knock-off product now manufactured by Home Hardware Stores corporate buddy in the CCSPA which Home Hardware Stores now distributes thanks to its helpful good intentions against my permission, it does not explain why the suggested retail would go up when it was discontinued by Home Hardware Stores Ltd., nor does it explain why the suggested retail price went back down to it's original suggested retail price after Home Hardware Stores became aware that incriminating evidence was on display appearing publicly on my website, and it also request that I stop ticketing cars and handing out information to consumers and that I take down all information on my website obtained through Home Hardware and its Dealers regarding the business ethics and practices that Home Hardware Stores Ltd. clearly states that its business practices shown on my website are "standard practices throughout the retail and wholesale industry"

Here is the letter Home Hardware Stores Ltd. Director of Legal Services faxed and emailed.

NOTE: The actual faxed copy is on Home Hardware Letterhead but for some reason it is not contained in the emailed copy. ALSO: as you read the letter, please note that the letter is not highlighted. My response letter is as seen below. My remarks were inserted into the original letter I received and are the highlighted yellow areas.

THE LETTER is dated Thursday March 15, 2007 but was not sent until Friday March 16, 2007 at 4:27:10 PM as seen here in the email header below.

From: "Mackay, Gord" <Gord.Mackay@homehardware.ca>

Date: 2007/03/16 Fri PM 04:27:10 EDT

To: "'woodsmans@bellnet.ca'" <woodsmans@bellnet.ca>

March 15^th, 2007

Woodsman International

1 - 16 Barrie Blvd.

St. Thomas, Ontario

N5P 4B9

Attention: Mr. David Bobiash

Dear Sir:

Re: Liqui-Fire Liquid Pipe Thaw

Further to your previous correspondence and the material which you have forwarded to Home Hardware Stores Limited and its Dealers we wish to take this opportunity to respond to the allegations which you have made regarding the business practices of Home Hardware Stores Limited.

We confirm that your product, Liqui-Fire Liquid Pipe Thaw, remained on the HomeInfo system used by the Dealers "for and in conjunction with to inform consumers" of Home Hardware Stores Limited following the decision by Home Hardware Stores Limited to discontinue the purchase of your "sales level category 2 with more than a decade of consumer identity for another unproven unknown product with no sales identity nor consumer identity in the market" product. It was left on the HomeInfo system for two reasons. The first was that our Dealers continued to stock your product on their store shelves "so once Home Hardware Stores discontinued my product, the suggested retail was inflated by Home Hardware Stores Ltd. and remained falsely inflated at your hand". The second reason was to supply our Dealers with the necessary information to allow them to purchase the product directly from you "the field tag noted on HomeInfo system was put their by Home Hardware Stores. It did not read, "Vendor Direct Only" instead it was written by Home Hardware Stores to purposefully redirect sales from Sku# 3211-358 used to Identify "Woodsmans International Liqui-Fire Pipe Thaw" product by instructing your dealers that my product was now Sku# 3211-349 knock-off by your corporate associate in CCSPA, Recochem "Liquid Pipe Thaw" instead. The fact remains this is UNTRUE and DELIBERATELY MISLEADING" should a Dealer wish to continue to stock your product. This is a standard practice "in which bullying tactics and questionable business ethics and strategies needed to be legislated in Canada by the Competition Act" throughout the retail and wholesale industry.

Pursuant to your request "incidentally my concerns have not been addressed" Home Hardware Stores Limited has removed any reference to Liqui-Fire Liquid Pipe Thaw from our corporate systems and will have Dealers update their HomeInfo system as of March 23, 2007.

Accordingly we ask that you immediately "should I plan to appease your request, it would be as immediate as Home Hardware Stores Ltd. addressed my concerns. The irreversible damage has been done and no claim of responsibility nor apology was offered until now. NOW, my concerns are addressed only because of a massive effort and expense by Woodsmans International and volunteers everywhere to expose ONLY THE TRUTH by informing consumers, Vendor/Suppliers, other manufacturers and honest hard-working inventors of Home Hardware Stores Ltd. business ethics that undermine potential collapse of many businesses based on the practices of this current public icon of success based on fair ethics of Christianity belief called Home Hardware Stores Ltd." (All references that would falsely lead a consumer to think that Walter Hachborn's Christian beliefs are practiced to this day in all Home Hardware Stores would have to be removed from Home Hardware Stores Ltd. websites also as they are false and misleading" amend your web site to delete all references to Home Hardware Stores Limited and cease distributing any further material relating to Home Hardware Stores Limited. "The information contained on my website exposes only the truth and if the truth is harmful to Home Hardware Stores Ltd. then your business practices and ethics of fair competition is what is causing Home Hardware Stores Ltd. its problems and not my honesty"

Yours truly,

HOME HARDWARE STORES LIMITED

Also missing in this email is the signature which does appear on the identical fax received here.

Gordon Mackay

*NOTE* If Home Hardware was honestly directing its dealer interest in carrying Liqui-Fire Pipe Thaw, it would have listed it as "Vendor Direct Only" and would have listed my "Toll Free" number. Instead Home Hardware instructed its dealers that "Liqui-Fire Pipe Thaw" was now the same product made by a competitor which was and is misleading to both store owners and to you, the consumers.

To the CONSUMER: Every time you see a Home Hardware flyer, of which I believe there are 5 flyer programs, the prices are automatically changed Saturday overnight on every single computer in every store with the push of a button. This means that the cash registers, the service desk computers, and the HomeInfo Systems used by store owners to show you (the buying public) products and pricing that are current and at the prices Home Hardware Stores list them at. So it is easy for you to see that had the "Help that is close to Home Hardware" honestly been as stated, it would have been done with the push of a button. Here is another example below of Home Hardware causing deliberate confusion and redirecting my sales.

One of you sent me this sales receipt. It shows you the deliberate falsely inflated retail price that Home Hardware Stores were making you pay in its efforts to make you want to stop buying "Liqui-Fire Pipe Thaw"

Notice it says 3211-358 Liqui-Fire Pipe, NOW 3211-349. That's Home Hardware using my product Liqui-Fire Pipe Thaw to sell its corporate associates knock off again! But Home Hardware insist it was helping dealers with this information. When I called the store, Walden's Home Hardware asked what the Sku was and it could not validate what product had been sold. Now is that Home Hardware causing deliberate confusion or helping its dealers?

In the year 2000, page 2 of my company flyer for Liqui-Fire Pipe Thaw showed a tiny sliver in the southern area of Ontario ONLY. Most of Canada is much colder. The strip map shows $ 2.592.03 of my sales and repeat sales during a typical period of 25 days in this area only during the 7th warmest winter on record. That year my sales growth was 450 percent. I was selling Liqui-Fire Pipe Thaw coast to coast and into the arctic before the "Help" of Home Hardware Stores Ltd. So to give you a vague idea of the sales before Home Hardware's help, Multiply these sales $ 2.592.03 times 100's of little strips to cover the area of Canada, times the number of winter months, and that number will give you a relatively good idea of what my sales dollars were and should be! Oh, and I also only used a percentage sales growth that was incredibly conservative to the 450% annual sales growth shown below.

Now, after the help from Home Hardware Stores my sales in this same area during the same period are ZERO.

"Help is close to Home," but who are they helping?

But only since I have launched massive efforts and undergone great expense of time and more money has Home Hardware Stores stated they will remove all information and reference of Liqui-Fire Pipe Thaw from its HomeInfo System. The damage is irreversible. Home Hardware Stores Ltd. corporate associate in the CCSPA now owns the market. But Home Hardware Stores ask that I remove all factual information and opinions and concerns from my website immediately and that everyone stop ticketing cars to go to my website.

What would you do?

My response to Home Hardware Stores request? I will be handing out tickets at concerts everywhere, ticketing cars, faxing, phoning, and emailing everyone I can. Today, tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that, etc. The computers are setup to work do this automatically. This effort will continue until Liqui-Fire Pipe Thaw is once again the market shareholder. Honour must be upheld. Enjoy the concert everyone!

(March 19th Update) The concert was great with a more mature audience and buying consumer base. I took thousands of Car Tickets and not one person said, "No" to taking one from me inside the John Labatts Centre. It was great!

Did you notice it doesn't take a company computer but one keystroke to initial its actions. It didn't take more than a year and cause irreversible damage. It just had to be done when asked.

Consumers should read the wining done by Home Hardware regarding complaints about "Predatory Big Box Competitors" yet Home Hardware Stores Ltd. claim it is the Biggest in Canada! How can they complain about this?

www.nsnews.com/issues00/w052200/05170001.html

* Disclaimer: We are not responsible for any misleading information here as it is provided to every Canadian via television, websites, flyers, advertisers, or employees thereof. Availability and prices are subject to change without notice. *

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Send mail to woodsmansdb@hotmail.com with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright 1993 - 12 Dec 2008 Woodsmans International All rights reserved. Last modified: 12/12/08

Send mail to woodsmansdb@hotmail.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright 1993 - 12 Dec 2008 Woodsmans International All rights reserved.
Last modified: 12/12/08