Citation Canada Reviews 129

TrustScore 3.5 out of 5

3.3

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Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Since Citation rebrand, the system has been very slow to load, often screens do not populate at all (Notably the home screen), and buttons do not work (such as the remember password button on the logi... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Citation Canada is my "go-to" resource for everything. It's not just about HR. The resources, training and job aids on occupational health and safety, wellness and even leadership essentials are so be... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Too many, simple technical issue for a company of this size. Not aware if it's just local issue based off my organization's account or wide spread. These issues are pertaining to mandatory fields not... See more

Company replied

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

I find the Citation courses invaluable to myself and the team. The document templates are an amazing time saver!

Company details

  1. #2 of 2 best companies in Human Resource Consulting
  2. #2 of 2 best companies in Occupational Safety and Health
  3. #23 of 24 best companies in Software Company

Written by the company

Managing HR and Health & Safety requires dependable systems and practical guidance. For more than 15 years, Citation Canada has helped Canadian businesses reduce compliance risk and bring greater consistency to their workplace practices. Clients rely on Citation Canada to simplify work that often becomes time consuming and difficult to manage across multiple tools. Teams can stay current with legislative changes, keep policies aligned, train employees more efficiently, manage shift scheduling and clock-in and clock-out through Atlas Scheduling, and maintain better visibility into workforce activity. Experienced HR and Health & Safety professionals are available when additional support is needed. Our flexible packages allow organizations to choose the level of support that fits their needs.


Contact info

3.3

Average

TrustScore 3.5 out of 5

129 reviews

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Asks customers to review

This company invites their customers to review, whether positive or negative

Replied to 50% of negative reviews

Typically takes over 1 month to reply

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Beware of this Company

This company requires you to give six months' notice to avoid renewing. It is as laughable as it is predatory. Certainly a very shady practice.

For us, there was no way to avoid signing up for an additional year for a service that was, at best, rudimentary and entirely not useful. We logged in once and realized this service was most basic.

September 10, 2025
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Reply from Citation Canada

Notice requirements are tied to the length of the agreement and are outlined in the contract provided for review and acknowledgment at signup.

With respect to the platform, our services are typically reviewed through demonstrations and discussions prior to agreement so organizations can understand scope and suitability before moving forward, with ongoing support available to help clients get the most from their selected package.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great!

Teddy always replied in timely manner. Very patient and understanding with the back and forth. Overall, happy to get started with the platform.

May 26, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Citation Canada

Thanks so much for the kind words. We're glad to hear Teddy made the experience smooth and supportive. Excited to have you on the platform!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Great folks to work with.

The representative was very clear and concise as to the services available. We get busy in our office and when I forgot to sign paperwork, they were very good at reminding me and nudging me to get the job done. Great folks to work with.

May 14, 2025
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Reply from Citation Canada

Glad to hear the experience felt clear and well-supported. We appreciate the shoutout and look forward to staying connected.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Unwanted Auto Renew

After being a customer for years, last year we were thinking of not renewing, customer rep convinced me to resign on a one year bases. So I did and I told them this year we would not renew, they tell me it is not possible that there company rep put us on an auto renew. Beware of this scam they will bill you.

April 30, 2025
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Reply from Citation Canada

We’re sorry for the frustration you've experienced. For our annual plans, payment is collected at the start of the term to ensure uninterrupted access throughout the year. That said, we appreciate you sharing your experience—feedback from our clients helps us continue improving how we communicate and support them.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Shady Business Experience with Long Term Customers

We have been with Citation Canada/HR Downloads for over a decade, and once the company changed to Citation Canada, everything went downhill quickly.

Last year, we were told that we had to sign a new contract in order to renew and pay for the annual membership. I was not told anything beyond that, or to review the terms & conditions in great detail. This year, we decided to cancel our membership because we didn't feel we were getting any value out of it, and we started reaching out to Citation Canada in February to renew in May.

I spoke with an early renewals administrator, and I inquired if it was possible to subscribe to the Health & Safety side, but add the AODA course to it, as it's the only course missing from the Health & Safety side to make it compliant with all applicable legislation in Ontario. I was told that it's not possible, and I would have to wait and speak to our account rep for further clarification. It's upsetting that there is absolutely no compromise or conversation to add a single course to our subscription. Also, the Health & Safety side provides much more oversight for health & safety than we require, as we're already COR certified, SOSE certified, and ISO 45001:2018 certified and have systems in place. With that being said, if we chose to continue with the HR side, most of the actual health & safety related courses have been moved out of that program to the other side. There was absolutely no conversation about helping us work together to find a solution.

When I was finally able to get ahold of our account manager, I was informed bluntly that we could cancel, but we had to give 90 days of notice, which was apparently outlined in the terms & conditions of the previous year's agreement I had signed. If we cancelled without the 90 days of notice, we would have to pay 70% of the cost of the membership. That is a crazy percentage, and we would have never signed it if we were told that term was in the new contract. I was only told that in order to get an invoice I had to check a box online to agree to the standard terms and conditions. It was never disclosed that there were major changes to the terms and conditions, which is really shady. I understand that it's my problem that I didn't review them in detail, but I was told it was simply a formality to check off the box to receive the invoice. We will have to use their services for another year, and we've already submitted our cancellation for next year. I would not recommend this company any more.

April 28, 2025
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Reply from Citation Canada

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback.

We did update our solution packages to simplify the options for clients, though we understand that this approach may not suit every business.

Our auto-renewal policy was introduced in response to Member feedback, to simplify the process and ensure continuity of service. These terms are outlined in the agreement all clients review and accept. That said, we understand this can still feel frustrating, and we're sorry that the process didn't feel clear at the time.

We always aim to work collaboratively with our Members, and your feedback is a valuable reminder of how we can continue to improve. While we regret that you're not planning to continue with us beyond this year, we thank you for your past partnership and wish your team continued success.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Unaffordable and Poor Customer Service

My company does not use more than the basic functions for our employees. The constant increases in pricing being justified by increasing basic functions is not a one-size-fits-all plan. My company continues to use only what we need and are going to reach a point where this becomes unaffordable for what it is we are using it for.
I also experienced less than favorable customer service in this process. I had a call set up to discuss our company's renewal and the sales associate never showed up and did not communicate the cancellation. When we did reschedule to meet again, it did not feel like our business was valued - it felt more like a sales pitch on the new features I previously explained we would not have much use for. There are other features of the platform that would be great to utilize but are not worth the cost given the size of our organization.
The sales representative in charge of our renewal then told me they would send over a quote, which they did more than two weeks later on the date before the renewal was set to begin. Not giving us many options to find a new platform if we did not agree with the terms of the renewal contract.
At my last company where we paid for a more expensive plan, our renewals were handled with much more care and consideration - this leaves me to believe that our business is less valued due to how much we spend on services. Not a good approach to customer service in my opinion.
To finish off with my favorite quote "at the end of the day, people will not remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel".

April 30, 2025
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Reply from Citation Canada

Thanks for sharing your experience. We're sorry it didn’t reflect the level of care and value we aim to provide. We understand how important it is for our clients to feel heard and supported, and we never want their experience to feel out of step with their expectations. Your feedback is appreciated as we always strive to improve our offering and service for all our clients.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

The auto -renewal is real…

The auto -renewal is real disappointment; although we sign for it, truth is they should be contacting you before the auto renew occurs; instead, they call you and tell you they would like to speak with you about your upcoming renewal, meantime it has already happened. This is my last year with them and certainly will not use this service again-The service is subpar at best.

April 29, 2025
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Reply from Citation Canada

Thanks for sharing your experience. Auto-renewal is included in our terms and is designed to help provide uninterrupted service with preferred pricing. We appreciate your feedback and remain committed to making the client experience as smooth and straightforward as possible.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Terrific Service

Our representative, Marcus is always professional, kind and a breeze to work with. I would highly recommend this Company for your HR needs.

April 10, 2025
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Reply from Citation Canada

Hi Suzanne, thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear Marcus has made such a positive impact. We truly appreciate your recommendation and look forward to continuing to support your HR needs!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I appreciated the clear understanding…

I appreciated the clear understanding of my organization's needs and how the product could effectively assist us. Their knowledge of the product's features and its potential value to our specific context was impressive. Furthermore, I valued the transparency regarding costs relevant to our organization, and the customer service provided was excellent.

April 1, 2025
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Reply from Citation Canada

Really appreciate your kind words! So glad we could support you in a way that truly fit your needs.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

All questions were answered and offered…

All questions were answered and offered to help in any way as we move forward.
He explained many features in the program

April 7, 2025
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Reply from Citation Canada

Thanks for the great feedback Mary! We're happy to hear the features were clearly explained and that you felt well-supported throughout.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Everyone that I have contacted has been…

Everyone that I have contacted has been extremely helpful and knowledable

March 19, 2025
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Reply from Citation Canada

Thank you Tina! We're so pleased our team made a great impression and was able to support you effectively.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Top Service

Great service and quick turnaround time.

March 13, 2025
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Reply from Citation Canada

Thanks for the great review! We're glad you loved our service and speed!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Please STOP Contacting Me.

Aggressive marketing and poor communication skills. This company, formerly known as HR Downloads, called me three times in a span of 5 minutes. They left two messages which consisted of nothing more than someone breathing on the other line. I only figured out who they were because I called and their automated systems answered. I was in touch with them two years ago and decided not to go ahead with their services at that time. Yet, they still contact me around this time of year ever since. Today was just weird, period. Take a hint - I’m not interested.

March 25, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Citation Canada

Thanks for your feedback, and we’re really sorry about your experience. That’s not the kind of impression we ever want to leave. We aim for outreach that’s professional and respectful, and we’ll continue to make sure it consistently reflects that. We’ve also made sure you won’t be contacted again.

Appreciate you bringing this to our attention.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The training platform makes my life easy!

The training platform is very good. Easy to set up and manage employee profiles. Curated training content is basic and effective. Reporting is a bit of a learning curve as you need to indicate exactly what you want to see but once you figure that out, it provides all the info you need. The certificates are basic and will allow only one company logo. Not much choice for modifications for style or color but at least there is a certificate for records. The HR legislation updates are great and informative. The platform also provides fairly useful templates for a variety of HR policy and procedures that can easily be modified to fit into your own style and format. The IT support is great and the account management is very customer service oriented. Although the price seems a bit high at first, once you add up the employees and the amount of training content available, it works out to be a few dollars per employee. We use this for our onboarding training, compliance training, and supervisor and leadership development. Overall, this has been a great investment over the past 7 years and we look forward to continuing with this program.

February 25, 2025
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Reply from Citation Canada

Hi, Carrie, thank you for your kind review! We're thrilled to hear our solutions add value to your operations. Always count on us to support your success!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Citation Canada is the worst HR company

I do not recommend Citation Canada at all. Before I sign up, I was told they would do a policy manual conform to our business, but they only sent you a template that can be used for any businesses. When I asked to have some help to review the policy, they said they will review in the following year that you pay. They also told me they would work on a specific policy manual I needed, and once I paid, I was told they don't do that. Don't throw your money with them for a manual policy you can easily find on your own. And watch out for the fine print, they will not tell you that the membership auto-renew every year, unless you cancel 3 months before, it's written so small in a fine print that you will not review before signing, and no one will tell you that of course, so you will have to pay for another year even if you don't want to. They are very shady for a HR company, they only want your money and once you pay you don't get services you were told you would get and you will have a hard time to get out of the membership. I do not recommend this company at all, worst service I ever have to dealt with !

March 4, 2025
Unprompted review
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Reply from Citation Canada

We’re sorry to hear that your experience did not meet the high standards we strive to provide for valued customers like yourself.

Your purchased package allows for one custom policy manual, which was provided to you on June 26, 2024, following our consultation meeting on May 27, 2024. This met our standard process and delivery timeline. Earlier this year, you requested a second custom policy manual, which was not included in our original agreement. However, we did advise you that you’d receive an annual policy review upon renewal, which would cover your request.

Regarding the auto-renewal process, as you noted, it is outlined in the contract. Signing the contract confirms agreement to the terms. The three-month notice period is in place to ensure we can manage our team and fulfill consulting engagements, which includes custom policies, in a timely manner. We’ve also found the auto-renewal to be preferred by many customers who want to ensure ongoing coverage, alongside the continuation of loyalty discounts.

We appreciate your business and remain committed to assisting you. If there’s anything else we can do to help, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The site has everything I need (and…

The site has everything I need (and then some). My account rep is in tune with our needs and makes sure we're aware of all the Citation can offer our HR team. MY NAME IS LINDA - NOT CHARLES - he's been gone for years LOL

February 3, 2025
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Reply from Citation Canada

Hi Linda, we're thrilled that our platform is exceeding your expectations! We passed on your kind feedback and are double-checking that we all get the name right! Thank you for being such a loyal customer.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

I like using the platform

I like using the platform. The information and tools are very useful. The only issue is when you are trying to search for something if your wording is not specific enough it can take much longer to find what you are looking for.

January 10, 2025
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Reply from Citation Canada

Thank you for your important feedback and for choosing Citation Canada! Your inputs were communicated to our product specialists, so we can keep on improving!

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