Monk Office - Courtenay, British Columbia

Len P.

I was frustrated by the slow response time of Monk Office, by their lack of knowledge about their product warranties, and by the lack of communication from the Courtenay branch. Details follow.

I bought an expensive office chair from Monk Office (Courtenay branch) about 7 years ago. It has been a great chair, but in August 2024 the vinyl arm rests split along the seams. I paid to replace them; they arrived in October 2024 (two months later). Unfortunately, one arm rest split again, a mere 7 months later.

I asked Monk Courtenay if the new arm rests were under warranty. I thought it would be an easy question to answer, but no. I was promised an answer by the end of the day; no answer. A day or so later I called again, and was told the owner would get back to me; no call back. I called yet again a day or so later, and was told that they were waiting for Head Office to reply.

It would have been nice had they told me that, instead of leaving me in the dark. In contrast, when I dealt with the supplier directly, the new arm rests were on their way the next day.

This service was a refreshing contrast to Monk’s “keep the customer in the dark” policy.

Cindy T.

Since this location has started carrying art supplies, I have been going there often. The customer service is simply outstanding! They are all very open and interested in helping and learning. They really pay attention. If something isn't in stock but Monk's carries it (they have quite an extensive inventory), they will order it in for you! I know other artists in the community who are also increasingly finding this place as THE go-to place for buying art supplies locally. They have just a perfect lovely attitude and it's a pleasure going here!

Dogwood R.

We purchased 5 beautiful desks in the last 3 years from Monk. One desk had an issue with the locking mechanism so I called. From the start of the call to find out what to do, to the furniture tech coming out was top notch. Within an hour my desk was fixed and operational. FANTASTIC customer service from every aspect. Thank you so much for taking care of your clients!!! Not many businesses have this level of customer care anymore but Monk's sure does! Thank you for everything!!!!

Gil R.

I have been shopping at Monk for many years, well before Staples came to town. Although I occasionally go to Staples for items/service Monk doesn't carry/offer, I will normally wait for them to get an out of stock item. Monk is a family owned business that started in Victoria and grew organically. I don't see a big price difference. I am self employed and am willing to pay a premium to buy local. Who is Staples?....I don't know them. I know the Monk folks and always get good service.

Jan H.

Good selection of office products, handy location and helpful staff.

Alita

Called to ask about an obscure item that I use and they had it in stock! Purchased that and some supplies for my file cabinet efficiently with the assistance of the staff person (thank you). I like supporting small local businesses but it really makes it so much more appealing when there's good service, decent stock and reasonable prices (and a couple of options for choices) which I find that Monk has. Bonus is the atmosphere - no hiking into a huge store and I think there's carpet - in any case it's much more calming than shopping in giant stores with high ceilings.

Stacey N.

I was in search of paint pens, and low and behold a huge shipment had just arrived! My new go to for my artistic paints!!
I also had a project I needed enlarged and Tara handled it all for me like a pro!!
Support local and get great coustomer service 😊

Francois C.

Love it. Would buy from again 🙂 Online store is clunky though.

The good
• Friendly staff
• Locally owned in Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver Island. So better for the local economy. Compare to Staples. Which is U.S. owned.
• Price are equal or roughly equal to major competitors
• Live chat with the online store is very useful, fast, and friendly. Which is very useful for quick questions when ordering items
• Check out is easy
• Free shipping from online store. If requirements are met.

The bad
• Online store has poor usability, feels clunk, and is ugly. It seems to be made by IBM WebSphere. I prefer Drupal Commerce or other open source software. Which are community-owned, no lock-in, license free, either with free or paid support, and large community of contributors around it.
• Search engine with online store is very basic. It’s hard to find items. You can't sort the result. Clunky.
• Minimum security. Password are only 20 characters maximum length. No two-factor authentication. So riskier to get your accounts hack with the online store.
• Email address with the online stores does not support the + symbol. That symbol is a web standard. It reduces spam.