CHICC vs. Crown Crest Capital
CHICC (Canadian Home Improvement Credit Corporation) and Crown Crest Capital are two of the largest finance companies holding Ontario HVAC contracts assigned from various door-to-door installers. Neither company sells equipment directly — both acquire and service contracts from sales organisations.
What they share
- Both are finance/assignee entities, not original sellers.
- Both routinely hold long-term contracts with high cumulative obligations.
- Both rely on the original installer's contract paperwork, which means defects in that paperwork carry through.
- Both fall under CPA section 95: 'an assignee has no greater rights than the assignor.'
How they differ
- CHICC has frequently been the assignee on OGS-originated agreements; Crown Crest is more often associated with NHS, Simply Green, and related installer networks.
- Buyout quote practices differ in the specifics, but both produce figures that often bear little relationship to true equipment value.
- Operational style and customer-service responsiveness differ; this matters in negotiation.
Which one is worse?
From a legal standpoint, neither is worse. Both are bound by the same assignee-takes-defences principle. The strength of your defence depends on the original installer agreement, not on which finance company is now collecting.
What to do if you have a contract with either
If CHICC or Crown Crest is sending you statements, the underlying installer agreement is the document that matters. Locate it. Check your title. Photograph the equipment. Where CPA grounds apply to the original sale, the finance company's collection rights are no greater than the original seller's would have been.
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