Did you know that there is a federal body other than the CRTC to which you can complain about telecommunications service providers? If we rely on the sharply increasing number of complaints, the answer is yes.
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Nicknamed the customer ombudsman, the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services (CCTS) accepted 20,147 complaints in 2024, or 5,500 more than in 2023, reveals its annual report published Wednesday.
“There is a real need for our services in Canada,” notes the assistant commissioner, Josée Thibault, in an interview.
Rogers wins the prize, in 2023-2024, with 7,768 complaints, of which 4,855 were accepted and processed by the CCTS. More than 75% of the problems affected wireless services – cell phones.
“In nine out of ten cases, we find a resolution with the service provider. In the other case, we carry out an investigation,” explains the official.
The top three issues Rogers customers encounter are incorrect fees charged, unclear information and contract, and credits or refunds not received.
When a problem arises, the customer must first fill out an online form or call the CCTS. More than 40 agents work to process complaints out of the organization’s hundred employees.
Once the complaint is accepted, a resolution is found in 20 days, on average. The CCTS can even force the supplier to compensate the customer, for a maximum of $5,000.
Compensations totaled $3.8 million during the fiscal year listed in the report, from 1is August 2023 to July 31, 2024.
Bell a 2e position
The rest of the list, after Rogers, is made up of Bell, with 4,805 complaints, Telus, with 4,677 complaints, Videotron, with 1,526 complaints, and the rest of the other providers, with 1,371 complaints.
The contentious issues are the same as with Rogers, mainly billing and service delivery such as slower than expected broadband speeds, loss of service or delays in installation or cancellation.
When the customer is not satisfied with the resolution offered by the provider to the CCTS, an investigation is opened. In total, 354 investigations were conducted by the organization in 2023-2024.
CPR-what?
Nearly 20 years after its creation, the CPRST suffers from a great lack of notoriety despite the increasing number of complaints.
In February 2024, Nanos Research surveyed 1,301 Canadians to establish the proportion of those who are aware of its existence. More than six in 10 people had never heard of the organization.
Worse still, among the 416 respondents who said they had complained about their supplier in the last 12 months, none had done so to the CCTS, for a total of 0%.
Only 8% of respondents told Nanos that they had ever heard of the CCTS.
“We are working on that,” recognizes the assistant commissioner, Josée Thibault.
Complaints in figures
3,8 M$
Total compensation granted by suppliers to their customers during the last financial year (1is August 2023 to July 31, 2024) thanks to the CCTS.
The journey of a complaint
· The consumer files a complaint online or by telephone.
· An officer accepts or rejects the complaint.
· If accepted, another agent contacts the supplier.
· The solution found is proposed to the customer, who accepts it or not.
· If he rejects it, a conciliation process is launched.
· In case of failure, an investigation is launched.
· At the end of the investigation, the CCTS requires the supplier to comply, depending on the conclusions of the investigation.
