It seems that Canadians are not happy with their mobile providers these days, according to the federal watchdog in charge of customer complaints regarding telecommunications in Canada. In the 2017/2018 year alone, a 57% spike in complaints was seen primarily regarding wireless providers. The CRTC has publicly stated that they expect to see the number of complaints rise even more once the 2018/2019 statistics are in.
Unfortunately, while there are more complaints, that doesn't mean they are about different issues. In fact, most regard the exact same problems the CCTS (Commission for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services) has been battling for the past decade. That being a lack of disclosure on information and customers finding a surprising cost on their bill from wireless providers.
@retailorsgroupAccording to a CCTS Commissioner named Howard Maker, "customers will communicate with their service provider and then find out that the reality of what they get is not what they expected. This results in billing issues, in charges people don't expect, on limitation on bandwidth or data. It's a mismatch of customer expectations and what their service provider delivers."
Unfortunately, even though the new version of the Wireless Code has now been in effect since December 2017 in an effort to fix these problems, it's clear from the number of complaints that the CCTS continues to receive that they aren't close to a resolution. Especially considering that of the 14,272 complaints received from customers in 2017-2018, 41.5% were about wireless services and 29.2% were about internet services.
@pooky911With that data, a list was created by CBC containing data compiled by the CCTS that shows the number of complaints that were placed in the 2017-2018 year. Not only does it show how many complaints certain companies got, but also the increase in complaints they received during that year:
On a more positive note, the CRTC is making moves to try and rectify the current issues plaguing the mobile and internet industry in Canada. For starters, the commission is currently looking into telco's sales practices and aims to present and discuss what they find come February 2019.
The investigation comes in response to complaints that telcos are targeting and misleading seniors as well as low-income residents with high-pressure sales tactics. Apart from the investigation, the Commission called for not only a sales code of conduct but also a period that allows users to back out of their contracts if they realize it is not what they were looking for.
@visionselectronicsembedded via
Clearly, the CRTC and CCTS are working together to find a resolution for Canadians frustrated with their current mobile and internet services as fast as possible. For now, we can only hope a proper resolution comes to fruition after the CRTC is finished their investigation!
Source: CBC News