Billing issues, wireless service complaints spike in CCTS annual report

The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services says the number of complaints it received about telecom and TV providers ahead of its latest annual report spiked to the highest level year-over-year since the organization began. The commission says in its report it accepted 38 per cent more complaints from Aug. 1, 2023 to July 31, 2024 than the year prior, for a total of 20,147. Within those complaints, 38,874 issues were raised about wireless, internet, TV, local phone, and other services such as long distance and directory services. (The number of issues reported is higher than the number of overall complaints because individual complaints can include more than one issue). Rogers Communications Inc. continued to top most complaint areas in 2023-24, after ranking in the most-complained-about spot in the The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services’ (CCTS) annual reporting for the first time last year. There were 4,855 complaints about Rogers accepted by the commission this year, which accounts for 24.1 per cent of all complaints, according to the report. More than 3,400 complaints were made about BCE Inc. (17 per cent of all complaints), and 2,757 were made about Telus Corp. (13.7 per cent of all complaints). Rogers’ Fido was the subject of 2,030 accepted complaints, while Telus’ Koodo represented 965 such complaints, and Bell’s Virgin Plus saw 850. Shaw saw 705 complaints while Freedom Mobile, owned by Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron, saw 885. Telus’ Public mobile saw 793. Complaints about dozens of other smaller companies made up the remainder. A spokesperson for the Canadian Telecommunications Association, which represents telecommunications companies such as Bell and Rogers, among dozens of others, said in an emailed statement to The Wire Report that customer satisfaction “is our industry’s top priority.” “While the CCTS notes an annual increase in the number of complaints it accepted, it has also been very clear about its efforts to increase its awareness among Canadians. Despite this, the number of complaints remains relatively low, with the number of issues raised representing less than 0.08 per cent of high-speed broadband and 0.05 per cent of mobile phone subscribers in Canada,” the spokesperson said. “While 88 per cent of complaints reported to the CCTS are resolved directly between the service provider and the customer without requiring CCTS to investigate the merits of the complaint, our members remain committed to improving customer experience so that all interactions are positive.” CCTS commissioner and CEO Howard Maker told The Wire Report in an interview that the purpose of the report is to make data about issues with these services available to researchers, service providers, and customers. “We want service providers to know where their customer pain points are. We want consumers to maybe have a look at this and understand where there might be bumps in the road, potentially, and how they can sideline those bumps. So, we do this for a lot of reasons, and we don't expect everybody to see it the same way.” According to a survey of customers conducted by the CCTS as part of its complaints process, the majority of people found out about the CCTS via web search, followed by the CRTC and word of mouth. Forty-five per cent of survey respondents said they tried for more than two months to resolve their issue directly with their service provider before going to the CCTS, and almost 80 per cent went through at least two levels of complaint escalation with the service provider before filing their CCTS complaint. The commission’s efforts to raise awareness include improving its social media presence and incorporating paid advertising, it said in its report. It notes it used targeted advertising to get to harder-to-reach consumers and that it was able to reach more seniors and rural consumers. Billing issues top of mind for complainants Issues with billing for all types of service reported upon topped the roster of issues raised across various types of service, followed by service delivery, contract disputes, and credit management. Billing issues include incorrect charges for plans, unexpected price increases, credits or refunds not being received, and disputes over other charges such as roaming and data usage. The number of issues raised with billing account for 45 per cent of all issues raised, up from 39 per cent last year, the report states. The majority of billing issues were raised with Rogers (4,873), Bell (3,009), Telus (2,419), and Fido (2,090). Billing issues had been declining since 2019, the CCTS notes, before seeing a 52 per cent increase in 2023-24, a near-return to 2019 levels. Wireless billing issues were up 39 percent this year, while internet billing issues were up 84 per cent, TV billing issues were up 61 per cent, and local phone billing issues were up 51 percent. Meanwhile, service delivery issue complaints were up by 27 per cent, and contract disputes were up 12 per cent. Commissioner Maker said he was not surprised to see that billing was a leading issue. “It seems always on the bill where the rubber hits the road. That's what people notice, and often what looks like a billing issue turns out to be something else. It's a contractual issue, or it's a misunderstanding of what was being subscribed for. That's the not surprising piece” What was surprising, Maker said, was a “significant increase” in the number of people having issues trying to switch from one service provider to another, or with cancelling their services with their provider. “That kind of surprised me, because there are industry rules around that, there is technology to communicate those porting and cancellation requests, and the number of times we saw that issue arise in complaints was increased 47 per cent year-over-year. The year before that, it had increased as well, significantly.” In November, the CRTC launched three consultations it says are aimed at improving consumer protection measures to make sure Canadians have more flexibility to choose the mobile and internet services they need. The new measures being considered include improving customer notification requirements for when a mobile or internet contract is about to end, banning service providers from charging cancellation fees meant to discourage customers from changing their plan, and requiring telcos to offer self-service mechanisms. Wireless service complaints on the rise Wireless complaints were up 27 per cent compared to the year prior, with the CCTS noting in its report it received more complaints of issues with wireless service this period than in any of the past five years. Of all the various issues raised, 20,161 or 52 per cent were related to wireless service – an increase of 27 per cent from the year prior. Of the problems raised with wireless services, issues with regular cost increases for monthly plans were raised 360 per cent more often. Issues with credits or refunds not being received were up 108 per cent, and issues with data charges were up 70 per cent. Issues with contract changes were up 33 per cent, while incorrect charges for monthly price plans were up 31 per cent and quality of service issues were up 27 per cent. Behind wireless complaints, internet complaints followed with 11,101 issues raised, or 29 per cent of all complaints. TV issues totalled 4,235 and local phone issues landed at 3,118. Code of conduct breaches The commission found 46 breaches of the Wireless Code, down four per cent from the previous year. Of 2,246 alleged breaches, 72 were investigated and 26 resulted in no breach found. Telus was found to have breached the code 12 times, mostly connected to one complaint about multiple wireless lines. Bell breached the code 10 times, the report states, also mostly connected to one complaint. Regional Thunder Bay, Ont. provider Tbaytel was found to have breached the code for the first time with two breaches for failing to provide a customer information about an automatic extension of a fixed-term contract. The commission notes Virgin Plus, Koodo, and Freedom Mobile saw a decrease in confirmed Wireless code breaches this year. The CCTS reports 12 confirmed breaches of the Internet Code, up from nine last year. Of the 515 alleged breaches it dealt with, 17 required investigation and five resulted in no breach found. Telus’ Start.ca was responsible for four breaches. Cogeco Inc. was responsible for three. Bell Aliant, Bell Canada, Rogers, Telus, and Videotron were responsible for one each. There were four breaches of the Television Service Provider Code, all of which were connected to Rogers and arose from one complaint. The CCTS investigated five of 32 alleged breaches, one of which resulted in no breach found. The Deposit and Disconnection Code was breached five times, four of which were related to one complaint against Rogers for failing to notify a customer before their service was suspended. The other breach was connected to AIC Global Communications for failing to refund a customer’s security deposit. There were 22 alleged breaches of the code, eight of which required investigation. hdaley@thewirereport.ca With a file from Phalen Tynes-Macdonald

Billing issues, wireless service complaints spike in CCTS annual report

Regulatory |
By Hannah Daley
| January 15, 2025

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Billing issues, wireless service complaints spike in CCTS annual report

Regulatory | By Hannah Daley | January 15, 2025

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By Hannah Daley
| January 15, 2025