Reining in Canada’s telecommunications companies

Polls show Canadians are not happy with tactics used by firms when selling, servicing their accounts

Canadians have long had an edgy relationship with their big telecommunications companies, but in the past year things have gone very sour. This week the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is hearing submissions; Ottawa took the unusual step of ordering a public inquiry and CRTC hearings after ex-telco employees went public with stories about pushy and underhanded sales tactics.

These complaints are validated by public opinion research. The CRTC commissioned a study that confirmed that many Canadians have a big problem with the Big 3 (Rogers, Telus and Bell) and other firms that provide cable, internet and cellphone services in this country.

Research, conducted by the polling firm Ipsos, found that four in 10 Canadians have reported aggressive and misleading sales tactics, and the majority of those experiences have occurred in recent years.

Many Canadians also think these companies are targeting vulnerable groups, such as immigrants, the elderly and people with disabilities, selling them products and services they do not want or need. People are furious about sales staff who do not inform them about extra charges that show up on contracts and poor customer service when they call to complain. And they don’t like salespeople who go door to door pressuring people to buy services. A whopping 75 per cent of Canadians believe telcos place profit over customer service and protection, according to the research.

Telco companies will have their say during these hearings in Gatineau, Que. They’ve defended their actions, saying they’re customer-centred and, for the most part, clients are satisfied. We beg to differ. The research overwhelmingly shows we’re not well served, which is unacceptable in an industry regulated by the CRTC on behalf of the federal government. Internet access and decent cell service are no longer luxuries; they’re the way we do business and communicate with one another in emergencies. Canadians deserve accountability and transparency from service providers.

If the pressure to turn profits results in unsavoury sales tactics, then it is the job of the CRTC and Ottawa to put a stop to it. It is time for a mandatory code of conduct to be imposed on all telco companies to protect Canadian consumers and re-establish trust