Watchdog reports fewer quibbles over telecom bills over last year
Fewer people filed official complaints about their wireless, Internet and telephone bills for the third year in row, a trend that suggests service providers are going to greater lengths to solve problems internally and avoid publicly reported complaints.
The Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services dealt with more than 8,300 complaints from 2015 to 2016, a drop of 18 per cent from the previous year, according to the CCTS annual report released Thursday. Providers were ordered to reimburse customers more than $3.4 million as a result of the investigations.
Commissioner Howard Maker believes the potential brand damage associated with a high number of reported complaints has motivated providers to empower their customer service employees to resolve problems before they escalate to the CCTS.
“It’s become clear that the service providers are concerned about what we report publicly about them,” Maker said in an interview. Ottawa-based CCTS was created in 2008 to step in when telecoms and consumers couldn’t fix their problems directly.
BCE Inc. topped the list for the third consecutive year with 36 per cent of the total complaints, three and a half times more than Rogers Communications Inc. received and five times more than Telus Corp.
Maker said a request from Rogers this year to work with the CCTS to figure out how to improve its service helped it cut its complaints in half from last year. Not that that’s a bad thing, he’s quick to add, noting it’s cheaper and faster for everyone if an official complaint is avoided.
“It’s a good thing anytime a customer gets their complaint resolved without having to resort to the independent ombudsman.”
Wireless services resulted in slightly more than half of complaints, down from 60 per cent in 2010 before the wireless code was introduced.
“This seems to be some evidence the wireless code has been effective in reducing significant pain points,” Maker said.
But there are still areas where providers pushed the rules, according to the report.
The number of complaints over Internet service providers charging customers for the entire month when they cancel in the middle of a billing cycle increased even though the CRTC prohibited the practice. Improper notice for disconnections remains a large problem.
Another dispute arose over Rogers’ policy to charge data overage fees of $50 per device on a shared plan, whereas the CCTS argues the wireless code caps data overage charges at $50 per plan regardless of the number of devices.
“It’s certainly our view that their practice is not consistent with the wireless code,” Maker said, noting that the topic will be debated when the CRTC reviews the code next year.
The CCTS resolved 89 per cent of complaints, with 74 per cent of customers receiving compensation last year. Billing problems account for 41 per cent of complaints, followed by contract disputes (32 per cent) and service delivery (23 per cent).
As for the worst offenders, it comes as no surprise that the Big Three incumbents — Bell, Rogers and Telus — have the highest number of complaints, considering they serve approximately 90 per cent of the market.
Bell’s complaints dropped 18 per cent in line with the industry, but consumers reported more problems with its cancellation credit and refund policies.
“We do have the highest number of complaints but Bell has significantly more customers across Canada than any other provider,” spokeswoman Michelle Michalak said in an email. “We continue to focus on improving service with major investments in training and new technology such as online and mobile self-service apps.”
Rogers’ complaints fell by more than 50 per cent after working with the CCTS, although the commissioner rapped it for its data overage fees.
“We’re focused on making things simple, putting our customers in control, and this report shows we are making good progress and there’s more work to do,” Rogers chief customer officer Deepak Khandelwal said in a statement.
Telus, although it still boasts the lowest numbers of the Big Three, saw a 22 per cent increase in the number of complaints, particularly regarding its practice of charging customers for the entire month when they cancel their service before the end of their billing cycle.
“Given our lowest absolute number of complaints there are bound to be ebbs and flows of complaints,” spokeswoman Luiza Staniec said in an email, adding the results “motivate us to double down” on the commitment to better service. Telus hopes to reduce complaints further with a new program that assigns customers a single agent to deal with problems, she said.
Shaw Communications Inc.-owned Wind Mobile, renamed Freedom Mobile as of this week, saw 29 per cent fewer complaints than last year. But it also saw a sharp rise in the number of complaints associated with improper cancellation charges.