Complaint convergence
CRTC SETTING UP ONE- STOP SHOPPING FOR UNHAPPY TV AND TELECOM CONSUMERS.
OTTAWA• Canadians who have gripes about their TV service providers will soon have a new watchdog to hear their complaints.
The Canadian Radiotelevision and Telecommunications Commission on Thursday announced it will expand the responsibilities of the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) to include cable or satellite disputes.
The CRTC will require all television service providers to become members of the CCTS by Sept. 1, 2017.
With the new combined structure, “if a Canadian cannot resolve a complaint with a communications service provider — regardless if it is a television service provider, Internet service provider, wireless service provider or telephone service provider — the CCTS will become the single point of contact for obtaining a resolution,” the CRTC said.
The CCTS, created in 2007 and funded by the telecom industry, already acts as an independent watchdog on complaints concerning telephone, wireless and Internet services — but not cable or satellite TV services.
With the advent of “bundled” services — combining TV with other telecom products — there appears to be a growing need for a “one-stop shop” for customer complaints, the CRTC says.
“Over 80 per cent of television subscribers obtain their television services from a licensed cable or satellite company,” the commission said.
At present, complaints about TV service providers are being handled by CRTC staff. “Any time there is a big decision we get a spike in calls,” said a CRTC spokesperson.
Thursday’s announcement is meant to fill that regulatory gap. The CCTS watchdog already handles more t han 10,000 complaints a year, according to the regulator.
“With an increasing number of Canadians taking advantage of bundled offers including local voice, wireless, Internet and television services offered by the same communications service provider, ensuring a single point of contact to deal with their complaints has never been more important,” CRTC chairman Jean- Pierre Blais said in a statement Thursday.
Even with so-called “skinny” TV packages, which came into effect March 1, CRTC staff have already fielded hundreds of questions or concerns about the new $25-per-month basic TV service.
Under t he new CCTS guidelines, if the watchdog agrees that a TV service provider has not met its obligations to consumers, it can require the provider to compensate users by up to $ 5,000 “for losses associated with certain complaints which are in addition to any reimbursements for billing errors.”
The CCTS will use its new authority to ensure TV service providers respond to direct customer complaints or billing questions.