Cogeco customer disservice
Cogeco Communications, a telecom provider based in Montreal, updated its computer systems last May. The goal was to manage relationships with customers more effectively.
The transition was far from smooth. I’d call it rocky.
Cogeco’s poor recovery from the chaos created by the computer upgrade has caused discomfort — even misery — for some customers.
Five months later, the company is still struggling to keep up with emails, calls and social media laments from customers, who say they have trouble reaching anyone to get their problems resolved.
Since my column about the problems last June, I’ve kept in touch almost daily with Cogeco media contact Gabriel Beausejour who says they’re improving.
“The overall situation has greatly improved, but we are still experiencing periods when waiting times can be a little bit longer,” he told me in late September. “Our teams keep working on improving the processes and identifying alternate tools or channels to ensure shorter response time. We remain focused on getting back to the level of customer service that our customers are used to and deserve.”
The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) works to resolve disputes when customers can’t get redress from service providers. It’s had a significant increase in complaints from Cogeco customers.
“The most common problem identified in those complaints is a service delivery issue,” Commissioner Howard Maker told me.
“We are also seeing Cogeco being challenged in addressing and resolving the large number of complaints in a timely way. We don’t have many details from Cogeco about the source of these difficulties, but we believe that they are experiencing problems as a result of certain system/network upgrades that perhaps did not go as planned.”
Talk about a failure of communication. Complaints flood into the CCTS, expanding its workload, but the company in question won’t talk about it.
How are customers being informed? I did a little scouting of my own. I found nothing at the company’s website about service difficulties and extended wait times. I did find a general explanation of how to complain, but was dismayed to see the office of the president accepted complaints only by mail.
When I called customer care, I heard a long recorded message about a possible interruption of Canada Post’s mail delivery. Only when I clicked again to residential services did I hear about an abnormally high call volume. I clicked again to speak to an agent, where I was told of a 15-minute wait on a Saturday at noon. “Thank you for your patience,” I was told.
That’s not good enough. Why can’t customers leave a phone number and get a call back? I asked the same question in June.
Many customers are taking their business elsewhere.
Bryan Payne, for example, tried to transfer his internet and TV service when moving from one address to another last July. Nothing happened.
“I kept calling daily and got nowhere, so I started posting my issues on social media. Someone from social media finally responded and looked into what they could do.
“They managed to circumvent the system and get me internet only, which was better than nothing. For the next two months, I called once or twice a week to get basic cable TV and they couldn’t make it happen. I finally switched to Bell. I had no choice.”
He says Cogeco still owes him $500 for the mobile phone charges he incurred while waiting for his internet to be transferred to the new address. Here are comments from other customers seeking help with complaints.
Bill Short: “Cogeco cut off our services prematurely after we moved from Niagara to Newmarket, forcing us to spend $250 for emergency cellphone calls to lawyers and movers. We need help recovering our out of pocket expenses. The company is ignoring us.”
Two weeks later, Cogeco called the Shorts to say it would send a $250 cheque by mail in the next six to eight weeks. After thanking me, Bill said “it should not take this type of leveraging to correct issues like this.”
Marvin Ross: “My latest bill was $20.77 higher than normal. I called accounts and was told it would be a 45-minuteplus wait. I left a voicemail for the president in Montreal. Turned out my bill was wrong. They said the merging of the systems last spring was the reason.
“I was offered a $10 monthly discount each for my TV service and internet service if I stayed with them. I’ve been a Cogeco customer for over 20 years. It’s a shame they are ruining their good reputation with such inferior customer service.”
Kellie Hayward: “I am a new customer, waiting for installation and still no internet. After a month, I still get emails saying my account is stuck in processing due to a technical error in their system. In the process of ‘updating your system,’ it seems the company has forgotten how to properly operate.”
My advice: Switch carriers if you can. If you run into problems, seek compensation for inconvenience and extra costs; negotiate a higher amount as the price of staying.
Finally, if you get nowhere with Cogeco, file a complaint with the CCTS.