OTTAWA – On the eve of the CRTC’s review into charges for paper billing in the communications industry, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) has released a new report estimating that Canadians are paying between $495 and $734 million annually in fees for monthly bills and statements in paper formats to the banking and communications services industries (telephone, TV, home Internet and wireless).
The report How to Pay the Piper: A Primer on Additional Charges to Consumers in Canada for Paper Billing examines the conduct of Canadian service providers who charge consumers for paper copies of their bills, and the impact of these practices on consumers.
In addition to calling for the elimination of paper bill fees, the report also recommends that all Canadian service providers provide an incentive to consumers to get them to switch to electronic billing, and that provincial governments investigate and record consumer complaints in to the practice and amend consumer protection laws to eliminate the growth of paper bill fees going forward.
“A majority of consumers have indicated their disapproval of being charged extra for a paper bill. Most Canadians believe supplying a paper bill in the mail without having to pay an extra fee is part of the company’s cost of doing business,” said Jonathan Bishop, PIAC’s Research Analyst and author of the report, in the report’s news release.
The report also estimates that Canadian consumers without Internet access have spent between $77 and $102 million on paper bill fees annually.
“We applaud those corporations who have chosen to not apply a fee for paper bills, or provide incentives to have consumers switch to electronic billing”, added PIAC executive director and general counsel John Lawford. “We wish for all consumers to receive their bills and statements in the method of their choice, without being penalized for their socio-economic status.”
The CRTC’s review into paper billing practices, led by its vice-chairs of Broadcasting and Telecommunications, is scheduled to begin Thursday at CRTC headquarters in Gatineau.
