OTTAWA – Canadians’ complaints over their telecom and Internet services fell for the first time in the seven year history of the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS), but Commissioner Howard Maker stopped short of calling it a trend.
“From our examination of other statistics… we are cautiously optimistic that the industry as a whole is becoming more focused on customer issues and on how it addresses customer problems”, Maker wrote in the 2013-2014 annual report, called ‘Driving Positive Change’, released Tuesday.
The CCTS received 11,340 customer complaints in 2013-14, down 17% from 13,692 in 2012-13, and successfully resolved 87% of complaints to the satisfaction of both the customer and the service provider, reads the report. Wireless services complaints once again topped the list of all complaints with 60.8% of all complaints, followed by 20.0% for Internet access, 16.5% for local telephone service and 2.7% for long distance.
Billing errors were almost half (45.2%) of the most common issues, followed by contract disputes (29.1%), service delivery (including installation, repair and maintenance) at 21.8% and credit management at 3.9%.
Maker said that despite the decrease in overall complaints, the number of complaints related to non-disclosure and misleading contract terms and conditions spiked 74% over last year. "Many customers felt that they had not received all the necessary information regarding the price and services included in their plan and which services would incur additional fees", he said in the report’s news release. "Properly informing customers of the necessary information relating to their services needs to become a top priority for the industry. That being said, customers still need to be vigilant about reviewing the terms and conditions of their agreements."
Bell Canada topped the list of the 25 service providers about which the CCTS received the most complaints in 2013-14 with 3,651 or 32.20% of all complaints. Rogers was second with 2,379 complaints (20.98%) and Telus was by far the best performer of the Big Three, logging 653 complaints (5.76%). These totals do not include each company’s flanker brands.
Telus, which saw a decline in the number of complaints for a third straight year, was quick to jump on that bit of news, saying in a press release: "Telus is deeply committed to listening to our customers and working hard to ensure they are the happiest in the industry. Our team strives every day to put customers first, and the CCTS results confirm once again that Telus is providing a truly differentiated experience and making the telecom industry a friendlier place for Canadians.”
Rogers highlighted its 37% reduction in complaints in a blog post, trumpeting that it has gone from about equal to Bell last year to having about 35% fewer complaints than that company. "We’re glad to see our renewed focus on providing you with good service is starting to pay off, but this is a journey and we have a long way to go", reads the post. "The number of complaints is still too high and we’re working hard to do better."
The report also contains CCTS' first report on its administration of the CRTC's Wireless Code. "In light of the short period in which the code has been in effect, this year's report offers limited insight into its impact," added Maker. "As can be expected with any new code, interesting and unexpected situations have raised issues of applicability and interpretation. Despite these challenges, CCTS is committed to its administration and hopes that future reports of this type will help inform the enhancement of the Code."
The CCTS is an independent organization dedicated to working with consumer and small business customers and participating Canadian telecommunication service providers to resolve complaints relating to most deregulated retail telecommunications services including local and long distance telephone services, as well as wireless service and Internet access. There are approximately 256 service providers and brands participating in CCTS.
