By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC said Friday it believes service providers should notify unhappy customers of the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) sooner in the complaints process.
Instead of informing customers they have recourse with the dedicated complaints watchdog only at the second level of escalation (first being the proposed telecom solution), the CRTC now believes telecoms should tell customers about the CCTS at the same time they offer that solution regardless of whether that resolution is favourable to the customer. The “offered solution” is defined by the CRTC as a written proposal intended to close the complaint, which must be in a written and accessible format.
“If a customer with a complaint expresses dissatisfaction with the complaint resolution process (including delays) or explicitly requests to escalate the complaint, the service provider must inform customers about the CCTS at that time,” the CRTC notes in its preliminary view.
The CRTC adds it still expects the service providers to use their best efforts to resolve complaints, which has always been the preferred method of addressing those shortcomings.
“The CCTS is an independent organization that helps Canadians resolve issues with their service providers,” the commission said in a press release. “This can include billing errors and disagreements over contract terms. While service providers are already required to inform customers about the CCTS, data collected by the CRTC shows that Canadians could benefit from learning about the CCTS earlier in the process for resolving complaints.”
The commission also wants to know whether it should impose a deadline on service providers to inform complaining customers about the CCTS if they have not provided a solution.
These requirements would be imposed by modifying the internet, wireless and television consumer protection codes.
The deadline for interventions is November 17.
In January 2024, the CCTS launched a public awareness campaign – which includes social media, digital and other media outreach for the first time – to get the organization in front of Canadians.
The awareness campaign came before a March report, conducted by Nanos Research and commissioned by the CRTC, which found that only two per cent of participants who had an unresolved complaint were made aware of the organization by their service provider. The research was backed by annual CCTS reports from 2015 and 2023, which show only eight and 13 per cent of customers who contacted the CC TS about an unresolved issue learned about it from their service provider.
Despite that, the CCTS said in its most recent full year report — between August 1, 2023 and July 31, 2024 — that it saw a record number of complaints.
Earlier this week, the CCTS named its newest commissioner and CEO.
