OTTAWA — The Commissioner of Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) announced Friday the successful resolution of a customer complaint against Axsit, a VoIP phone service provider based in Mississauga, Ont.
After receiving a complaint in January from an Axsit customer, CCTS investigated and found the telecom provider was in breach of its obligations to the customer and CCTS. The customer had complained that Axsit billed long-distance charges to the customer, for phone calls actually made fraudulently by a third party. Following its investigation, CCTS issued in May a recommendation that Axsit refund the disputed amounts to the customer. At the beginning of July, CCTS made public the fact that Axsit had not as yet met its regulatory obligations by compensating the customer.
On August 5, CCTS issued a news release confirming Axsit had since provided a cheque to the customer for the disputed amount.
“We are pleased that Axsit has now seen fit to respect the fundamental requirement of our process — to implement the outcomes called for by CCTS following the fair and impartial investigation of a customer’s complaint,” CCTS Commissioner Howard Maker said in the news release.
Since the original complaint, Axsit’s previous owner entered into an agreement to sell the VoIP service provider to WiMac Tel, a North American telecom company and CCTS participant. Axsit will continue to operate under its own name and the change in ownership should be a seamless transaction for Axsit’s customers, CCTS said.
WiMac Tel has promised to CCTS that it will undertake the necessary changes to bring Axsit into compliance with CCTS’s public awareness plan, which includes making the required changes to Axsit’s web site, CCTS said.
In its news release, CCTS said it appreciates the efforts of Axsit’s new and former owners in bringing Axsit into compliance with its obligations, and in ensuring that Axsit’s customers obtain the full benefits of Axsit’s participation in CCTS.
Since July 2007, CCTS has provided consumers with an independent and impartial mechanism for the resolution of complaints about deregulated local and long distance telephone services, as well as wireless service and Internet access. This includes billing errors, compliance with contract terms and commitments, service delivery, credit management and collections issues.
