OTTAWA – While Canadians complained less frequently about their wireless services last year, data overage fees and international roaming charges continue to cause bill shock for many, according to the CRTC.
The Commission released its 2016 Fall survey on wireless issues Thursday, part of its planned three year review of the Wireless Code that will also include a public hearing in Gatineau from February 6 – 9, 2017. The CRTC has conducted annual surveys on wireless issues and awareness of the Wireless Code since 2014.
In 2016, 17% of Canadians with wireless plans reported making a complaint, down from 26% in 2014, an overall drop of 35% in the past two years, says the CRTC-commissioned survey.
Incorrect charges on their bill, data charges, poor service quality and misleading contract terms topped the list of customer complaints to their service providers. Of the respondents who complained to their service provider, 25% felt that it was not resolved and 46% were not satisfied with the resolution.
While the Wireless Code is administered by the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS), Canadians did not lodge complaints with the CCTS, by and large, because 69% did not know about the organization, 13% did not feel it was worth the effort, and 9% felt it would not resolve their issue, continued the survey.
One-in-five Canadians (21%) of Canadians reported having experienced bill shock, down from 28% in 2014. Canadians identified data overage fees (48%) and international roaming charges (17%) as the main reasons for bill shock in 2016.
According to the survey, Canadians aged 18-54 are more likely to experience bill shock than other Canadians (25% vs 15%), and those on a shared or family plan, a relatively new and increasingly popular option for consumers, are also more likely to experience bill shock than those on an individual plan (28% vs 19%).
The CRTC said that Canadians will have another opportunity to provide comments on the effectiveness of the Wireless Code during an online consultation in February.
“We are pleased to see that complaints have been decreasing since 2014, but the survey results show that many Canadians are still having issues managing the data and calling minutes they use, as well as international roaming fees”, said CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais, in a statement. “We will be addressing these results with interveners during the upcoming public hearing. We want to make sure that the Wireless Code is helping Canadians to remain empowered and informed about their wireless services.”
The Wireless Code came into effect December 2, 2013 in an effort to make it easier for consumers and small businesses to understand their contracts for cellphones and other mobile devices, plus outline their basic rights.
