OTTAWA — The Commissioner of Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) announced Thursday it has terminated the participation of VOIS in CCTS, having found the Calgary-based telecom service provider to be in default on its obligations, subsequent to the investigation of several customer complaints.
“The ejection of VOIS from participation was based on its failure to honour the fundamental rules of our process. CCTS investigated six separate customer complaints, and each one concluded with a binding decision requiring VOIS to compensate the customers and take other action. VOIS failed to take any of the steps required of it in these six cases, and the customers remain without the remedy to which they are entitled. VOIS’ conduct is contrary to the most fundamental obligation of the CCTS process. We have made numerous efforts to communicate with VOIS and work with it to resolve these issues. VOIS has chosen to ignore all of our communications, leaving CCTS with no choice but to take this drastic step — a step we do not take lightly,” Commissioner Howard Maker said in a CCTS news release.
As a telecom services provider in Canada, VOIS is required to participate in CCTS, Maker explained. With its ejection from CCTS, VOIS is now in breach of its regulatory obligation, and therefore CCTS has referred the matter to the CRTC for further action as it is required to do, Maker said.
“We are hopeful that the end result will be that VOIS compensates these six customers, and that it eventually returns to CCTS participation, determined to abide by the rules — the same rules that apply to all telecom service providers,” Maker said.
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.
