But industry still has work to do
GATINEAU — The CRTC released today the findings of its first-ever secret shopper project, which was launched in response to the Commission’s 2019 report on misleading or aggressive sales practices among telecommunications service providers.
While the secret shopper report concludes the vast majority of enlisted shoppers’ interactions with the providers’ sales staff were perceived as positive, approximately one in five shoppers perceived they may have faced misleading or aggressive sales practices.
The report also says misleading or aggressive sales practices occur at a higher rate for certain vulnerable segments of the Canadian population, such as individuals with disabilities and those whose first language is not English or French.
This initial secret shopper project was conducted by Forum Research, with field work occurring in early 2020 in several locations throughout Canada to measure interactions with sales staff in person, over the phone and online. In total, 422 secret shoppers took part in evaluating how wireless services are sold by the main brands of the six largest wireless service providers (Bell, Rogers, Telus, SaskTel, Freedom and Videotron).
The Commission says it intends to proceed with future secret shopper projects to assist in its decision-making processes.
“The secret shopper project allowed us to gain on-the-ground insight into the challenges Canadians may face when engaging with communications service providers’ salespeople. While we are encouraged by the results, more needs to be done to stop misleading and aggressive sales practices. This is why the secret shopper project will continue into the future. We look forward to using this information to promote the fair treatment of consumers,” said Ian Scott, CRTC chair and CEO, in the Commission’s press release.
To access a copy of the report, please click here.
