November 24, 2016
For immediate release
Ottawa – The Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) reported today that its 2015-16 year concluded with an 18 per cent decrease in the number of complaints received from Canadian telecom customers. This is the third consecutive year in which the number of complaints to CCTS has declined, and the second year in a row of a decrease in the proportion of issues related to wireless services.
“With complaints on the decline for the third year in a row, I think it’s safe to say we’re witnessing a trend,” said CCTS Commissioner and CEO Howard Maker. “Largely as a result of the publicity generated by CCTS publicly reporting the number of complaints received from customers of each service provider, the companies have become motivated to reduce the number of complaints that CCTS receives from their customers. This appears to have resulted in many service providers making concerted efforts to change how they deal with their customer complaints, and to make concerted efforts to resolve more of them ‘in-house’. Although there remains lots of room for improvement, it is good news for customers when they don’t have to approach the industry ombudsman to get their problems sorted out.”
CCTS also reports that 89% of customers whose complaints were handled by CCTS in 2015-16 saw their complaint resolved to their satisfaction, three-quarters of those within 30 days. In addition, CCTS exceeded all of its performance standard targets once again this year, and customer satisfaction with the service provided by CCTS is reflected in the extraordinary satisfaction levels reported in the Customer Survey section of the Annual Report. “As an organization that provides service to dissatisfied telecom customers, it is important that we model high standards of customer service. This means trying to expedite problem-solving for customers, and we are extremely proud of our success in these areas,” said Maker.
The issue raised most frequently in customer complaints, for the second year in a row, was the failure by the service provider to disclose important information to the customer.
“We’re also concerned about the rise in complaints regarding the 30-day cancellation policy and charges billed after cancellation,” said Maker. “We’ll continue to monitor these complaints and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure clarity and fairness for telecom consumers.”
The CCTS 2015-16 Annual Report can be viewed here.
About the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (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.
Visit our website at www.ccts-cprst.ca.
To schedule an interview with the Commissioner, or for more information, please contact:
Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS)
P.O. Box 56067 – Minto Place RO, Ottawa, ON K1R 7Z1
Email: communication@ccts-cprst.ca
Toll free: 1-855-512-9783