This all sounds like deja vu, once again. Rogers, Bell, and Telus continue to top the list of telecoms generating the most consumer complaints, according to a new report from the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS).
The CCTS annual report, which tracks complaints between August 2023 and July 2024, highlights ongoing frustrations with unexpected charges, poor service quality, and unclear contracts. You know, basically everything related to telecoms these days it seems (for some, but not all).
Billing complaints shot up by 47% this year, making it the leading issue for consumers. Common complaints include surprise fees, sudden price hikes, and unfulfilled promises of credits or refunds.
Consumers reported slow internet speeds, poor wireless connectivity, and frequent service outages. Wireless users accounted for 43% of these complaints, with internet services making up 36%. These complaints are turning into a Canadian past time it seems.
Complaints about difficulties in canceling services jumped by 47% (they never want you to leave!), while issues with transferring services to another provider increased by 25%.
As for the top 10 service providers and complaints when it came to billing issues? Rogers led the pack with nearly 4,900 complaints, a massive 103% change year-over-year. Bell was second with just over 3,000 complaints and huge 73% rise versus the last annual report. Telus was third with a 56% increase in complaints year-over-year at just over 2,400.
Freedom Mobile saw complaints drop 14% year-over-year, as did Telus-owned Koodo seeing complaints drop 20%. Videotron, also owned under Quebecor like Freedom, saw its complaints drop 6% year-over-year.
Rogers-owned Fido saw a 42% increase year-over-year, while Bell-owned Virgin Plus saw complaints up 11%. Shaw, under Rogers ownership, saw complaints shoot up 74% year-over-year, which is not surprising.
Remember when Public Mobile decided to axe its legacy rewards program in favour of a new points program? We don’t know how many specific complaints were related to this. But looking at the number of billing complaints at 330, that took the year-over-year change to an eye-popping 768%. Are we seeing the fall out of Public Mobile’s disastrous plan?
Update: Telus reached out to clarify that the “CCTS report does not specify how many of the billing issue complaints are related to the points program,” pointing out Public Mobile’s overall year-over-year change was 589% for overall complaints.
“Billing-related issues top the list again this year as customers try to manage the rising cost of living and continue to be frustrated by what they are seeing on their service bills,” says Howard Maker, Commissioner and CEO of the CCTS, in a statement to iPhone in Canada.
“Complaints we receive often have many layers of complexity and include issues such as unexpected fees or promotion end dates, incorrect charges, or price increases. The CCTS is here to help with these and other issues. We assess whether service providers have followed the rules, and if they haven’t done so, we work to make things right for the customer,” he added.
The CCTS says it resolved nearly 90% of the complaints it received but urged service providers to improve transparency in contracts and billing practices. Customers are encouraged to understand contract terms, ask for clarification, and contact the CCTS if issues remain unresolved.
Did you file a complaint with the CCTS during this report’s time period? Did your complaint get resolved?
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Left Public Mobile because of the rewards fiasco. Now @ chatr $149 annual unlimited . Better here.
Chatr isn't even 5G. Hard pass.
Switched to Public Mobile (from the Big 3), lower bill, more data, no more roaming, never been happier.
Very happy with Public Mobile! Cheap with Huge data and US coverage. Better than anything else. But if you want someone to hold your hand and wipe your nose for you, it's not your company. It's an automated service only, but works well. Besides, Canadians seem to be addicted to complaining, and, have difficulty thinking for themselves and accepting the way things are.
Public Mobile (Telus) is still the best value out there. I agree, the rewards flip-flop has been a disaster. $34/month for unlimited in Canada 5G calling/text/data is unbeatable (not available right now – $35 for Canada, US, Mexico – 50GB).
Left a complaint for public mobile, they dgaf. We're living in a society of companies first, and consumers last
Public mobile are thieves, the bonuses I had prior to the point system were much more beneficial, all the years I had loyalty bonus refer a friend bonus auto pay bonus I was saving almost $20 a month and now I get a $15 bill credit every two to three months absolutely terrible
"Consumers reported slow internet speeds, poor wireless connectivity, and frequent service outages. Wireless users accounted for 43% of these complaints".
Yet The Big 3 keeps increasing our monthly rate year after year because they improve and upgrade their networks. Huh.