CRTC Spent $113K to Learn Canadians Are Fed Up with Telecoms

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) spent nearly $113,000 of taxpayer dollars on a study that found almost a third of Canadians had complaints about their telecom service—but most didn’t know what to do about it.

The conclusion was what many already suspected: a third of Canadians are frustrated with their telecom providers, but most have no idea there’s a federal agency to help them, according to Blacklock’s Reporter, who spotted the report. The title of the report was, Understanding consumer awareness and satisfaction with the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS). The report was about 31 pages long, minus the intro pages and table of contents. Most of the report was just sharing results of the survey, along with an executive summary.

According to the April 2024 report by Nanos Research, commissioned by the CRTC for $112,943.50 (including HST), 32% of Canadians had a complaint about their internet, TV, or phone service in the past year — not including pricing. Yet, fewer than 1% said they would reach out to the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) for help.

Most complaints were about home internet (50%), followed by mobile phones (24%) and television (22%), with service issues and billing disputes being the main problems.

Of those who complained, 99% went directly to their provider — and nearly half (43%) said their issue wasn’t resolved. Shockingly, 96% of those unresolved cases were never referred by providers to the CCTS, even though telecom companies are supposed to promote the agency under CRTC rules.

When asked why they didn’t take it further, 64% said they had never heard of the CCTS. Others “didn’t see the point” (11%), “weren’t sure how” (7%) or simply “couldn’t be bothered” (6%).

The CCTS was established in 2007 as an independent agency meant to help consumers resolve disputes with telecom providers, especially those covered by the Wireless Code, TV Code, Internet Code, and Deposit and Disconnection Code.

But the study found a major awareness gap: 80% of Canadians have never heard of the CCTS, and only 5% said they’d contact the CRTC itself if they had an issue. Most (84%) said they’d just go back to their service provider — often getting nowhere.

Even among those who had heard of the CCTS, only 28% had a positive impression of it, and a third weren’t sure what to think.

The CRTC expects service providers to inform customers about the CCTS through various communication methods, including websites and bills, but the report suggests this isn’t happening. The problem is you have to be really pissed off at your provider to seek out the CCTS and then take the time to fill out a complaint. Most people will likely not bother taking the time to fill out a complaint.

For an agency meant to protect consumers, public awareness appears to be its biggest problem—and one the CRTC paid six figures to confirm.

The recent mid-year report from the CCTS concluded that telecom complaints continue in the country, with the agency saying Telus saw the most complaints in Canada.