The CRTC is pushing back on Rogers after the carrier (and its flanker brand Fido) told customers it’s adding a $5 monthly charge to their bills starting July 15, calling it a “Wireless Plan Rate Adjustment.”
In a letter dated June 23, Scott Hutton, the CRTC’s Vice-President of Consumer, Analytics and Strategy, wrote to Howard Slawner, Rogers’ Vice President of Telecom, asking the company to explain itself.
The issue comes down to the Wireless Code, which protects customers from having their minimum monthly charge changed during a contract without their consent. Hutton’s letter lays out that the minimum monthly charge is defined as “the minimum amount that customers will have to pay for wireless services each month if they do not use optional services or incur any additional fees or overage charges.” He also notes that this charge “cannot be changed by a service provider during the commitment period without the account holder’s or authorized user’s informed and express consent.”
Hutton gave Rogers until July 3 to respond, and he wants the company to answer whether it’s “imposing this new monthly charge during a customer’s ongoing commitment period,” covering both customers on longer-term contracts and those on month-to-month plans, and to describe when the fee would first show up on a bill. He also asked Rogers to explain how the charge is written into its contracts and whether it’s treated as part of the minimum monthly charge.
The letter was copied to Nanao Kachi, the CRTC’s Director of Social and Consumer Policy, and Guillaume Leclerc, Manager of Social and Consumer Policy.
This comes as the CRTC is already reviewing how to tighten up consumer protection rules more broadly, with a separate consultation underway on harmonizing its telecom and broadcasting codes.
Considering telecoms have been able to charge new SIM fees and device fees, despite the protest of the CRTC and its goal to get rid of wireless junk fees, we’re not sure what can be done here by the Commission.
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The big 3 have been squeezing Canadians for far too long. Recent activity by them in response to the CRTC changes is further proof of that. “Wireless Device Handle Fee” or now this “rate adjustment”. Who is actually dumb enough to fall for this? If you can, avoid them. Quebec has Videotron and they are expanding. Worth checking out. Their flanker is Fizz Mobile.
The two companies are closely affiliated through extensive business partnerships, network sharing agreements, and spectrum deals.