PIAC and NPF seek affordable pay-as-you-go plans

When a customer of Tello Mobile (a US wireless service provider) roams in Canada, they pay 3¢/minute for calls and 1¢/SMS. Plus, the customer does not have to top-up their account to keep it from expiring.

That kind of innovative and affordable plan for occasional users just is not available to Canadians. Many wireless service providers do not offer any plan suitable for occasional users, while others charge up to 50¢/minute for local calls, 30¢/SMS, and $2/MB.

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and National Pensioners Federation (NPF) have filed an application with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today seeking to address this market gap.

PIAC hopes that this application will lead to innovative and affordable plans for occasional users being introduced into the Canadian market. These plans should lower the entry-level cost of cellphone adoption and make telecommunications more affordable for the occasional users like seniors with landlines and low-income persons who appreciate the control and flexibility provided by pay-as-you-go plans.

PIAC-NPF’s application is available here. You can tell the CRTC what you think of our application here.

Home Internet customers rejoice: CRTC acts to improve installations and repairs for re-sellers’ customers

Home internet consumers will be better protected under today’s changes by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to the competitor quality of service regime.

The competitor quality of service regime makes sure that incumbent providers, like Bell and Telus, provide a high quality of services to wholesale customers like TekSavvy. The regime makes sure that the incumbent’s technicians schedule installations and repairs in a timely manner, and actually carry them out.

PIAC intervened in this proceeding to argue that the competitor quality of service regime remains necessary and should be extended to the “High-Speed Access” wholesale services used to deliver home internet over cable and fiber. The CRTC listened to our concerns and has adopted a clearer set of quality of service measures which apply to all the mandated wholesale services used to support home internet.

PIAC argued that the service indicators should assure timely installation and repairs, whereas incumbents and cable companies had argued that a complaints based regime was sufficient. The CRTC has started a process to set measures and standards consistent with our proposal. This will ensure that appointments are met, and are met in a timely fashion.

Huge increase in consumer complaints requires CRTC to investigate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OTTAWA – Consumer complaints to the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) increased by a whopping 73% compared to the same period last year – an increase that must be investigated and fixed, said the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) today.
“Canadian consumers are sending a clear message that they are being poorly treated by, and are suffering from misleading sales practices of, Internet, wireless, home phone and subscription TV services,” said John Lawford, PIAC Executive Director and General Counsel. “Such a dramatic increase must be investigated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission,” he added.
PIAC also notes that the CCTS Report revealed that the leading complaint issue (each complaint may include more than one issue), at nearly a third of all complaint issues, was “Non-disclosure of terms/Misleading information about terms.” The second most frequent complaint issue was “Incorrect charge”.
“Both of the highest complaint issue categories likely are largely driven by sales practices and other promises made to consumers that consumers do not feel were lived up to,” explained Lawford. “Part of the increase is consumers hearing about poor sales practices who in turn complain; however, the base of this problem is likely those practices themselves and CRTC should no longer duck its responsibility to launch an inquiry into how Canadians are sold their communications services.”
The Report also noted continuing problems with Canadians’ experience with quality of communications services, in particular their Internet services, as well as disconnections, cancellation fees, credit reporting, service outages and contract changes.
For more information, please contact:
John Lawford
Executive Director and General Counsel
Public Interest Advocacy Centre
ONE Nicholas Street, Suite 1204
Ottawa, ON K1N 7B7
(613) 562-4002 x25
(613) 447-8125 (cell)
jlawford@piac.ca
http://www.piac.ca
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