CRTC is failing cell phone users miserably: Orazietti

NEWS RELEASE

DAVID ORAZIETTI, MPP

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Orazietti says CRTC and CWTA are failing cell phone users miserably

Cell phone services top consumer complaints lists in Ontario

QUEEN'S PARK - David Orazietti, MPP for Sault Ste. Marie, called the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunication Communication (CRTC)’s latest stunt a stalling tactic to prop up Canada’s uncompetitive wireless phone industry which negatively impacts Ontario consumers.

Yesterday, the CRTC announced its intention to seek input from the public as to whether consumers are dissatisfied with the industry and whether intervention is necessary to better serve consumers - A bizarre move on the part of the organization, given that grievances about cell phone services consistently top consumer complaint lists.

“The federal government has done nothing substantive to protect consumers from one-sided cell phone contracts and the unfair business practices of the wireless service industry and the CRTC’s latest stalling tactic is further proof of their disregard for this important consumer issue affecting over 80 percent of Ontario households,” said Orazietti. “Ontarians want real change in this industry, but the CRTC is just paying lip service to what is a much larger problem.”

Data on consumer complaints verifies public dissatisfaction with the services and practices of wireless providers and the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) continues to ignore these concerns.

The Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) reports that complaints about wireless carriers comprised 52 percent of the complaints it received in the 2009-2010 monitoring period.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) received more complaints about cellular phone services and supplies in 2010 than any other issue.

As well, complaints about cell phones and long distance charges consistently appear on the Ministry of Consumer Service’s annual list of “Top 10 Consumer Complaints.”

A recent survey of 11 countries found that Canadian consumers pay the highest monthly charges for cell phone services, and millions of Ontarians subscribe to cell phone services.

Orazietti has twice introduced legislation calling for greater protection and transparency for consumers of wireless phone and data services. Bill 5, the “Wireless Phone, Smart Phone and Data Service Transparency Act, 2011,” proposed that wireless service providers be required to:

• Clearly disclose the cost of all mandatory and optional services included in an agreement
• Provide service agreements in plain language, making them more understandable to consumers
• Reduce the cancellation fee charged to consumers through a prescribed formula
• Improve transparency regarding automatic renewal and unilateral contract changes
• Notify the consumer when they may incur additional charges as a result of exceeding usage limits or for attempting to use a service outside geographical limits set out in the agreement
• Ensure that a consumer is not liable to pay for services not received by the consumer while a device provided by the supplier is being repaired by the supplier
• Provide billing statements in paper form at no extra cost at the request of the consumer
• Eliminate activation dates and expiry dates on pre-paid cards for wireless service
• Make costs more transparent when advertising the price of wireless services
• Unlock, at no additional cost, any device that has been paid for in full or is no longer bound by a service agreement