Mandate

We are able to assist you with a wide range of complaints about products and services offered in the telecommunications sector including:

• Home Telephone;
• Long Distance telephone services (including prepaid calling cards);
• Wireless phone services (including voice, data, and text);
• Wired and wireless Internet access services;
• White page directories, Directory assistance, and Operator services; and,
• Other forborne (unregulated) retail telecommunications services (other than those listed in our list of exclusions below)

We are able to assist with most types of problems that can arise between you and your service provider, including:

• Compliance with contract terms and commitments (but not the contract terms themselves). This can include disputes about whether there is a contract, what is included in a contract or how the contract should be interpreted, or whether the provider’s conduct meets its contractual obligations, or misunderstandings about the particulars of a contract or term;

• Billing disputes and errors (but not the price of the service itself). Some examples include complaints about customers having agreed to one price and subsequently being charged more, being overcharged due to either a billing system error or a price that is different than advertised, or about being billed for per-use services which they claim they did not use;

• Service Delivery. You may have this complaint if it is about the installation, repair or disconnection of service, including the quality of the service or unreasonable interruptions to service and transfers of service from one provider to another; and,

• Credit management. For example, complaints about security deposits, payment arrangements and collections treatment of customer accounts.

Exclusions

While we are able to assist with the issues above there are certain services and issues that are frequently associated with the telecommunications industry which we will be unable to assist. Please visit our links to other resources page for more information on where to submit your complaint relating to these matters.

These services include television and radio broadcasting services, complaints relating to yellow page directories, security services such as alarm monitoring, internet content and software-based applications, and services that CRTC has not forborne for social or economic reasons (for example, payphones, 900/976 premium services, and accessibility services such as teletypewriter).

Examples of matters which we will be unable to assist you with are complaints about telemarketing or unsolicited messages, claims of false or misleading advertising, the pricing of services, privacy and confidentiality violations, contract terms or terms on service agreements and related documents (other than compliance with your provider’s contract or service terms), and complaints that have been, currently are, or should be before another organization or tribunal that has the authority to compensate a customer for losses arising from the occurrence at issue.