C. Other Requests

III. Unable to Contact/Cooperation

A PSP may conclude that it is unable to respond to the complaint further to section 6.6 because the PSP has not had a reasonable opportunity to communicate with the customer at the Handling stage (level 1). In most of these cases, the PSP is simply unable to reach the customer. However, in some cases, the customer may refuse to discuss the compliant or, in the PSP’s view, is purposefully impeding their efforts to resolve it.

In these circumstances we will temporarily place the complaint on hold and reach out to the customer in an effort to facilitate their cooperation/contact with the PSP. If we receive a cooperative response from the customer, we will notify the PSP and the complaint handling process will resume, with a revised due date (to account for the amount of time it took us to obtain the customer’s cooperation/contact information).

If the customer remains uncooperative or does not respond, we will close the complaint further to section 9.1(e) of the CCTS Procedural Code.

When to request assistance

A PSP should ask the CCTS for assistance in the following circumstances, and no later than 6 business days before the PSP response due date:

  • The customer’s contact information is no longer valid; e.g. the telephone number is out of service or written correspondence was returned to sender (including failed email delivery notifications);
  • The customer has not responded to the PSP’s attempts to reach them by all available methods of contact; or
  • The customer informed the PSP that they refuse to communicate with the PSP about their complaint.

Ineligible Requests

Requests will be denied in the following circumstances:

  1. Requests received within 5 business days of the PSP’s response due date;
  2. Failing to provide the customer with a reasonable timeframe to respond before asking the CCTS for assistance; and
  3. Requests made on the basis that the customer is not satisfied with the PSP’s response or the proposed remedy. If the customer does not consider the complaint to be resolved, the PSP must submit an unresolved response.

What must be included in the response

The request for assistance must include the following information:

  • The details of the PSP’s attempts to contact the customer, including dates, methods of contact, and the outcome of each attempt;
  • If applicable, the details of the interaction in which the customer informed the PSP of their refusal to cooperate, or the reasons why the PSP believes that the customer is purposefully impeding on their ability to resolve the complaint.

How to submit a request for assistance (Unable to Contact/Cooperation)

  1. Before submitting a request for assistance, verify that the response is complete.
  2. Locate the complaint in the PSP Portal and select “Unable to contact/uncooperative customer” from the “Respond to Complaint” tab:
    The Unable to contact/uncooperative customer response is only available once. Additional requests must be submitted by email to response@ccts-cprst.ca.
  3. Attach a copy of the response; You will not be able to proceed with the update until you upload a copy of your response. Label the attachment in the “File Description” field that auto-populates below:
  4. Click on the “Submit” button. An automated message will appear asking you to confirm that you are updating the correct complaint. Verify the complaint number, customer name and customer email listed. Select “Ok” to complete your submission or select “Cancel” if you determine that you are trying to update the wrong complaint.No email address listed? You must send the customer a copy of the response and supporting documents by regular mail.
  5. You will be redirected to the Dashboard and the complaint status will change to “Awaiting Contact Information”:
    You can now review your response under the “View PSP Portal Updates” tab:

What’s Next?

Your response will be uploaded to our complaints system and assessed by our Customer Relations Team. If warranted, one of our Customer Service Representatives will reach out to the customer to update their contact information or to solicit their cooperation.

We will resume complaint handling once the required contact information is obtained and/or the customer confirms their willingness to cooperate. We will notify the customer and the PSP by email, and the complaint status will revert back to “Pending PSP Resolution”. If applicable, the “PSP report due date” will be updated to account for the time it took us to process the request.

If the customer fails to respond, or is otherwise uncooperative, we will close the complaint further to 9.1 (e) of the CCTS Procedural Code and the complaint will be moved to the “Concluded” tab on the PSP Dashboard.

IV. Authorization requests

Further to section 6.2 (b) of the CCTS’ Procedural Code, we may accept complaints made by a properly authorized representative of the Account Holder. When a customer submits a complaint, was ask them to identify whether or not they are the Account Holder. If they indicate that they are not the Account Holder, we ask them to confirm that they have the authority to represent the Account Holder. We only accept complaints when the Complainant indicates that they are authorized to represent the Account Holder.

When to report the Complainant as an unauthorized user

PSPs should notify the CCTS, no later than 5 business days before the PSP response due date, if it does not consider the Complainant to be a properly authorized representative of the Account Holder. For example, if the Complainant is not listed as an account user, or, is not otherwise authorized in the PSP’s records, thus raising privacy concerns.

In these circumstances, we will place the complaint on hold and reach out to the Complainant to obtain the appropriate authorization. We will ask the Complainant to either have the Account Holder contact us directly by telephone or signed letter to authorize the Complainant to act on their behalf for the purpose of resolving the complaint, or we will accept a photocopy of official documentation which demonstrates that the Complainant has the legal authority to represent or act on behalf of the Account Holder (e.g. Power of Attorney, Office of the Public Guardian, etc.).

What must be included in the response

The request for assistance must explain the reason(s) why the PSP believes that the Complainant is not authorized; e.g. the Complaint is not the Account Holder and is not listed as an authorized user in the PSP’s records, the PSP’s internal policies and practices require the Complainant to verify their identity before the PSP can proceed with the complaint, a security password is in place, the Account Holder has specifically banned the Complainant from accessing their account, etc.

PSPs may also include specific steps required to obtain the appropriate authorization. For example (non-exhaustive), a PSP may require that:

  • The Account Holder contact the PSP directly and add the name of their representative to their account as an authorized user;
  • The Complainant provide a letter which indicates that they have the legal authority to act on behalf of the Account Holder (e.g. Power of Attorney, Office of the Public Guardian, etc.);
  • The Complainant provide a copy of the Account Holder’s death certificate; or
  • The Complainant provide the account password/PIN or pass the PSP’s security verification steps.

How to submit a request for authorization

  1. Before submitting a request for authorization, verify that the response is complete.
  2. Locate the complaint in the PSP Portal and select “Complainant Not Authorized on Account” from the “Respond to Complaint” tab:
  3. Attach a copy of the response; You will not be able to proceed with the update until you upload a copy of your response. Label the attachment in the “File Description” field that auto-populates below:
  4. Click on the “Submit” button. An automated message will appear asking you to confirm that you are updating the correct complaint. Verify the complaint number, customer name and customer email listed. Select “Ok” to complete your submission or select “Cancel” if you determine that you are trying to update the wrong complaint.
    No email address listed?     You must send the customer a copy of the response and supporting documents by regular mail.
  1. You will be redirected to the Dashboard and the complaint status will change to “Awaiting Contact Information”:You can now review your response under the “View PSP Portal Updates” tab.

What’s Next?

Your response will be uploaded to our complaints system and assessed by our Customer Relations Team. One of our Customer Service Representatives will contact the customer to obtained the required authorization. The status on the dashboard will change to “Pending CCTS response to complainant not authorized”.

We will resume complaint handling once the required authorization is obtained. We will notify the customer and the PSP by email, and the complaint status will revert back to “Pending PSP Resolution”. If applicable, the “PSP report due date” will be updated to account for the time it took us to process the request.

If we do not receive the required authorization, we will close the complaint further to section 9.1 (b) of the CCTS Procedural Code (the Customer does not have sufficient legal interest in the subject matter of the complaint). If the customer fails to respond, we will close the complaint further to 9.1 (e) of the CCTS Procedural Code.

V. Extension requests

In exceptional circumstances PSPs may request that the CCTS extend the original response due date in an effort to resolve the complaint.

Eligibility Criteria

Extension requests should be submitted as soon as possible, and no later than 6 business days before the PSP response due date. PSPs must clearly explain the reason why they believe an extension is warranted. For example, the service provider may explain that:

  • The customer is “away”, or has informed the service provider that they need additional time to consider the service provider’s offer;
  • The service provider is awaiting a key piece of information from the customer that is necessary in order for the PSP to address the customer’s complaint; or
  • The service provider cannot implement the resolution within the allotted timeframe (e.g. A technician visit is required but is scheduled to visit the customer after the response due date.)

Further to section 19.1 of the CCTS Procedural Code, we may accept or decline an extension request at our discretion. As a general guideline, the maximum extension we will provide is a range from 5-10 business days, depending on the specific details of the request.

Ineligible requests

Extensions will be denied in the following circumstances:

  • Requests received within 5 business days of the PSP’s original due date.
  • Extension requests made on the basis that the PSP is “short staffed” due to vacation or other.
  • Requests received after the complaint was escalated to Investigations (level 2).
  • When the PSP wants more time to consider additional information submitted by the customer.
  • When the PSP claims that it did not receive the notice of acceptance via email.
  • Requests made on the basis that the customer is not satisfied with the PSP’s response or the proposed remedy. If the customer does not consider the complaint to be resolved, the PSP must submit an unresolved response.
  • Requests made on the basis that the PSP has not been able to contact the customer, or when the PSP believes that the customer is not being cooperative. In these circumstances the PSP must submit an unable to contact/cooperation response.

What must be included in the response

The request for assistance must explain the reason(s) why the PSP believes that an extension is warranted and must indicate the number of calendar days, of the date, of the extension being requested.

How to submit an extension request

  1. Before submitting a request for authorization, verify that the response is complete.
  2. Locate the complaint in the PSP Portal and select “Extension Request” from the “Respond to Complaint” tab:
  3. Attach a copy of the response; You will not be able to proceed with the update until you upload a copy of your response. Label the attachment in the “File Description” field that auto-populates below:
  4. Click on the “Submit” button. An automated message will appear asking you to confirm that you are updating the correct complaint. Verify the complaint number, customer name and customer email listed. Select “Ok” to complete your submission or select “Cancel” if you determine that you are trying to update the wrong complaint.No email address listed? You must send the customer a copy of the response and supporting documents by regular mail.
  1. You will be redirected to the Dashboard and the complaint status will change to “Awaiting Contact Information”:You can now review your response under the “View PSP Portal Updates” tab.

What’s Next?

Your response will be uploaded to our complaints system and assessed by our Customer Relations Team to determine whether your request meets the eligibility criteria. The status on the dashboard will change to “Pending CCTS response to extension”. We will inform both the PSP and the customer of our decision, including the new PSP response due date if applicable.

VI. Amalgamation requests

Further to section 6.14 of the CCTS Procedural Code, we may consolidate, and treat as a single complaint, two or more complaints filed by or on behalf of the same Customer relating to the same Participating Service Provider and arising from the same transaction or occurrence or series of transactions or occurrences.

When we conduct a Procedural Assessment on a new complaint, we search our complaint management system using the customer’s contact information to rule out duplicate complaints. If we locate a duplicate complaint that was accepted, we will consolidate the new complaint with the original complaint.

What is a duplicate complaint?

A duplicate complaint is a 2nd (or 3rd, 4th, etc.) complaint filed by or on behalf of the customer (including complaints filed by a co-user), filed against the same PSP, arising from the same incident or series of incidents.

Common examples of duplicate complaints we receive include:

  • A customer has a complaint arising from the same transaction or occurrence or series of transactions or occurrences that affected multiple services. Instead of filing one complaint, the customer files a separate complaint for each service.
  • A customer submits a complaint via CCTS’ website and does not receive a confirmation email so they follow-up by submitting another complaint about the same issue(s).
  • A customer is unhappy with the outcome of a complaint previously addressed by the CCTS and so they file a new complaint about the same issue(s) in the hopes of obtaining a more satisfactory outcome.

When to report a duplicate complaint

If a PSP believes that the complaint is a duplicate or extension of another active complaint, the PSP should inform us as soon as possible and request that we consolidate the new complaint with the original-active complaint by sending an email to response@ccts-cprst.ca.

However, if the original complaint was already closed, the PSP should object to the complaint further to section 10.2 (a) of the CCTS Procedural Code.

What must be included in the request

The request for assistance must include the original complaint number, explain the reasons why you believe that the new complaint is a duplicate complaint, and the request must include any relevant supporting documentation.

How to submit the request

Send an email to response@ccts-cprst.ca.

What’s Next?

Your response will be uploaded to our complaints system and assessed by our Customer Relations Team. We will assess the new complaint and the active complaint. If warranted, a Customer Service Representative will reach out to the customer for more information. The status on the dashboard will not change during our assessment.

If we confirm that the new complaint is a duplicate of an active complaint, we will close the new complaint at triage (level 0) and consolidate it with the active complaint. If we do not believe that the new complaint is a duplicate, we will resume complaint handling. We will inform both the PSP and the customer of our decision, including the new PSP response due date if applicable.