Ottawa, December 2, 2015 – The Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) wrapped up its 2014-15 reporting year with a 12 per cent decline in complaints – including a first-ever drop in the proportion of wireless issues – all the while maintaining both an 87 per cent resolution rate and across-the-board satisfaction with its services, according to the Annual Report released today.

“The title of this year’s report is Making the Tough Calls,” said CCTS Commissioner and CEO Howard Maker, “and indeed, we dealt with a number of challenging situations throughout the year. Some concerned industry codes of conduct, and others the resolution of disputes about bills, contracts and service quality between service providers and their customers. We’re pleased that we were again able to work with all stakeholders to achieve positive results.”

This year’s decline in complaints follows the 17 per cent drop recorded last year. New this year is a reduction in complaints about wireless services. These represent 52 per cent of all issues, down eight per cent from last year. This marks the first time CCTS has ever recorded such a decline. At the same time, the number of Wireless Code breaches has gone up – from 30 last year to over 500 this year. However, it’s important to note that two-thirds of those breaches are related to a single plan offered by one provider, which generated many complaints.

These breaches also contributed to a corresponding rise in Recommendations, but CCTS ultimately engaged the company in a dialogue that achieved positive adjustments to the offering. “We’re also concerned about the rise in internet complaints and issues of non-disclosure across all lines of business,” said Mr. Maker. “We’ll continue to monitor these and other areas, and continue to work with stakeholders to ensure clarity and fairness for telecom consumers.”

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About the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) Since July 2007, CCTS has provided consumers with an independent and impartial mechanism for the resolution of complaints about deregulated local and long distance telephone services, as well as wireless service and internet access. This includes billing errors, compliance with contract terms and commitments, service delivery, credit management and collections issues. Visit our website at www.ccts-cprst.ca. To schedule an interview with the Commissioner, or for more information, please contact: Paul Carlucci Communications Officer Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) Email: Paul.Carlucci@ccts-cprst.ca Toll free: 1-855-512-9783 Twitter: @ccts_cprst www.ccts-cprst.ca