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Fact sheet
How to File a Complaint about Your Telephone Service
Your Contract with the Telephone Company
Terms of Service for major telephone companies set out the basic rights
and obligations of telephone companies and their customers. They are approved
by the CRTC.
Terms of Service can be found in the front pages of your telephone book
and include the following:
- Obligation to provide service
- Deposits and Alternatives
- Customer liability for calls
- Confidentiality of Customer Records
- Refunds in Cases of Service Problems
- Limitation of Liability
- Payment Time Limit
- Termination of Service
Read Your Contract with the Telephone Company
for more information.
What is the first step?
- Most complaints can be resolved by dealing with your telephone company
directly.
- Call the telephone company's business office and speak to a service
representative or the manager responsible for your service.
- If the problem is not resolved to your satisfaction, write to the
telephone company's business office.
How can I file a complaint with the CRTC?
If you have contacted your telephone company and the problem has not
been resolved:
- Send a letter to the Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2
or to the nearest CRTC office; or
- Fax a letter to (819) 994-0218; or
- Use the CRTC's complaints
and inquiries on-line form; or
- Call the CRTC's toll free telephone number at 1-877-249-2782*.
- *You may be asked to put your complaint in writing to ensure that
the CRTC has all the information it needs to pursue your complaint.
Disconnection of Service
If your telephone company has given you notice that your service will
be disconnected:
- First, contact your telephone company to make reasonable arrangements
that both you and the telephone company can agree on.
- If you can't come up with suitable arrangements and you're still under
threat of disconnection – call the CRTC at 1-877-249-2782.
- In any emergency situation, the CRTC may resolve the matter immediately,
on an interim basis.
What kind of information does the CRTC need to pursue my complaint?
- Your full name and any telephone number(s) related to your complaint.
- Brief description of the problem and/or your concerns.
- In some complex cases, it may require copies of relevant billing information.
Anonymous Complaints
- The CRTC does not pursue anonymous complaints. You must provide your
full name and a telephone number, email or postal address where you
can be contacted.
- Telephone companies have the right to know the allegations against
them, as well as the identity of the complainant and the right of reply.
- Complainants should feel free to contact the CRTC without fear of
reprisal from the telephone company.
Complaints and Protection of Personal Information
- The CRTC requires your full name, all relevant telephone numbers and
a telephone number, email or postal address where you can be contacted
in order to pursue your complaint.
- The CRTC will send this information to the telephone company involved
for the purposes of investigation and resolution of your complaint.
- Canada's Telecommunications Act obliges all Canadian telecommunications
service providers to protect the privacy of personal information.
What happens to a complaint?
Except in cases where emergency relief is required:
- The CRTC will ask the telephone company involved to address your concerns
before it reaches any conclusions. Companies are generally given 20
days to respond and must reply directly to you, with a copy to the CRTC.
- The CRTC's Client Services will review your concerns and the company's
response in light of approved tariffs and applicable legislation to
determine if follow-up action is necessary. Client Services may:
- determine that the telephone company's response is satisfactory
and that further regulatory action is not required;
- require further information from you or the telephone company
to determine what, if any, further regulatory action is required;
- refer your complaint to the CRTC's Telecommunications or Legal
Directorates for further investigation.
- The CRTC may decide that a more formal proceeding is required to resolve
issues raised by your complaint.
- If further regulatory action is not required, the CRTC may not contact
you again.
How long will it take to process my complaint?
- You should receive an acknowledgement within 10 working days that
will be copied to the telephone company along with a request that it
respond to your concerns within the next 20 days.
- The time required to finally resolve a complaint will vary, depending
on its complexity.
Do I have any other recourse?
- Complainants not satisfied with the response to a complaint handled
by CRTC staff may formally request that the CRTC review the complete
file and issue a CRTC decision.
- The CRTC may review and rescind or vary any decision it has made.
Date Modified: 2002-04-23
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