When you have a problem with your telecommunications or television provider and they refuse to cooperate, you can file a complaint with the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS).
You can also file a class action lawsuit, if you believe you’re not alone in the same problem.
What is the CCTS?
The CCTS is an organization that receives complaints about telephone, Internet and television providers about their products or services.
Here are some examples of complaints that can be made to the CCTS:
- Failure to comply with the terms of a contract;
- Billing issues;
- Frequent service interruptions ;
- Etc.
However, there are certain situations that constitute exceptions. For example, you cannot file a complaint with the CCTS for unsolicited messages or “spam” that you receive on your cell phone or for an application problem provided by your television service provider. In addition, problems with equipment and interior wiring cannot be the subject of a complaint to the CCTS.
Prerequisite for filing the complaint
Before filing a complaint with the CCTS, you must first try to resolve the issue directly with your provider; this proof is required by the CCTS. To do this, you can try to reach your provider either by phone, direct chat, email or even mail.
If you opt to do this over the phone, we strongly suggest that you record the conversation in order to keep track. We discuss this further in our legal capsule “Recording a conversation without the knowledge in Quebec: what the law provides”. Alternatively, you can request a copy of the recording of the relevant call from your provider, since they also record phone conversations.
When your attempts to resolve your issue directly with your provider have failed, you can use the CCTS.
Steps to file a complaint with the CCTS
To file a complaint with the CCTS, simply complete the online questionnaire on the CCTS website.
You will have a 20-minute session to complete the interactive questionnaire. Have the following information on hand:
- The subject matter of the complaint, including the disputed amount, in the case of a billing complaint;
- The services concerned;
- The date you became aware of the subject matter of your complaint;
- The service provider complained about;
- The type of account you have with your provider;
- A description of your complaint;
- A description of the proposed regulation;
- Supporting documents, such as copies of emails, copies of the content of the chat session or relevant invoices.
Once completed, you will have a confirmation of the filing of your complaint by email. Afterwards, simply wait for a representative of your service provider to contact you to try to resolve this complaint in accordance with CCTS procedures.
Please note that this procedure does not constitute a legal remedy against your service provider. If you are still dissatisfied after filing a complaint with the CCTS, you can still file a small claims claim against your provider. If you believe you are not alone in having this kind of problem, contact us to file a class action.
Did you like this article? Follow our Facebook page so you don’t miss our weekly vignettes on various legal topics!