Tag: Bell

Switch carriers? How? Ottawa gives mixed messages over rising mobile prices | CBC News

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Even as the minister responsible admitted there aren’t enough competitive options for mobile service in Canada, another federal official said consumers can and should search for other service providers when faced with price increases. That message — from Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada — came just hours after the Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Canadians “still pay too much and see too little competition” for cellular services. Read full story here: Switch carriers? How? Ottawa gives mixed messages over rising mobile prices | CBC News

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Bell, Rogers, Other Telecoms Remove Internet Data Caps Amid COVID-19 | CTV News

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TORONTO — As Canadians grapple with a growing list of cancellations, closures and travel restrictions, several Canadian telecom companies are temporarily removing overage fees on home internet plans amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. In a statement issued Saturday, Bell Canada, which owns CTV News, announced it will waive any additional usage fees for residential internet customers, including Bell Aliant, Bell MTS and Virgin Home Internet services, until the end of April. “Any overage fees will be waived automatically, so customers don’t need to make any changes to their accounts,” the…

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Liberals Give Big 3 Wireless Providers Two Years To Cut Prices By 25 Percent | CBC News

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The Liberal government is giving Canada’s big three national wireless providers two years to cut their basic prices for cellphone services by 25 per cent — and telling them it will step in to cut prices if they don’t comply. Innovation, Science and Industry Minister Navdeep Bains issued the ultimatum today along with new spectrum auction rules that could open up Canada’s wireless market to new competition. “Yes, affordability is a challenge and we need to see lower prices,” Bains told CBC news. Bains said the government expects Bell, Telus…

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Bell Wants Permission To Gather And Track Customer Data | CBC News

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Canada’s largest telecommunications group is getting mixed reviews for its plan to follow the lead of companies like Google and Facebook in collecting massive amounts of information about the activities and preferences of its customers.Bell Canada began asking its customers in December for permission to track everything they do with their home and mobile phones, internet, television, apps or any other services they get through Bell or its affiliates. Read full story here: Bell Wants Permission To Gather And Track Customer Data | CBC News

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Big Telcos Offer Bonus-Data Deals But 3 Provinces Get The Best Bargains | CBC News

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The holiday season has sparked another round of wireless wars: Rogers, Bell and Telus are all offering double the data (or more) on select mobile plans across the country. But not all customers are thrilled because of glaring regional price differences: the best bonus-data deals by far are in Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan — provinces which typically see better wireless plan prices. Read full story here: Big Telcos Offer Bonus-Data Deals But 3 Provinces Get The Best Bargains | CBC News

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Telecom Mediator Sees 57% Spike In Complaints In 2017-18, Mainly About Wireless | CBC News

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The federal watchdog that handles customer complaints about telecommunications and television services in Canada saw a 57 per cent spike in complaints in 2017-2018, most of them involving wireless providers. The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services said Tuesday that it also expects to see complaints rise this year. For the first time, the federal watchdog is also investigating complaints about television. But most of what it heard in the year to September 2018 were the same issues that the CCTS has been dealing with for the past 10 years —…

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Bell And Rogers Defend Sales Practices At CRTC Hearing | CBC News

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Canada’s two biggest telecommunications companies got their turn to speak on Friday in a five-day probe by Canada’s telecom regulator into sales practices in the industry. Officials from BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. addressed a panel at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission on Friday, their first chance to participate in the five-day public probe by the regulator. The probe was prompted by CBC reporting that uncovered evidence of misleading and aggressive tactics being employed at those companies and others, in an attempt to get customers to sign up for new services, or more services…

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Big Telcos Tell CRTC They Put Customers First And Shun Shady Sales Tactics | CBC News

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Canada’s big telecom companies are fighting back against allegations of shady sales practices, defending themselves as ethical corporations relentlessly focused on customer satisfaction. “Our customers are treated in a fair and respectful manner when purchasing the services we offer,” Rogers wrote in a submission to the CRTC. The broadcast regulator requested information from the telcos after launching an inquiry in July into allegations of  misleading and aggressive sales practices. Over the past two months, the CRTC has received more than 1,000 comments from telecom customers, complaining about everything from misleading promotions to being…

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CRTC’s Unlocked Phone Rule Has Sparked A Crime Spree, Bell And Rogers Say | CBC News

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Bell and Rogers say new rules mandating all Canadian wireless carriers sell unlocked phones have triggered a rise in phone thefts. “There have been multiple instances of armed robberies at our stores targeting unlocked, new devices,” Bell said in a submission to the CRTC. The broadcast regulator had requested information from carriers to assess how its new rules are working out. To help spur competition, on Dec. 1, the CRTC mandated that all carriers unlock phones for free and only sell unlocked phones going forward. Previously, telcos sold customers phones locked to their networks and charged a…

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CRTC Investigating ‘Possible Misleading’ Telco Sales Practices After First Rejecting The Idea | CBC News

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The CRTC has launched a public inquiry into “possible misleading or aggressive” sales practices used by telecom companies, a move the regulator flatly refused to make just six months ago. “It was definitely discouraging when the CRTC rejected it the first time around,” said Laura Tribe, executive director of consumer advocacy group Open Media. “It is also encouraging to see that they’re taking this opportunity to get it right.” Monday’s announcement included an invitation for Canadians to go online to share their personal experiences involving questionable telco sales tactics. The CRTC also plans to conduct…

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