Rogers Tops Bell in Annual Telecom Complaints Report as Wireless Problems Rise

Rogers Communications Inc. is now Canada’s most complained about telecommunications provider, accounting for one in five complaints and surpassing Bell Canada in an annual report that measures consumer complaints within the industry.

The independent Telecommunications and Television Services Complaints Commission’s annual study details the numerous issues it was notified about between August 1, 2022 and July 31, 2023.

He said that for the first time in the commission’s 15-year history, Rogers topped the list of its customers’ complaints, as the company accounted for 19.8 percent of the total for 2022-23.

Complaints about Rogers increased 43.6 percent from a year ago, compared to a 14 percent increase in complaints for all service providers.

Bell, with 16.1 percent of all complaints received, and Telus Corp., with 12.3 percent, were next on the list, with the latter seeing a 43.2 percent increase in problems reported to the commission compared to the previous year.

This ranking remained the same when combined with customer complaints from the various subsidiary brands owned by the big three suppliers.

The Rogers group, which includes Shaw since it finalized its purchase of the company last April and other Rogers-owned discount brands such as Fido, accounted for 36 percent of all accepted complaints in 2022-23. The Bell group, which includes Virgin Plus, followed with a quarter.

The Telus group, with Koodo and Public Mobile under its umbrella, had 19 percent.

But Rogers spokesman Cam Gordon said an extremely small percentage of Rogers customer service interactions resulted in CCTS complaints.

“As we continue to grow our customer base and welcome new customers, our commitment to delivering the best customer experience is stronger than ever,” Gordon said in a statement.

“One complaint is one too many and we are working hard to make sure every interaction we have with millions of Canadians each month is perfect.”

For Rogers, wireless problems accounted for 45 percent of all complaints and increased 35 percent year over year, as the company’s customers also complained more about experiencing a complete loss of service, incorrect charges, not receiving a refund or credit, and the quality of service.

Telus saw a 48 percent increase in wireless issues, now accounting for 57 percent of its customer complaints, while Internet issues increased 29 percent, even as service providers as a whole saw a decline. six percent in that category.

Meanwhile, complaints about Bell’s wireless service decreased 19 percent, but still account for 44 percent of the company’s problems. Bell’s Internet problems decreased by 13 percent, while disclosure was the company’s number one problem this year, followed by problems related to incorrect charges.

Bell spokeswoman Jacqueline Michelis said it was the eighth consecutive year that Bell had decreased its share of industry complaints.

“Our overall complaint rate per subscriber count is among the best in our industry,” he said in a statement.

“We will continue our focus on championing the customer experience, including improving our processes to make it easier to interact with Bell, and we will continue to improve our digital tools.”

Telus did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The report highlighted notable themes, including the fact that Canadian telecommunications customers are experiencing significant service performance issues amid growing outage complaints.

Complaints from customers experiencing a complete loss of service increased, with 93 percent more problems reported by wireless customers and 48 percent more by Internet customers.

Consumers also doubled their complaints about roaming rates for the second year in a row, according to the commission.

Both Bell and Telus raised their roaming rates last year, which caught the attention of federal Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, who subsequently asked the CRTC to investigate the matter.

The minister has said companies could be increasing roaming charges as a way of increasing overall costs without consumers realizing it.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 16, 2024.