In addition, the commission said it encourages Koodo to consider offering bills in alternative formats for people with other identified needs, such as cognitive disabilities. ![]() “I am in full support of environmental efforts, but it’s ridiculous to expect our seniors and aging population to be able to make the switch to paperless billing,” reads one such complaint.Īs part of its March decision, the CRTC said it would launch a consultation into telecom and broadcasting services providers’ billing practices, and whether there’s a need to protect vulnerable consumers, with the deadline for public interventions extended to July due to the pandemic. It did note, however, that it has received complaints from customers of Koodo and other carriers who say they need to have access to paper bills, including from senior citizens who may have difficulties paying bills online. The federal telecom regulator denied the request, saying existing legislation and regulation cannot be interpreted to oblige carriers to provide paper bills. ![]() Lawford said the hope is that the federal government will intervene to compel the CRTC to require paper bill options from all telecom service providers, suggesting that the move to paperless alone began with flanking brand wireless carriers such as Koodo and is now planned or implemented by the flagship brands including Bell, Rogers and Telus.įearing that all wireless providers would go paperless, PIAC and NPF filed a formal complaint in June 2018 asking the CRTC to force Koodo Mobile to reverse its move to paperless electronic billing - and require all wireless service providers to offer paper bills to anyone who asks for them. “The CRTC and wireless companies pretend that seniors and others will not be hurt but that’s not what we heard.” “Canadian consumers deserve a paper bill if they want or need one,” said John Lawford, executive director and general counsel of PIAC, an Ottawa - based non-profit consumer advocacy group. ![]() ![]() The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in a March decision said Koodo can use online billing for almost all customers and is not required to offer paper bills. They worry that if the bill is only in digital form some customers won’t review it and notice errors, which could be costly if organizations mistakenly overcharge for services that the consumers did not understand or authorize or apply high interest charges for late payment.Īgainst this backdrop the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and the National Pensioners Federation (NPF) on Monday filed a petition to cabinet urging reversal of a regulator’s decision allowing Koodo, Telus’s discount wireless brand, to provide customers’ monthly bills exclusively in electronic format, save for requiring bills in alternative formats for customers with disabilities. For many, the migration to paperless billing is an environmentally friendly sign of the times, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic that has spurred a huge shift to digital only commerce.īut advocates for groups including fixed-income seniors, rural households that lack affordable high speed internet access - and those who simply feel insecure with online invoicing - say moves by the major telecoms to offer e-bills only with limited exceptions are leaving vulnerable consumers behind.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |