Telecom complaints have shot up 17%, with billing issues the main gripe, says watchdog

client complaints most their sound, cyberspace and tv services rose 17 per cent in the 2024-25 reporting year, a report said Wednesday.

An annual study by the watchdog that handles grievances about Canadian telecommunications providers said it accepted a record 23,647 complaints between Aug. 1, 2024, and July 31, 2025.

The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) said it resolved 86 per cent of complaints that made it through its resolution process.

Billing issues remained the most common gripe, accounting for 46 per cent of all issues raised. The bulk of those related to incorrect charges and missing account credits.

"The CCTS often receives complaints from customers whose experiences haven't matched what they expected," said commissioner and CEO Josée Bidal Thibault in a news release.

"Clear communication upfront by service providers builds trust and sets accurate expectations for both parties. This helps customers fully understand the terms of their agreement and helps avoid confusion and complaints."

The report said billing-related complaints were up 16 per cent over the previous year, marking the most in five years.

It noted such complaints come at a time when consumers face an increasing cost of living, which "may help explain why people may be more concerned about any billing discrepancies and may be paying closer attention to their household spending, including their telecom and TV bills."

Contract breach complaints surged 121 per cent year-over-year. Contract disputes represented one-quarter of all issues reported to the commission.

It said most of those grievances arose from promised features missing from the terms of a contract, unexpected fees, or agreed-upon terms appearing to have changed mid-contract.

The report also highlighted service delivery issues as a customer pain point, representing another one-quarter of all grievances — despite a two per cent drop in such gripes from the previous year.

Still, more than 10,000 service delivery issues were raised in complaints, such as customers experiencing intermittent service, complete loss of service, or installation or cancellation delays.

The largest portion of service delivery issues were for wireless and internet service.

The report "should be viewed in the broader context of the scale and reach of Canada's communications networks," said Canadian Telecommunications Association spokesperson Nick Kyonka, noting the number of complaints accepted by the CCTS amounts to less than 0.1 per cent of telecom service subscribers across the country.

The association, which represents many carriers and manufacturers, said providers nonetheless take customer concerns seriously.

"Importantly, an 'accepted complaint' is not a finding that a service provider has done something wrong; it simply reflects that an issue raised by a subscriber falls within the CCTS's mandate," Kyonka said in a statement.

"In fact, the vast majority of complaints — nearly nine in 10 — are resolved without the CCTS having to investigate or determine the merits of the issue. Our members remain focused on resolving issues quickly and effectively, and continuing to invest in improving reliability, service quality and customer care for Canadians."

According to the report, Canada's three largest telecoms again led the way for most complaints from customers, however there have been some shifts in their ranking.

Rogers had the highest proportion of all complaints accepted by the commission in the period covered in its report, at roughly 27 per cent. The company has now been the most complained-about service provider for three straight CCTS full-year reports.

This year's report combined Rogers and Shaw data into a single category, reflecting their integrated branding after the 2023 merger, and compared year-over-year data to combined complaint stats from last year's report.

The 6,485 complaints accepted were up 16.6 per cent from a year ago.

That included a 76 per cent rise in issues around regular price increases of monthly plans, 69 per cent more complaints about changes to contracts, and a 116 per cent jump in breach of contract accusations.

Meanwhile, Telus leapfrogged Bell for the second most complaints at 4,904, up 77.9 per cent from last year and representing nearly 21 per cent of the total accepted by the CCTS.

The commission said Telus saw a 70 per cent increase in complaints related to incorrect charges on bills, a 42 per cent increase in complaints related to disclosure issues, and a 74 per cent increase in grievances about credits or refunds not being received.

There was also a 195 per cent spike in complaints about regular price increases of customers' monthly plans, while complaints about contract breaches skyrocketed 299 per cent.

Bell had 3,966 complaints, or nearly 17 per cent of the total, up 15.6 per cent from the commission's previous annual report. It said the most notable increases in complaints were around breach of contract issues, up 136 per cent, and credits or refunds not received, up 29 per cent.

The three largest providers' spots atop the podium remained the same when combined with complaint data associated with the various subsidiary brands they each own.

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