Der CEO von Rogers steht unter Druck, während Abgeordnete ihn wegen Verträgen befragen, die Kunden als unfair und irreführend bezeichnen | Tony Staffieri sagt, die Verträge seines Unternehmens seien „klar und transparent“

Some article highlights:

>The committee wanted to question Staffieri after revelations in a Go Public investigation — hundreds of Rogers customers say they’re outraged after their bills for internet, TV and home phone jumped, even though they’d signed a contract, believing they had a guaranteed monthly price.
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>Rogers can charge customers more for things such as rented TV boxes, thanks to a clause in the contract.
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>”I’d like to know why you think that’s OK,” Nova Scotia Conservative MP Rick Perkins asked. “And how many other buried costs do you have that you can jack up, and rip Canadians off on?”
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>”Shouldn’t Canadians be able to count on a fixed-rate contract being stable, with no surprises?” asked Liberal MP Ryan Turnbull.
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>Staffieri defended his company’s practices, saying price guarantees only apply to base services and that customers can remove certain add-ons — like TV box rentals — without penalties.
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>Asked whether customers are specifically told that fees could go up mid-contract, Staffieri repeatedly insisted that Rogers customer service agents, and the company’s contracts, are “clear and transparent.”
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>Alberta Conservative MP Michelle Rempel-Garner suggested Staffieri and Rogers were “danc[ing] around the salient details” with both the committee and its customers.
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>…
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>The CRTC’s head of consumer research, Scott Hutton, says it has begun public consultations which will, in part, examine clauses that allow telcos such as Rogers, Bell and Telus to increase prices mid-contract.
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>”We are going out to listen to Canadians,” said Hutton. “To put in place new rules to actually correct the root cause of what’s in the contract.”
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>…
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>Later this week, committee members are expected to pass a motion to report their displeasure with Rogers to the House of Commons, saying they are displeased that the company is not “proactively disclosing” fee increases that can occur while customers are locked in.
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>Mark Graham, a senior vice-president at Bell, also attended the meeting via video, and was similarly asked questions about his company’s practice of increasing fees during a contract.
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>”Our pricing terms are clearly displayed,” said Graham, saying the company gives “explicit notice” to customers about fee increases.
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>The committee has also requested a representative from Telus to appear.

This kind of behaviour by the incumbent telecom companies (along with most other companies in these defacto monopolistic sectors) are repugnant, but also completely expected these days. Without proper regulation and oversight, things are unlikely to get better. Hopefully MPs will hold these companies to account and rein in the worst of their excesses.

How many times will MP’s bring telecommunication ceo’s and simply do nothing about it. Year after year it’s been the same thing. And at the end of the day nothing gets done and the consumer gets screwed.. There’s no point of bringing in ceo’s at this point. If anything this is the norm. And this is all a distraction..

Blah, blah , blah. All the telecom CEOs know the govt will in the end do nothing.