CRTC looking into telcos’ paper billing fees

Following complaints from citizens and parliamentarians over the last few months, the CRTC is questioning telecom companies over charges they apply to customers using printed monthly bills. In a letter sent to more than 50 telecom providers last week, the CRTC said it was giving them until July 18 to explain how they charge customers for a paper bill each month instead of electronic-only copies, and what steps their customers can take to avoid the charges. “In the last few months, the Commission has received inquiries, expressions of concern and complaints from individual Canadians, consumer and citizen associations, and members of Parliament concerning this practice,” Barbara Motzney, the commission’s chief consumer officer, said in the letter. “The purpose of this letter is to obtain information that will provide the Commission with a better understanding of the extent of this practice across the Canadian communication sector," she said. John Lawford, executive director with consumer group the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), said many service providers have started charging customers $2 per month to receive paper copies of their monthly invoices. He said the practice unfairly punishes consumers who cannot afford or who do not use computers and discourages all customers from examining their bills carefully. “We don’t know for sure whether people spend more time poring over their electronic bills or paper bills, but the understanding we have of the issue is that people put more time into making sure their bills are correct when they come in paper format,” he said. Lawford said his group is pleased that the commission is gathering information about the practice, a big consumer pet peeve. “I think it’s one of those issues that the carriers have misjudged in terms of consumer anger,” he said. “People are viscerally angry by this.” The CRTC released a new code of conduct for wireless providers last month, which is designed to help regulate the way they deal with customers. That code did not address whether carriers could charge customers who receive paper bills, Lawford said, though it was included on a preliminary list of topics the code could cover. Incumbent wireless providers BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. say on their website that they charge customers $2 per month to receive a paper invoice. Telus says on its website that the fee covers costs associated with printing and mailing paper bills. “These costs continue to rise every year, and the impact on the environment increases as well,” the website says. “At TELUS, we are encouraging more customers to adopt paper-less billing (e.Bill) as their preferred method of billing to avoid the fee and enjoy the many benefits of online billing and self-serve, all while supporting our commitment to reduce our environmental footprint.” Emma Miller, a spokeswoman for Telus, added in an emailed statement: "We charge for paper bills because so many of our customers have transitioned to electronic billing already that it doesn’t make sense for these customers to subsidize those who still receive the more costly paper bills. The $2 charge covers our cost of delivering a monthly paper bill, once you factor in postage, printing, and processing." Motzney, in the letter, asked each provider to confirm whether they charge customers to receive paper bills and, if so, by how much. Among other questions, she asked them to specify which services the charges apply to and whether they offer customers an option to avoid the fee beyond switching to electronic billing. —With reporting by Nicholas Kyonka and nkyonka@thewirereport.ca and editing by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca

CRTC looking into telcos’ paper billing fees

News | 07/08/2013 8:56 pm EDT

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