A new report says Telus Corp. is the most complained-about telecommunications service provider in Canada so far this year, as overall grievances by customers continue to rise in the sector.
The mid-year report by the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services (CCTS) says it handled 11,909 total complaints from customers between Aug. 1, 2024 and Jan. 31, 2025.
That's up almost 12 per cent from the same reporting period a year earlier. The increase was driven by customers' issues with their wireless service, which represented around half of all complaints submitted, followed by internet issues, which accounted for just over one-quarter of total grievances.
The watchdog said it's the first time since it was established in 2007 that Telus topped its complaints list. Rogers Communications Inc. has held that undesirable title for two straight full-year reports after overtaking Bell Canada.
Telus accounted for 19.7 per cent of all complaints accepted by the CCTS, followed by Rogers at 18.7 per cent and BCE Inc.'s Bell Canada at 16.7 per cent.
Complaints about Telus were up almost 63 per cent year-over-year, which the commission said was driven by issues around incorrect charges, breach of contract, and regular price increases on monthly plans.
In a statement, Telus senior vice-president of customer service excellence Terry Wells said the CCTS report "represents a snapshot in time" and that the company is focused on continuous improvement.
"For 13 years, Telus maintained the lowest CCTS complaint rate in the national industry. Last year alone, we reported a 90 per cent resolution rate for all customer concerns, CCTS-related or otherwise," Wells said.
"We acknowledge our complaint volumes increased during this most recent period, and take full responsibility for these results, viewing every interaction as an opportunity to learn and grow."
Wells added that Telus has listened to customers’ feedback and achieved a 20 per cent reduction in complaints since January.
The report said Rogers customers complained 21.1 per cent less than a year ago, while gripes about Bell were up 13.7 per cent.
Shaw Communications, which was acquired by Rogers in April 2023, had 9.6 per cent of all complaints received. Rogers' Fido subsidiary rounded out the top five at 6.8 per cent of complaints.
The commission said a large proportion of complaints about Shaw were related to increased TV set-top-box rental fees.
"Customers raised concerns that their contractual arrangement provided price certainty and that the price increases to set-top-box equipment fees were not permitted," the report said, adding that nearly all of those complaints were resolved to the satisfaction of both the provider and customer.
TV services represented 16 per cent of issues raised by all customers during the reporting period, increasing by nearly half from a year ago.
Billing issues also remained a top concern for customers, as incorrect charges for monthly price plans accounted for 12.8 per cent of all issues raised in complaints.
CCTS commissioner and CEO Howard Maker said customers should always closely monitor their contracts and bills to make sure potential errors are caught.
“Canadians should check their contracts when signing up for services to clearly understand which parts of the price are guaranteed for a set period and which may change without notice," he said in a press release.
"Checking billing statements regularly to know what you’re paying is also very important. We see many cases where what a consumer expects to receive doesn’t align with the agreement."
He added that telecom and TV service providers should "clearly explain" promotions to avoid confusion later on.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 30, 2025.
Companies in this story: (TSX:T, TSX:RCI.B, TSX:BCE)
Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press
