Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services

The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services is Canada's independent dispute-resolution body for phone, internet and television complaints. It is free for consumers and small businesses, and its decisions are binding on participating providers. If your provider has not fixed a problem after its own complaint process, the CCTS is the usual next step.

What the CCTS handles

• Billing errors and unauthorized charges.
• Contract terms, cancellation fees and misleading sales claims.
• Service quality, outages and missed appointments.
• Internet speed and reliability complaints where the provider's advertised service is not delivered.
• Television service and equipment disputes.
• Disconnection, credit and deposit issues.

What it cannot do

The CCTS cannot hear a case before the provider has had a proper chance to resolve it. It cannot deal with privacy complaints, emergency services failures or matters that are already in court. It also cannot change the law or force a provider to offer a service it does not sell. Its remedies operate within the limits set by its own rules.

The provider-first rule

Complain to your provider and ask for a complaint reference. The CCTS does not impose a fixed waiting period, but it expects you to give the provider a reasonable opportunity to understand the problem and explore a solution. If the provider refuses, closes the complaint without resolving it or stops responding, the CCTS can take the case. Keep the dates of each contact and the provider's final position in writing. If the provider has gone silent, the CCTS can still review the timeline, but it needs evidence that you tried.

Prepare a short chronology, the account details, the remedy you want and copies of bills, screenshots and letters. If you are claiming a specific amount, show how you calculated it. If you want a repair, a credit or a contract cancellation, say so plainly. The CCTS decides on documents, not on how frustrating the calls felt.

Common outcomes

The CCTS can order a correction, a credit, a refund, an apology or another practical remedy. It can also require the provider to explain its position. Many cases settle once the provider sees that a regulator-approved process is involved, because the file has moved beyond the call centre.

Read how to complain to the CCTS in Canada for a step-by-step walkthrough. If your provider is Bell, Rogers or Telus, start with the provider-specific escalation steps before filing.

After the decision

If you accept the decision, the provider must comply. Check your next bill and keep the decision document. If the provider does not implement it, contact the CCTS with the reference. If you reject the decision, you keep the option of court, but the CCTS findings may still help.