Canada’s telecommunications regulator is warning telecom companies not to charge extra fees to customers who pay their bills by credit card.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission released a decision Thursday that denied an application from Telus Corp.The application focused narrowly on customers in some small markets in Alberta and B.C. where fees are regulated by the CRTC. Telus already notified customers in all other markets that it would charge a 1.5 per cent fee for customers paying by credit card starting on Oct. 17.
In its decision, the CRTC blocked the fee being charged in those regulated markets on the basis that it was bad for consumer affordability and it warned Telus and its competitors that it was prepared to fight the fees more broadly. “Should this practice continue, or should it become a practice within the telecommunications industry, the Commission is prepared to explore all available regulatory options in the near future,” the decision said.complaints of nearly 4,000 Canadians“We expect the telecommunications industry to treat Canadians with respect and do better,” Mr. Scott said in a statement.
The CRTC dismissed that argument in its decision, saying that customers may have valid reasons for needing to pay by credit card, for example because they do not currently have the funds in their chequing account.of a long-running legal fight between businesses, credit-card companies and financial institutions. The settlement allowed for businesses to pass on the cost of processing credit-card payments to customers.
TELUS TELUSsupport Does this mean you will refund the extra fees you have already charged?
...nice...