Tell the CRTC: DON’T let Big Telecom tack on shady new fees!

UPDATE September 8, 2022: This campaign is now closed! Still want to take action to end Big Telecom's monopoly powers? Click here!

On August 8, telecom giant Telus asked the CRTC to allow them to add an extra credit card processing fee to customers’ monthly bills.1,2

It’s a sneaky and unfair way to charge us even more for connectivity — even though we already pay some of the highest cell phone and Internet rates in the world.3,4😡

But this is bigger than just Telus; if we don’t speak out LOUD against this request, the CRTC could open the floodgates for every telecom giant to ding us with similar shady surcharges in the future. Will you add your voice to the public record urging the CRTC to say NO to tacking on this new fee?

Mastercard and Visa recently changed their rules to let merchants pass on processing surcharges to the customer5 — and of course, Big Telecom never misses an opportunity to squeeze more money out of everyday people. 

If Telus gets its way, both new and existing users who pay their bills by credit card will be subject to a 1.5% processing fee each month. Customers would either need to go through the hassle of switching to an alternate payment method, or put up with this sneaky money grab.6

Why should I care?

  • It’s about affordability. Letting Telus tack on these fees will directly hurt everyday people by making our telecom bills more expensive at a time of painfully high inflation, when so many of us are struggling to make ends meet.7
  • It’s about truth and transparency. Hiding more fees in the fine print makes it harder for customers to make informed decisions about the costs of the services they’re buying. Furthermore, it’ll let Big Telecom get away with a price hike that flies under the radar of cell phone and Internet affordability tracking in Canada. Because the fee would be added to monthly bills after GST, the increase likely won’t be reflected in pricing data because it didn’t impact your plan’s advertised price.
  • It’s about protecting people from further Big Telecom abuses. This won’t stop with Telus. If their request is approved, the door is wide open for the other telecom monopoly powers — like Bell and Rogers — to follow suit. We CANNOT let that happen.

It’s now up to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) — Canada’s national telecom regulator — to decide if they’ll approve Telus’s request.

But before they make their decision, they have to weigh the objections of those who speak out on the official record. That means we have a special opportunity to have our voices heard on this matter. By adding your comment right NOW to the public record, you’re forcing the CRTC to consider your point of view in their decision-making process! That’s the power of YOU, our community — and it makes Big Telecom sweat. Will you add your voice to the public record urging the CRTC to say NO to tacking on this new fee?

Sources

  1. Telus asks CRTC permission to add 1.5% credit card surcharge to customer bills - CBC
  2. CRTC to issue Telus credit card fee decision in 45 business days - MobileSyrup
  3. The state of 4G and 5G pricing, 2H2021 – country rankings - Rewheel
  4. Canada’s internet prices are rising again — and critics say the CRTC’s broadband reversal is to blame - Toronto Star
  5. Telus to add a credit card processing fee starting in October, pending CRTC approval - MobileSyrup
  6. See 5
  7. Canadians are resorting to debt to pay bills amid high inflation - CTV

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Press: Rosa Addario | Phone: +1 (888) 441-2640 ext. 0  | [email protected]