Bell, Telus, Rogers draw ire of complainants

Canada's big three wireless carriers Bell, Telus and Rogers had the most complaints lodged with Canada's Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services. For the first time, more than half the complaints were about wireless services.

The independent agency has representatives of major telecom companies on its board and helps mediate customer complaints within the industry. The agency said 51.7 per cent of the 3,747 complaints it has handled last year were for wireless service. Home phone and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) were next, comprising 23.7 per cent of the total.

The complaints about wireless services

The complaints about wireless services, such as cellphones, come as more and more consumers switch to mobile. Canadian companies are investing billions of dollars to build advanced networks. The complicated nature of the technology, along with its growing use and the tendency of consumers to sign long-term contracts without reading fine print, mean telecom is one of the most complained about industries.