If there were any lingering doubts about how Canadians feel about their phone, internet, and TV providers, the latest report from the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) should put them to rest. Customer complaints jumped 17 percent in the 2024–25 reporting year, reaching a record 23,647 cases. That’s not just a statistic it’s a signal that frustration with telecom services is growing louder and harder to ignore.
At the heart of most complaints is a familiar sore spot: billing. Nearly half of all grievances were tied to billing issues, from incorrect charges to missing credits. In a time when the cost of living continues to rise, it’s hardly surprising that Canadians are scrutinizing their monthly bills more closely. When numbers don’t add up, trust erodes quickly and once that trust is gone, it’s difficult to rebuild.
What’s more troubling is the dramatic rise in contract-related disputes. Complaints about contract breaches surged by an eye-watering 121 percent year over year. Customers reported promised features that never materialized, surprise fees, or contract terms that appeared to change mid-stream. These are not minor misunderstandings; they go to the core of the relationship between provider and customer. A contract is supposed to offer certainty. When it doesn’t, consumers feel misled and rightly so.
Service delivery problems also continue to plague the sector. Despite a slight drop from last year, more than 10,000 complaints involved intermittent service, outages, or installation and cancellation delays. For services that many Canadians rely on daily for work, education, and connection to the outside world, these disruptions carry real consequences.
Industry representatives are quick to point out that accepted complaints represent less than 0.1 percent of telecom subscribers nationwide. Technically, that may be true. But focusing on percentages risks missing the bigger picture. A record number of complaints suggests systemic issues, not isolated incidents. And while it’s encouraging that nearly nine in ten complaints are resolved without formal investigation, the sheer volume raises a simple question: why are so many problems happening in the first place?
The breakdown by provider adds another layer to the story. Rogers, now combined with Shaw, once again topped the list, accounting for about 27 percent of all accepted complaints. Telus followed closely, overtaking Bell after a sharp spike in issues ranging from incorrect charges to unreceived refunds and sudden price hikes. Bell, while slightly behind, still saw significant increases in contract breach complaints. Together, Canada’s “Big Three” continue to dominate not just the market but the complaints leaderboard as well.
To be fair, an accepted complaint is not a verdict of wrongdoing. But from a consumer’s perspective, that distinction offers little comfort. What matters is the lived experience: unexpected charges, unclear contracts, and services that don’t always deliver as promised.
The CCTS commissioner put it plainly: clear communication upfront builds trust and sets accurate expectations. That may sound like a modest goal, but in today’s telecom landscape, it feels almost radical. Until providers take that message seriously not just in press releases, but in practice Canadians will keep picking up the phone, not to make calls, but to file complaints.
And judging by this year’s numbers, they’re doing it more than ever.
