Overview
When a wireless carrier, internet provider, or TV company refuses to fix a billing error, honour a promotion, or resolve a service dispute — and you’ve already complained to the company directly — you have a free escalation path that most Canadians don’t know about.
The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) is an independent, non-governmental organization mandated by the CRTC. All major Canadian telecom providers are required to be members. The CCTS investigates consumer complaints and can issue binding decisions ordering refunds, billing corrections, and other remedies up to $20,000.
The service is completely free for consumers — providers fund CCTS operations.
What CCTS Can Help With
CCTS handles complaints about:
- Wireless services: billing errors, unauthorized charges, contract terms, broken promotions, early cancellation fees, porting delays
- Internet services: billing discrepancies, speed or service quality issues, contract terms
- Home phone (landline): billing errors, service interruptions, contract disputes
- TV services (cable/satellite/IPTV): billing errors, channel package disputes, contract issues
CCTS cannot help with:
- Disputes about pricing in general (e.g., “my plan is too expensive”)
- Complaints about service quality unless it’s a verifiable, documented outage
- Disputes with providers that are not CCTS members (rare — most major carriers are members)
- Matters already decided by a court or another regulator
How to File a Complaint
Step 1: Complain to the provider first. CCTS requires you to contact your provider directly before escalating. Keep a record of the date, method (phone/chat/email), reference number, and the company’s response.
Step 2: Trigger point — one of two conditions must be met:
- The company issued a final response you disagree with, or
- It has been 30 or more days since you complained to the company and the issue is unresolved
Step 3: File with CCTS. You have up to 12 months from the company’s final response (or 12 months from the event) to file.
File online at ccts-cprst.ca or by phone at 1-888-221-1687.
What to include in your complaint:
- Your account number and contact details
- The provider’s name
- A clear description of what happened and when
- What you asked the company to do and what they said
- What remedy you’re seeking (refund amount, billing correction, contract revision)
- Any supporting documents (bills, screenshots, chat logs, emails)
The CCTS Process
- Intake review — CCTS confirms your complaint is in scope
- Facilitated resolution — CCTS contacts the provider and facilitates a negotiated solution (most complaints are resolved here)
- Investigation — if facilitation fails, CCTS investigates and issues a formal recommendation
- Binding decision — if the provider doesn’t accept the recommendation, CCTS can issue a binding decision
Over 90% of complaints are resolved before a binding decision is needed. Average resolution time is 60–90 days.
Remedies CCTS Can Order
- Full or partial refunds for overcharges, unauthorized charges, or broken promotional offers
- Billing corrections for ongoing disputes
- Contract modifications — e.g., removing early cancellation fees or correcting contract terms
- Service credits for documented outages or service failures
- Financial compensation up to $20,000 for financial losses caused by the provider
What Most People Don’t Know
- The provider must accept a binding CCTS decision. If CCTS issues a binding decision after a full investigation, the provider is contractually required to comply as a condition of CCTS membership.
- Providers take CCTS complaints seriously. A CCTS complaint generates formal paperwork and requires a dedicated response from the provider’s regulatory or executive team — often triggering resolution offers that frontline customer service refused.
- You can re-submit if new issues arise. If your provider fails to follow through on a CCTS-brokered resolution, you can file a new complaint about the non-compliance.
- CCTS publishes provider complaint statistics. Annual reports rank providers by complaint volume and type. Filing a complaint contributes to public accountability data that influences CRTC oversight.
- This works for small amounts too. Even a $30 disputed charge is worth submitting. The process is free and takes about 15 minutes to file.
Frequently Asked Questions
My provider offered me a settlement before I filed with CCTS — should I take it?
You can accept it and close the matter. If you’re not satisfied with the offer, you can still file with CCTS. However, once you accept a settlement offer from the provider, CCTS may consider the matter resolved. Don’t accept a settlement you’re unhappy with just to end the dispute — filing with CCTS is free and typically results in better outcomes than the initial offer.
Does filing with CCTS affect my credit or my relationship with my provider?
No. Providers are prohibited from retaliating against customers for filing CCTS complaints. Filing does not affect your credit score, and the provider cannot cancel your service or change your terms as a result of your complaint.
My dispute is over $20,000. Can CCTS still help?
CCTS can only award up to $20,000 in financial remedies. For disputes exceeding this amount, you may need to pursue the matter through small claims court (each province has its own limit, typically $25,000–$35,000) or civil litigation. However, CCTS can still facilitate a negotiated resolution for any amount — the $20,000 cap applies only to binding ordered remedies.
I’m still under contract and want to cancel because the provider isn’t delivering the promised service. Can CCTS help me exit without penalty?
Yes, this is one of the most common complaint types. If you can document that the provider materially changed your service terms or failed to deliver promised service quality, CCTS can recommend or order waiver of early cancellation fees as part of the resolution.
My complaint involves a small provider I’ve never heard of — are they a CCTS member?
CRTC mandates that all “Canadian carriers” and broadcasting distribution undertakings with more than $10 million in revenue must be CCTS members. If you’re unsure, you can check the CCTS member list at ccts-cprst.ca before filing. If the provider is not a member, CCTS cannot help, but you can file directly with the CRTC.