Hundreds of Rogers, Bell, and Telus customers are complaining to CBC News about surprise price hikes on their internet, TV, and home phone bills.

The complaints come after the CBC covered Rogers’ increasing rental prices for its TV boxes, a move that surprised many customers who believed their pricing was protected by contracts they signed with the company. Now, the CBC says it received hundreds of emails to its ‘Go Public’ segment from Canadian telecom customers sharing similar stories.

Across several of the emails, the publication saw trends of customers saying they were told by customer service agents that prices were “guaranteed” but that no matter what assurances they received, prices would always creep up. When prices did go up, customers would call and complain — some would get credits or discounts to bring the price back down, and others wouldn’t.

Telecom contracts have been a problem for some time, as they’re often structured to offer the illusion of cost stability while leaving loopholes for providers to increase prices. Marina Pavlović, an associate professor specializing in consumer prodtection and digital society at the University of Ottawa’s faculty of law, called telecom contracts a “trap by design” when speaking to the CBC.

Pavlović called on the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to investigate the matter, and a CRTC spokesperson told the CBC it found reports about price increases in contracts “concerning.”

The CRTC also sent a letter to telcos that said “service providers should not be surprising their customers with price increases beyond the price they had originally agreed to” and that “prices set out in a contract, including any additional charges, such as those related to equipment, must be clear.” The letter warned that if telcos continue with these practices, the CRTC will look into creating safeguards to protect customers.

Beyond Pavlović, the NDP also called for action from the federal government regarding the Rogers TV box price hike. Specifically, the NDP called on the Liberals to ban Rogers from federal contracts if it doesn’t reverse the price hikes.

Source: CBC News