Complaints to Canada’s telecom watchdog rose about 17 per cent in 2024-25, the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services reported on January 14, 2026. The commission accepted a record 23,647 complaints. Billing problems led the list, and complaints about Telus jumped 78 per cent to 4,904, moving it ahead of Bell into second place.
Billing is still the biggest problem
The commission, known as the CCTS, handles complaints from customers about phone, internet and television services when they cannot settle a dispute with their provider directly. Its annual report covers August 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025.
Billing issues accounted for 46 per cent of all issues raised, the largest share of any category. Most billing complaints involved incorrect charges or credits that were promised but never appeared on an account. Billing complaints rose 16 per cent from the year before, reaching their highest level in five years.
The report suggested the cost of living may be part of the story. Customers watching household spending closely are more likely to notice, and challenge, a charge that does not match what they agreed to pay.
CCTS commissioner and chief executive Josée Bidal Thibault said the commission often hears from customers whose experience did not match what they expected, and that clear communication from providers at the start builds trust and helps avoid confusion and complaints.
Contract disputes rose even faster
Complaints about contracts grew more sharply than billing complaints. Breach of contract issues rose 121 per cent in the Canadian Press summary of the report, and contract disputes made up about one-quarter of all issues raised.
Customers in this category said features they were promised were missing, unexpected fees appeared, or terms they had agreed to seemed to change partway through a contract. Across all providers, complaints about regular price increases on monthly plans rose 76 per cent, complaints about changes to contracts rose 69 per cent, and accusations of breach of contract rose 116 per cent.
Service delivery was the other large category, also about one-quarter of all issues, even though it fell two per cent from the previous year. More than 10,000 service delivery issues were raised, including intermittent service, complete loss of service and delays in installation or cancellation, mostly for wireless and internet service.
Wireless service accounted for more than half of all issues raised overall. Complaints about television services rose 44 per cent in the year.
Telus complaints surged past Bell
Rogers, whose figures now include Shaw after their 2023 merger, remained the most complained-about provider for a third straight annual report, with about 27 per cent of accepted complaints. Its 6,485 complaints were up 16.6 per cent from a year earlier.
Telus moved into second place. Its complaints rose 77.9 per cent to 4,904, about 21 per cent of the total. The commission reported a 70 per cent increase in Telus complaints about incorrect charges, a 42 per cent increase in disclosure issues and a 74 per cent increase in complaints about credits or refunds not being received. Complaints about regular price increases on Telus plans spiked 195 per cent, and complaints alleging breach of contract rose 299 per cent.
Bell ranked third with 3,966 complaints, about 17 per cent of the total and up 15.6 per cent. Its largest increases were in breach of contract complaints, up 136 per cent, and in credits or refunds not received, up 29 per cent.
What an accepted complaint means
The commission said it resolved 86 per cent of complaints that went through its resolution process. It also reminded customers to keep copies of signed agreements and communications such as chat transcripts and emails, which can help if there is a misunderstanding about what was promised.
The industry urged readers to keep the numbers in scale. Canadian Telecommunications Association spokesman Nick Kyonka said accepted complaints amount to less than 0.1 per cent of telecom subscribers in Canada, and that an accepted complaint is not a finding that a provider did something wrong. He said nearly nine in 10 complaints are resolved without the commission having to investigate or decide the merits of the issue.
