Glossary of Terms

Below are some terms used throughout the report and their definitions.

Accepted complaint

A customer complaint received during the year and which falls within the CCTS’ mandate, sometimes referred to simply as a “complaint”.

Alleged breach

When a customer claims that the service provider failed to perform an obligation under one of the four CRTC-developed codes of conduct the CCTS administers (the D&D Code, the Wireless Code, the TVSP Code and the Internet Code) or when a CCTS staff member identifies a potential code breach based on the details of a complaint. Each breach references an individual section of the code. As a result, more than one alleged breach may be recorded in a complaint.

Assessment

We assess the information the customer has provided to determine if, based on our mandate, we are able to accept a complaint.

Closed complaint

A complaint that was accepted and then subsequently closed. CCTS may close the complaint for various reasons, including any of the following:

• The service provider has made an offer to resolve the complaint that we think is fair and reasonable based on the specific circumstances of the complaint.
• The complaint was found to be without merit.
• After filing the complaint, the customer either withdrew it or failed to provide the information we needed to conduct our investigation.
• The complaint should more properly have been brought before another agency, tribunal or court.

Concluded complaint

A complaint that we accepted and disposed of by resolving it, closing it, or issuing either a Recommendation or Decision. The complaint may have been accepted during the current calendar year or the preceding calendar year but was concluded during the fiscal year (August to July) in which it is reported.

Confirmed breach

When we can confirm, based on our investigation, that a provision of a code has been breached.

Customer not cooperative

When a customer files a complaint but fails to provide the information we need to conduct our investigation. In this situation, the complaint is closed.

Decision

A Decision is issued if either the customer or the service provider rejects the CCTS Recommendation. The party rejecting the Recommendation must set out its reasons and the Commissioner will reconsider the Recommendation and issue a Decision. The Commissioner may confirm the original Recommendation or, if the Commissioner concludes that there is substantial doubt as to the correctness of the Recommendation, the Commissioner may modify the Recommendation as appropriate. A Decision is binding on the service provider but not on the customer. The customer may reject it and pursue other remedies.

Further investigation not warranted

When we determine, after assessment, that an investigation or a further investigation is not necessary because we determine that the service provider has reasonably performed its obligations to the customer.

Investigation

We analyze the evidence provided and use this analysis to suggest ways in which the complaint might be resolved amicably.

Issue

A specific concern expressed by the customer in the complaint. Many complaints raise more than one issue. For example, a customer may complain that their invoice contains a billing error and that the unpaid balance resulted in a service disconnection. This would be considered one complaint that raises two issues.

No breach

When we have investigated an alleged breach and concluded that the service provider did not breach the code in question.

Out of mandate

Complaints about products, services or issues that we cannot investigate are considered to be “out of mandate.”

Pre-investigation

The stage of our process where the parties have 30 days to resolve the customer’s complaint, failing which we will begin an investigation to assess whether the service provider reasonably performed its obligations to the customer.

Recommendation

The complaint was fully investigated. Often, the service provider has not made an offer to informally resolve the complaint or the offer is not found to be reasonable based on the specific circumstances of the complaint. We will make a Recommendation requesting that the provider take specific actions to resolve the matter.

Resolved

The complaint was informally resolved with the assistance of a CCTS team member to the satisfaction of both the customer and the Participating Service Provider.

Service provider offer is reasonable

When the service provider makes an offer to resolve a complaint and the CCTS determines that the offer fairly resolves the problem. In this situation, the complaint is closed.