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

The CCTS assesses the information the customer has provided to determine if, based on the mandate, the complaint can be accepted.

Closed complaint

A complaint that was accepted and then subsequently closed. The 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 the CCTS thinks 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 the CCTS needed to conduct the investigation.
• The complaint should more properly have been brought before another agency, tribunal or court.

Concluded complaint

A complaint that the CCTS 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 the CCTS can confirm, based on the investigation, that a provision of a CRTC-developed code has been violated.

Customer not cooperative

When a customer files a complaint but fails to provide the information the CCTS needs to conduct an investigation. In this situation, following multiple attempts to obtain the required information, the complaint is closed.

Decision

A Decision is issued if either the customer or the service provider rejects a 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 the CCTS determines, after inquiry, that an investigation or a further investigation is not necessary because the CCTS determines that the service provider has reasonably performed its obligations to the customer.

Investigation

The CCTS analyzes the evidence provided and uses this analysis to either suggest ways in which the complaint might be resolved amicably or, if it cannot be, to rule on the merits of the complaint.

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 the CCTS 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 the CCTS cannot investigate are considered to be “out of mandate.”

Pre-investigation

The stage of the CCTS’ process following referral of the complaint to the PSP by CCTS, in which the parties have 30 days to resolve the complaint, failing which the CCTS will begin an investigation to assess whether the service provider reasonably performed its obligations to the customer.

Recommendation

The complaint was fully investigated. 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. The CCTS 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 PSP.

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 even if the customer does not agree that the offer is reasonable.