Today is the day that the CRTC has ruled that the nasty 30-day cancellation notice is going bye-bye:
Prohibition of 30-day cancellation policies
The Commission determines that 30-day cancellation policies for local voice services, Internet services, and broadcasting distribution services (e.g. cable and satellite television services) will be prohibited as of 23 January 2015. It will contribute to a more dynamic marketplace and remove unnecessary barriers to consumer choice. Subscribers will avoid double-billing when they cancel their service and move to a different service provider.
For Canadian consumers, this is great news.
One of the biggest complaints we get from people who are looking to switch to Worldline was the dreaded 30-day wait period for cancelling a service with their current provider. Not only was it annoying, it added to the already too complex process of changing ISPs – plus it appeared to be just a cash grab.
The CRTC, after listening to the Canadian public last September, agreed.
We here at Worldline are happy about the change – and for a couple of reasons.
First, it will make switching to us far easier, which will allow far more Canadians to take advantage of the superior products and the service we can provide, while saving them hundreds of dollars a year along the way. Secondly, a customer’s old ISP will no longer have that 30-day window to try to convince customers out of switching.
Big Telco companies have whole floors of people in their corporate towers dedicated to “Win Back” strategies.
You’ve most likely experienced their tactics like the price matching or special promo right?
It turns out that those discounts are usually short-term so Canadians ended up spending just as much or more overall as they would have anyway. Or, the promo pricing only counts if another service is bundled in with the price. These “Win Backs” are designed to make it appear like there is some money to be saved, but there usually isn’t.
Regardless, their tactics work. We’ve lost a significant number of newly signed up customers to their old ISP because they were talked out of it.
Not any longer. As of today, the 30-day advance notice is gone for good.
Which is very good.
All that said, now the same rule applies to Worldline as well. Our customers can drop us at anytime, but we believe that we will gain far more customers than we will lose. Our dedication to customer service combined with fair pricing makes us a far better option for Unlimited High Speed Internet and Digital Home Phone than any of the Big Telcos. We feel the CRTC are both on your and our side on this.
How often do you get to say, “Hey federal government, way to go!”