Premier Ranj Pillai is continuing to escalate telecommunications woes to try to get Yukoners and small businesses fairly paid back for shoddy service experienced over the summer.
Pillai is piling pressure on telecommunications giants by taking concerns about service disruptions to the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services, Canada’s independent industry-funded body for helping telecom customers resolve service complaints.
"Yukoners are pissed," Pillai wrote to Bell Canada's CEO earlier this summer, prompting the telecom company to offer compensation to Yukoners affected by service disruptions.
Lately, Pillai has been calling on Rogers Communications and TELUS Corporation as well as their respective subsidiaries to follow Bell Canada’s example: compensate Yukoners for continuing service woes.
In response to the premier’s correspondence, TELUS president Darren Entwistle acknowledged the frustration expressed by Yukoners because of “service that does not meet their expectations.” That doesn’t reflect the “high standard of excellence” TELUS strives for, he wrote. He recognized the services TELUS provides rely on Bell infrastructure.
“Notwithstanding this, please know that our TELUS team is deeply committed to working with Bell to improve coverage and reliability for our Yukon-based TELUS customers,” Entwistle said.
On that note, TELUS is inviting Yukon-based customers to provide their feedback through a newly created, dedicated website so TELUS can gather and address issues experienced by customers in the Yukon, per Entwistle.
Entwistle said customers who complete an online questionnaire will get a credit towards their next TELUS device purchase.
Yukon government cabinet communications described Entwistle’s response to Pillai’s correspondence as “unacceptable.”
“This isn’t just about the inconvenience of a dropped call or the patience to stay on the line until service resumes, it’s about Yukoners being able to call and speak with emergency services, book and participate in healthcare appointments, communicate with loved ones, and operate their businesses,” Laura Seeley in cabinet communications said by email.
Rogers confirmed receipt of Pillai's letter but hadn’t responded by the time of publication, according to cabinet communications.
Emma Bédard, communications coordinator for the national complaint body, previously told the News the telecom mediator is monitoring the service saga.
In a Facebook post, the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services indicated its leadership met with Pillai in Ottawa on Sept. 18 to talk about wireless service issues in the Yukon and its impact on customers.
“We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate on the issues that are important to Yukoners and Northern communities in Canada,” reads the Facebook post.
In his Facebook post on the topic, Pillai said the national body and the territorial government will work together to inform Yukoners about how they can file complaints and get additional compensation beyond what Bell and TELUS are offering.
“Increasing local complaints can also prompt action from federal regulators regarding telecom issues,” Pillai said.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
