CRTC report finds telecom companies use misleading sales tactics

The CRTC says an inquiry has confirmed allegations Canada's telecommunications industry used unacceptable sales practices that misled consumers and harmed vulnerable members of the public.

The commission says the misleading and aggressive practices exist in all types of sales channels, including in stores, online, over the telephone and at homes when companies conduct door-to-door sales campaigns.

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But the report doesn't identify which companies or areas of the country have had the worst track record.

The CRTC compiled the report after five days of testimony at public hearings in October and months of information gathering, including more than 1,000 comments from individual Canadians.

The regulator looked into the issue after CBC's reporting into sales tactics at some of Canada's biggest telecom companies.

The CRTC says it plans to follow up its report with measures to address the problems identified through the inquiry, but most of them will require additional regulatory proceedings.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is a semi-autonomous federal agency responsible for upholding the Telecommunications Act and the Broadcasting Act, which are both under review by the federal government.