Dealers sue Bell Canada for $200 million
p2pnet news view Freedom | P2P:- “I guess Bell is tired of pissing off its customers and is now try to piss off its business partners. We are witnessing the implosion of Bell Canada.”"
That’s bellsucksbigtime on dslreports.
Subject?
The Independent Communications Dealer Association of Canada is suing Bell Canada, Canada’s largest telecommunications company, for more than $200 million in damages, alleging abusive business practices, among other charges.
In two identical lawsuits launched today in the Ontario and Quebec Superior Courts, the retailers claim Bell has breached on its contract agreement with the dealers.
The company is is already in deep trouble with both its consumer base and smaller ISPs.
“In a bid to present itself as a reasonable company applying reasonable measures to manage a serious problem created by a small number of users, Bell Sympatico is trying to excuse its practice of using Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) to throttle customers’ bandwidth,” says a recent p2pnet story, going on:
“The company claims it isn’t trying to rigidly control what users do with the bandwidth they pay for every month for its own purposes.”
Rather, it’s, “using the latest, state-of-the-art technology to improve the customer experience for a vast majority of our customers’ favourite applications,” it promises on a new web site.
Punishing exclusive dealer channel
The latest dispute centres on the vital third element in Bell’s survival.
It’s, “the result of a downward spiral in our relationship that has escalated under Bell’s current management over the last three years,” says ICDAC president Doris Ronca (right), who owns two Bell World stores in Montreal, Quebec.
“Years of Bell’s mismanagement has resulted in losing customer and investor brand loyalty and falling from first to third place in the wireless marketplace,” she says in a statement.
“Now, Bell is punishing its own, exclusive dealer channel by not honouring agreements and systematically destroying our competitiveness, reputations and the value of our businesses that we have built, some of us for over 20 years.”
The association makes three allegations »»»
- The company has ignored a commitment finalized in March 2008 to leave dealers’ fees and commissions untouched until June 2009. Bell is now refusing to pay compensation to dealers when their customers purchase replacement equipment and renew service contracts, as well as reducing other new customer commissions during the critical fourth quarter of the year. These fees are the essential lifeblood of dealers’ ongoing operations.
- Bell continues to develop better, more lucrative customer incentives with its non-exclusive retailers – store operators like Wireless Wave, Cabine Téléphonqiue, Best Buy and Future Shop – to the detriment of its own exclusive dealers’ competitiveness, and in contravention of their existing contract with the company.
- Bell’s Direct Marketing has and continues to offer better incentives and deals to customers than its existing dealer chain – further eroding the dealers’ competitiveness and customer loyalty to their stores.
As well as claiming more than $200 million in damages against Bell, together with a a reversal of all competitive measures listed in the suit and a commitment to honour the current contract, ICDAC is demanding the right for the dealers to stock and sell products from the likes of Telus, Rogers and other, new entrants to the telecommunications marketplace in Canada.
“Carrying other brand names is one of the few options we have to maintain any degree of competitiveness, maintain revenues to pay our employees and maintain value in our businesses,” said Rick Umbrio, ICDAC’s Vice President and a Bell dealer with three stores in Ontario.
“It’s a shame that it’s come to this, but if Bell continues to renege on its agreements and make bad marketplace decisions, we’re left with few alternatives.”
ICDAC members say they’re shocked the company has, “allowed relations with their dealers to continue to deteriorate — especially with the deadline of Bell’s takeover by the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund coming in December”.
“We believe that senior executives at Bell stand to gain huge personal bonuses when the takeover succeeds, if certain financial targets are met,” said Umbrio.
“And what better way to improve your bottom line than by illegally cutting dealers’ commissions and fees, and firing thousands of employees, which they’ve done over the last few months. It’s hard not to connect the dots.”
Adds Ronca, “In the final analysis, we have to do whatever we can to protect our businesses, our employees and our customer relationships built over 20 years of partnership with Bell.
“If that means taking Bell to court, then we’re determined to win.”
dslreports – Bell Canada sued by independent dealers, October 21, 2008
p2pnet – Bell Canada admits using DPI to throttle traffic, October 18, 2008
statement – Bell dealers unite in major lawsuits against Bell, October 21, 2008
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October 21st, 2008 at 4:51 pm
And this is just the tip of the iceberg, you watch what kind of draconian practices come when Ontario Teachers Pension Fund takes over. Their USA partners will make Canada into the most locked down country on earth.
It will start with USA corporations taking over Canada in waves and droves. All Canadian tech. businesses will be forced to close or be taken over. Massive lay-offs, people hungry, if you’re not part of their club you can kiss your lifestyle good bye. They will eventually take over our health system, banks and then government IF WE LET THEM.
This has been their plan all along. And this is not some hair brained idea or spouting off at the mouth. World powers have been after Canada and getting it under their control for long time. USA military already has plans to cause similar disaster as 9/11 but in Canada, if we fight back. Search it out on net and talk to insiders.
The worst and dumbest thing Canadians did in all of Canadian history is re-elect Harper.
Damned if we do, damned if we don’t. We choose, and must come up with a plan to stop them.
Things you Can do:
- switch your internet, phone and TV away from Bell & Rogers to independent ISP’s
- buy only Canadian food and products
- DIY [do it yourself] free energy, fuel, heating etc.
- grow your own food
- barter and trade instead of buy from USA based corporations
- move out of cities and into country, cities will be the worst locked down
- support your local farmers and small businesses
- boycott all USA businesses operating in Canada
- charge any big USA business for loss of time in dealing with them or any infractions caused by them
Feel free to add to this list
Keep Canada FREE and our social network [the internet] as well
October 21st, 2008 at 5:12 pm
throw eggs
October 23rd, 2008 at 2:56 am
“They will eventually take over our health system, banks and then government IF WE LET THEM. ”
Alllll aboard, the good ship paranoia is ready to set sail!
Mayhap freeman is freed from his tinfoil cap tonight?
October 24th, 2008 at 12:23 am
Though I think freeman is gone a bit overboard, they still are foreign investors. Which means peoples data will change hands and be under different gov laws. Thats part of trade-off with foreign investors, your privacy.
If I recall right, BC took the lead and removed health care data frm servers/data centers with US ties.
So although he reads too many conspiracy websites, his logic isn’t too too far out in left field.