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• especially after Rogers forced DPId web-injections upon its internet customers
• especially after Rogers forced a throttle upon its internet users
• especially after Rogers fought its own users who are erroneously charged money for something they never asked for
• especially after new cell phone entrants are coming into the market this year to offer customers a different choice
• especially after Rogers profits drops 10% this first quarter

Rogers has belatedly come to realize the very people it’s fighting and not protecting are the very same people who keep it in business.

As per the Toronto Star,  “Rogers Communications Inc. is considering a subscriber ‘bill of rights’ under a wider program to address long-standing complaints about customer service, the cable and wireless giant’s new CEO said.

” ‘I think what you will see are some fundamental changes in terms of systems and a commitment in service levels,’ said Nadir Mohamed, who succeeded the late Ted Rogers as CEO in March.”

The renewed focus on customer service comes as consumers dial back spending in a weak economy and new wireless players prepare to enter the market promising to put subscribers first.

Will this be this be same broken promise given a few years ago by Bell Canada, from then Bell CEO Michael Sabia?

Currently, Rogers Communications is fighting with the Quebec Consumers Union over at the CRTC about erroneous Premium SMS cellular charges put on peoples’ cell phone bills (http://www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2009/8620/u11_200901951.htm).

As per Rogers, now striving to become customer oriented after decades of neglect, “Rogers submits that any possible public interest in disclosure of the information in this submission is greatly outweighed by the specific direct harm that would flow to Rogers.”

I think the first step in becoming customer orientated is to admit faults exist and to not hide them from the public, especially considering how the public (read customer) could react to being over-billed.

Rogers says it doesn’t even track customer complaints (in relation to Cell):

19. Furthermore, the affidavit filed by Yannick Labelle suggesting Rogers receives 300 complaints a month also fails to demonstrate a problem. The affidavit should be provided no weight by the Commission. It is a sworn statement of a lawyer speaking on behalf of an undisclosed Rogers` employee.

20. Even if considered, the information provided is not useful. Rogers has not historically tracked premium messaging complaints so how did this employee come up with the number 300?

and finally…

23. Finally, the number of calls received and complaints pale in comparison to the total number of wireless subscribers. With approximately 20 million wireless subscribers in Canada, and the hundreds of thousands of those subscribers who use short codes each month, the small number of complaints presented by UC does not demonstrate a problem regarding billing practices for premium text messages.

In other words, even if if it’s true, Rogers says it doesn’t matter.

The 300 people who complain per month (read Rogers customers) don’ t count.

A Rogers “Bill of Customer Rights” will definitely be interesting to see, particularly when the new wireless entrants come out this year.

If Rogers really wants to give a “Bill of Customer Rights.” perhaps it should sit down with the Quebec Consumers Union and ask for their input, instead of fighting them.

Ottawa Gal – p2pnet
[Ottawa Gal is a long-time p2pnet reader and comment poster who`d rather would be anonymous. She says she works in the University, likes her cat, reality TV, and Doctor McDreamy. Her favourite web sites are the Michael Geist blog and p2pnet.net. 'Privacy on the net is also important to me,' she says. 'I need a tinfoil hat ]

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April, 2009