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Dear Consumer Advocate:
When your cable customers contact you and indicate they have concerns relating to their cable company, we invite you to tell them that the Cable Television Standards Council is here to help. For over 10 years, the Council has been providing assistance to customers and their cable company by helping them work together to resolve conflicts relating to the various aspects of the service provided by member companies. The Council’s process is simple and effective, as proven by our track record. The following “Information Sheet” provides detailed information on the Council and its process.
A helping hand for cable customers is now just a click away
For years, help has been but a phone call away for cable customers wanting to voice concerns they have about their cable company. All they have to do is call the Cable Television Standards Council (CTSC) via the toll-free number (1-800-426-4170) accessible twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Recently, the Council has added another convenient way for customers who wish to register a complaint: an online complaint form that is easily accessed right from the Council’s Website: www.ctsc.ca.
Customers who visit the Council’s Website will find useful information, including a link to the Council’s easy-touse online complaint form. The customer fills out the form with all the required information and by a simple click of a button, sends it directly to the Council to be processed. It’s that simple.
As ombudsman for the cable industry, the CTSC was established over 10 years ago to help customers resolve concerns they may have relating to any aspect of the services provided by member cable companies. This self-regulatory body is a free service for cable customers.
Through its efficient solution-oriented process, the Council will register and respond to the complaints it receives from customers. The complaints are then forwarded to the cable companies in question, which are required to respond to the customers in writing, addressing the issues raised in their initial complaints. If a customer remains dissatisfied, the Council requests that the objections be communicated in writing and the Council then follows-up with the cable company accordingly. The majority of complaints processed through the Council are resolved using the above-mentioned steps.
On occasion, a file may be brought to the attention of the Council’s three-member panel, consisting of the independent Chair, the consumer representative, and the cable industry representative. These Council members then conduct a review of the file and render a decision as to whether or not the company has breached any industry standards. Once the customer and the cable company are informed of the decision, it is made available to the public via the Council’s Website.
The Council’s complaints process has proven very successful over the years. “There have been nearly 27,000 complaints processed by the Council this past decade,” says Gerald Lavallee, Secretary General for the Council. “Only 17 of these required formal adjudication by Council members. Our goal is to ensure that customers’ complaints are satisfactorily resolved.”
For more information or to register a complaint, contact the Council:
1030-360 Albert Street
Ottawa ON K1R 7X7
Tel: (613) 230-5442
Toll-free: 1-800-426-4170
Fax: (613) 230-5679
Website: www.ctsc.ca
Email: comments@ctsc.ca