Investigation Finding Report

After analyzing the information and evidence from both parties, we determined that the service provider reasonably performed its obligations towards the customer, and found no error in its handling of the issues brought forth.

Issue 1: The customer’s complaint is that the service provider increased the monthly charges for the customer’s service.

• The customer’s complaint is that the service provider increased the monthly service charges for two of their wireless business lines by approximately $79 plus taxes, starting in July 2024.
• The customer claims that the two-year contract they signed in November 2023 was priced at $124 per month plus taxes for two lines. The December 2024 bill totalled $197.40 with taxes. When they inquired about cancelling since there were better deals, they were informed that they were bound to the contract and a cancellation fee.
• We reviewed the service provider’s terms of service and note that the provider will apply a discount or promotion to the customer’s account if the customer maintains eligibility for the said discount or promotion. The service provider may change the discounts, promotions and their eligibility requirements at any time. The provider will review eligibility from time to time and if the eligibility requirements are not met, it may remove the discount or promotion without prior notice.
• We also note from the service provider’s terms of service that the discount will be applied to the customer’s bill only for those lines that meet the eligibility requirements, and other discounts will be removed from future billing.
• We reviewed the service agreement dated November 9, 2023, confirming that the customer entered a 24-month agreement for their wireless postpaid service for line 1 with a $100 (before taxes) monthly charge for the plan, and a monthly add-on of $8 (before taxes). The agreement indicates that a customer must maintain an $85 minimum monthly rate-plan spend to qualify for the device discount, but it does not mention any other discounts on the line.
• We reviewed the service agreement dated November 9, 2023, and note that the customer entered a 24-month agreement for their wireless postpaid service for line 2 with a $100 (before taxes) monthly charge for the plan. The agreement indicates that a customer must maintain an $85 minimum monthly rate-plan spend to qualify for the device discount, but it does not mention any other discounts on the line.
• We reviewed invoices and billing history from January 2024 to January 2025 and confirmed the following:
  • The January 2024 bill indicated the following discounts:
    • For line 2: a $10 (before taxes) multiple unit monthly credit; a $9.52 (before taxes) monthly credit discount; a $4.76 (before taxes) active bill credit; and a $10 preferred partner discount.
    • For line 1: a $4.76 (before taxes) active bill credit; a $9.52 (before taxes) monthly credit; a $10.00 (before taxes) multiple unit credit; a $5.71 (before taxes) additional credit; and a $10 (before taxes) preferred partner discount.
    • The January 2024 bill also contained a notice that, due to recent activity such as renewals or rate plan changes on one or more lines, the rate plan no longer met the criteria for certain account credits, and that only valid credits would carry over in the current or next billing cycle.
  • From February 2024 to September 2024, the customer’s monthly bills totalled $166.91 for both lines, after all discounts and taxes were applied. This was an increase from the January 2024 bill, due to the removal of a couple of credits on both lines. The following credits remained:
    • For line 2 the bills included a $10 (before taxes) multiple unit monthly credit and a $9.52 (before taxes) monthly credit discount.
    • For line 1, each of these bills included a $9.52 (before taxes) monthly credit; a $10 (before taxes) multiple unit credit; a $5.71 (before taxes) additional credit; and a $10 (before taxes) preferred partner discount.
  • We note that on the October 2024 bill, the $10 preferred partner discount on line 1 was removed, thereby increasing the customer’s total bill for both lines for October to $177.41 after taxes.
  • In November 2024, the customer’s bill increased because the $9.52 credits on both lines were also removed. This brought the customer’s bill to a total of $197.40 after taxes for both lines. The $10 multiple unit discount remained for both lines and a $5.71 credit for line 1 also remained.
  • Similarly, the December 2024 bill for both lines included a $10 (before taxes) monthly discount, applied as a multiple unit credit. And a $5.71 (before taxes) additional credit was applied to line 1. Therefore, the total before taxes was $95.24 for line 1 and $92.95 for line 2.
  • On the January 2025 bill, the $5.71 credit for line 1 was also removed. The customer’s final bill was therefore $203.40 after taxes for both lines.
  • All bills contained a disclaimer indicating that the credit was discretionary.
• We reviewed the account notes and email records from January 2024 to February 2025, and note the following:
  • Notes for January 29, 2024, January 31, 2024, and February 12, 2024 indicate an internal audit by the provider and that renewals or rate plan changes resulted in the rate plan no longer meeting the criteria for certain account credits. As such, these credits were removed.
  • On October 4, 2024, the customer called the provider to cancel service as they had a better offer. They were offered an alternate billing plan, which they declined.
  • On January 15, 2025, the customer disputed the increase in their bill from $124. They were advised that they had a $100 (before taxes) plan for each line. The customer was also advised that the discounts they were inquiring about were removed, and that the bill therefore reflected the plan.
  • On January 23, 2025, the customer was informed that the provider does not have a way to restore the removed credits to the account. The customer was advised that in the context of credits and discounts, a renewal agreement means that any previous credits or discounts obtained during the initial service acquisition will no longer be valid.
• Based on our review of the account notes, we confirm that the customer did not call in to dispute the change in price between January 2024 (when the first credits were removed) and December 2024, therefore, the provider did not have an opportunity to inform the customer prior to January 2025.
• Per our review of all the documentation (including the October 2022 agreement), we confirm that the credits under dispute were continued from a previous 2022 agreement. We reviewed the 2022 agreement, which does not qualify the discounts as contractual; instead, the customer was receiving these credits from the provider on a discretionary, promotional basis.
• When the customer entered into a new agreement in November 2023, they became ineligible to receive these credits. However, they continued to benefit from them until January 2024, when the service provider conducted an internal audit and confirmed that the customer was no longer eligible for them.
• Based on our analysis, we confirm that the provider fulfilled its obligations. Specifically, we note that while the provider did apply the discounts to the customer’s account prior to October 2023, these discounts were not contractually stipulated, and the service provider adhered to its policies in removing them upon verifying the customer’s ineligibility.