It's good news for anyone who's ever been stung by a surprise cellphone bill.
New consumer protection measures are now in effect which apply to fees and contract terms for all providers, and should remove some of the 'surprise factor' in cellphone contracts.
"Ontarians can now expect clear, easy to understand info, fewer surprises when they enter or amend a contract," says Tracy MacCharles, Minister of Consumer Services.
Roughly eight out of 10 Ontario families have a wireless contract.
Under the new wireless services agreement:
- Contracts must be written in plain language
- Providers must get customer consent before amending or extending a fixed term contract
- There are caps on cancellation fees
- Consumers can now cancel a contract at no cost after two years
That's music to the ears of some cellphone users like Janice Wiersma.
"I'd say I have mostly bad experiences. Every time I make a change to my contract they mess up my bill. One time it took me six months to get it straightened out because they weren't deleting the extra charges they charged me and then they ended up cutting off my service."
