Rogers CEO Defends TV Box Fee Increase Following Customer Complaints, Tells MPs Contract ‘Very Clear’

Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri said his telecommunications company has been transparent with customers about increased rental fees for additional Ignite TV boxes, rejecting MPs’ accusations that the company buried the additional fees in contracts and misled customers.
The issue that prompted the committee to call on Staffieri to appear was a slew of complaints from customers that Rogers had increased prices for its television box rentals by $7 for every TV box in a household except one. Hundreds of Canadians told CBC’s Go Public the company misled them into signing contracts that they thought locked them into a regular monthly price for the agreement, while a contract clause allowed Rogers to increase prices.
Staffieri said the majority of customers were not impacted by the price change, and that Rogers support worked to help Canadians understand their options.
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner asked Staffieri to table the frontline sales scripts used by their sales representatives, the recorded conversation between a Rogers sales rep and a customer impacted by the increased fees, and a copy of the TV service contract provided to customers. He agreed to provide these documents.
She asked Staffieri, “If I had reviewed that contract myself … do you think it’s reasonable for me to say that it’s a plain-language contract?”
“I think you would find it straightforward,” he responded.
MPs dismissed Leech without questioning him, and accused Staffieri of avoiding the committee’s questions. The committee then passed a motion summoning Staffieri to appear within seven days or risk being brought before the House to be formally reprimanded.
In his opening statement on Dec. 2, Staffieri apologized and said he had a “personal matter” arise that required him to get Leech to testify instead. “It wasn’t my intention to disrupt your schedule,” he said.