The CRTC has rules about the type of contact that ILECs can have with former customers for the first 3 months after switching to a new service provider. These are called the Winback Rules and have been the cause for a Charter of Rights challenge.
In the meantime, little border skirmishes are helping clarify what is allowed and what isn’t. For example, in April the CRTC ruled that a card with the following was not permitted:
I’m writing to say that we are sorry to see you go. Even though you are no longer using Bell for your local phone service, we haven’t forgotten about you. You were a valued member of our Bell Family and we truly appreciate having been of service.
If there is anything we can assist you with in the future or anything you would like to discuss, please don’t hesitate to call my team directly at 1 888 603-8402.
On the other hand, on Monday, the CRTC ruled that the following wording is permitted:
I’m writing to say that we are sorry to see you go. Even though you are no longer using Bell for your Residential Phone service, we haven’t forgotten about you. You were a valued member of our Bell Family and we truly appreciate having been of service.
Unfortunately, industry regulations prevent us from contacting you in an effort to win back your Residential Phone service for a period of three months. We are counting down the days until we can talk to you again. These rules do not prevent you from contacting us if you are interested in more information about your local service.
What is the difference? The second card is considered informational and there is no phone number to make the card an obvious call to action.
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CRTC, Bell, Videotron, winback, local forbearance, Mark Goldberg