Canadians are taking the National DNCL (Do Not Call List) very seriously and so is the CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) as they continue to be Canada’s communication ‘watchdog’ protecting the more than 12.8 million numbers on that list. They are doing so, by fining the companies making unwanted, unsolicited telemarketing calls to those protected numbers. Recently fined were Thrift Magic ($250,000), Qu©bec Loisirs ($200,000), Telelisting ($260,000), Florida-based Consolidated Travel Holdings ($200,000), and one of Canada’s largest media outlets, Metroland ($240,000).
Those were some of the larger fines, but in response to customer complaints, five more companies just received fines with four of the five already paying up. The CRTC posted, “AcademyOne Learning Ltd., a company offering educational tutoring – $25,000, Eagle Water of Ontario, a water treatment company – $32,500, Outsource 3000 Inc., a telemarketer offering calling services for telemarketing – $15,000, Scentral Cleaning Services, a residential and commercial cleaning company – $20,000,” along with an imposed penalty of $30,000 on Ontario Eco Energy Inc. for having made unsolicited calls for a client that had not subscribed to the List or registered with its operator”.
These last five fines are part of 32 notices of violations that total over $2 million in monetary penalties. The CRTC also issued 16 warning letters and 5 citations during the 2014 – 2015 period. The CRTC also worked in conjunction with its international counterparts on a number of investigations that helped give the CRTC a boost to its image and authority. The CRTC is a constant reminder to telemarketers that the rule must be followed or else you will be fined. It is bad enough to receive this type of call on your home phone, but when you are out with your mobile device, the last thing you want or need is a call from a telemarketer. Canadians can register their numbers by calling 1-866-580-3625 or by visiting the website: www.Innte-dncl.gc.ca.
Manon Bombardier, CRTC Chief Compliance and Enforcement Officer stated, “The year 2014-2015 was a very busy one for the CRTC, and we are proud of the results we achieved. Through our investigations, we strengthened the collaboration with our domestic and international partners, and we took enforcement actions that changed telemarketers’ business practices to protect the privacy of Canadians. I encourage Canadians to continue sending us their complaints regarding unsolicited calls. This support is essential to our work. It is important to remember that the CRTC’s purpose is not to impose monetary penalties but to encourage compliance with the requirements of the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules. To do that, we have a duty to remind telemarketers that they must comply with the Rules, whether they are within or outside Canada.”