Little Rock    What do you do with a bully?   Slap ‘em in the face.  Or, embarrass them.  ACORN Canada did both by celebrating Halloween by issuing a “Horror Report” based on a survey of almost 300 of our members.    Canada, perhaps even more than the US, allows a virtual monopoly with three companies holding the whip hand, Telus, Rogers, and Bell Canada, but when people had a chance to have their say, they overwhelmingly were shouting that the company’s service and pricing just sucked.   Most members ranked five different companies and the dissatisfaction ranged at a high of 79% and a low of 62%.

            What were the complaints?   Virtually everything:

55% of respondents reported they were dissatisfied overall with their cell and internet companies

              56% of respondents reported mistakes on their bills, resulting in extra charges.

36% of respondents reported the amount of their monthly bill being $100 more than expected.

54% of respondents reported difficulties changing their contract. 

            With 54% of Canadians in the lower 25%  of the country’s income range of less than $30,000 per year lacking internet access, ACORN Canada had a lot of policy recommendations that needed to be enacted, but the main one was straightforward:   assure everyone internet access as a basic utility costing no more than $10 per month!

            The companies there, here, and everywhere have made a mess and money machine with a widening digital divide.   As they say in Canada, it’s a horror, and this is a global fight that is spreading!