The Competition Bureau has taken legal action against Rogers Communications Inc., alleging that the company's advertising for its "unlimited" data plans is misleading. The Bureau claims that the advertisements give a false impression of limitless data availability, while in reality, data services are significantly curtailed once customers hit a specified data cap. The Bureau has filed an application with the Competition Tribunal to halt the misleading advertising and seeks penalties and restitution for affected Infinite wireless phone plan customers.
In response, Rogers has pushed back against these allegations, asserting that the Competition Bureau is unfairly singling out the company. According to Rogers, their advertising practices are consistent with those of other major telecommunications providers. The company contends that once customers exceed their data cap, data speeds are reduced by over 99%, but this is clearly disclosed to consumers.
Rogers has stated that the Competition Bureau has ignored the "ubiquitous disclosure" of essential plan features and dismissed what the company describes as a "widespread" customer understanding of the plans' limitations. Furthermore, Rogers alleges that the Bureau is relying on a "highly selective and misleading" collection of advertisements to support its case.
The legal proceedings are being held at the Competition Tribunal. Rogers Communications, which owns the website that published their response to these allegations, insists that their advertising is transparent and in line with industry standards.
The outcome of this case could have significant implications for both Rogers and other telecommunications companies in Canada, potentially influencing how they market their data plans in the future. The Competition Bureau aims to ensure that consumers receive accurate information about what they are purchasing and that companies are held accountable for any misleading claims.
