CCTS report shows TELUS customer complaints down sharply for second consecutive year

TELUS dramatically outpaces its peers by registering a 27 per cent decline in customer complaints

VANCOUVER, Nov. 6, 2013 /CNW/ - The Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) issued its annual report today, revealing that TELUS has once again outperformed the Canadian telecommunications industry when it comes to delivering a differentiated customer experience.

This is the second consecutive year TELUS has experienced a substantial decline in the number of complaints submitted, as TELUS' complaints received by the CCTS decreased by 27 per cent year-over-year. This decline was particularly impressive given the telecommunications industry as a whole experienced an increase year-over-year of 26 per cent in total complaints. Notably, TELUS complaints represent just 6.4 per cent, or 883, of the 13,692 complaints received by the CCTS.

"Our team is dedicated to putting our customers first and we have worked hard to deliver future friendly services for Canadians," said Darren Entwistle, TELUS President and CEO. "The release of the annual CCTS report is a key benchmark of our success in delivering upon our Clear and Simple approach to our customers. We are very pleased that the results once again demonstrate that the changes we have introduced are having a positive impact on our customers' experience. Certainly, TELUS' excellent churn profile and loyalty and retention in wireless, TV, and HSIA reflect the efficacy of our customers first culture in action.

"Although we still have more work to do in advancing our customers first priority, our approach is clearly setting us apart from other providers, making TELUS the clear choice for Canadians," Mr. Entwistle added.

As part of its commitment to delivering an exceptional customer experience, TELUS launched its Clear and Simple approach in 2009. Over the past year, the company eliminated the $35 activation and $25 renewal fees, launched new SharePlus plans with unlimited nationwide calling and shared data, and reduced some international roaming rates by more than half. TELUS' Clear and Simple philosophy has seen the company embrace a keen focus on listening to customers and making real changes to its services based on their input over the last number of years - for example introducing roaming notifications, data use notifications, and data use caps for customers roaming internationally.

The CCTS is responsible for assisting customers and telecommunications carriers resolve a wide range of complaints about products and services including home phone, long distance services, wireless services, wired and wireless Internet access, white page directories, directory assistance, and operator services.

Now in the sixth year of its mandate, more than 240 service providers and brands participate in the CCTS dispute resolution process.

About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $11.2 billion of annual revenue and 13.2 million customer connections, including 7.7 million wireless subscribers, 3.3 million wireline network access lines, 1.4 million Internet subscribers and 743,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services, including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment and video.

In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed more than $300 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 4.8 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Fourteen TELUS Community Boards lead TELUS' local philanthropic initiatives. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to receive this prestigious international recognition.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.

SOURCE: TELUS Corporation