Court to Resume Hearing Competition Bureau's Case Against Rogers

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Aug. 6, 2012) - The Commissioner of Competition's case against Rogers Communications Inc. resumes tomorrow before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. In November 2010, a Bureau investigation concluded that Rogers misled consumers through its advertisements for the Chatr discount cell phone and text service.

The Competition Bureau brought legal proceedings against Rogers before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. The Bureau determined that Rogers made misleading claims about dropped calls in an advertising campaign promoting its Chatr cell phone brand. The Bureau also concluded that the claims made were not based on adequate and proper tests.

In a Canada-wide advertising campaign, Rogers claimed that consumers subscribing to its Chatr brand would experience "fewer dropped calls than new wireless carriers" and have "no worries about dropped calls".

"We take misleading advertising very seriously," said Melanie Aitken, Commissioner of Competition. "Consumers deserve accurate information, so they can make purchasing decisions with confidence."

In the November 2010 application, the Commissioner has asked the Court to order Rogers to:

• stop the advertising campaign and refrain from engaging in similar campaigns for a 10-year period;
  
  
• pay restitution to affected customers;
  
  
• pay an administrative monetary penalty of $10 million; and
  
  
• issue a corrective notice to inform the general public about the nature and provisions of the order issued against them.
  
  

The campaign was dismantled within a month of the Bureau filing its application.

The Competition Bureau, as an independent law enforcement agency, ensures that Canadian businesses and consumers prosper in a competitive and innovative marketplace.

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