Quebec class-action lawsuit against Bell over fee increases approved to proceed

A class-action suit made against Bell in Quebec over service fee increases has been authorized to proceed by Superior Court Justice Robert Castiglio.

Plaintiff Joseph Frainetti alleges that he was cheated by Bell Canada, Bell Express Vu and Bell Mobility when they made changes to contracts starting in November 2012. These affected his television, internet and phone packages. He said Bell failed to provide any notice of the “unilateral” service changes in advance, instead only informing him in his monthly bill.

Frainetti said the company’s actions violated the province’s consumer protection laws, which state that written notification of all fee increases during a contract must be provided to clients at least 30 days before the changes go into effect.

The class-action suit seeks to recover funds raised by Bell since 2012, as well as $100 in punitive damages for each of its members. The size of the class-action group is currently unknown.

It’s important to note that Justice Castiglio is simply allowing the suit to proceed at this time; he hasn’t yet ruled if the accusations against Bell are legitimate.

Source: Montreal Gazette