Winnipeg woman left on the hook for months over $1.3K cable bill she says isn’t hers

A Winnipeg woman says she fought for months with a telecom company over an overdue bill on an account she says she never opened.

Last summer, Christina McKay noticed her credit score had dropped significantly. When she looked into it, she found a $1,300 debt with Rogers Communications Inc. she didn’t recognize. 

When she reached out to Rogers, she says she was told the bill was for a defaulted cable service account.

“When I called Rogers, they said it’s for cable services that you opened up for a family member,” McKay said Tuesday.

“[Rogers said] I lived in the building this account was opened in, and therefore I must be responsible, because the account holders who did incur the debt are saying that I’m their family member.”

McKay says she never opened the Shaw account for a family member, hasn’t lived in the apartment building tied to the account in nearly a decade, and lived in a different suite. 

Rogers completed its purchase of Shaw Communications Inc. in April 2023. The latter is now called Rogers together with Shaw, and its customers are predominantly in the western provinces and some parts of Ontario.

After CBC contacted Rogers on Tuesday, McKay said the debt was removed from her account with Equifax — one of Canada’s largest credit-rating agencies — the next day.

She hasn’t yet heard from Rogers whether they consider her clear of the debt.

For months, when McKay pleaded her case to Rogers customer service, they tried to convince her she’s responsible for the account, she said.

“They sat there and went, ‘Well, are you sure you didn’t forget? Lots of people forget they open accounts,'” said McKay.

“Forgetting to buy a pack of gum I understand, but opening up a cable account, which is over $100 a month? That’s a big leap.”

McKay filed a complaint with the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services, an independent organization that helps customers in Canada resolve complaints related to internet and television services. 

Rogers replied to that complaint in an email, saying McKay didn’t have the authority to dispute the account because it wasn’t hers.

“The complainant has expressly confirmed that they are not the account holder and are therefore not authorized to submit a complaint on behalf of the account holder,” it said.

McKay said that when she tried to dispute her debt with Equifax, Rogers told them the account is legitimate and that the debt is hers.

“So on one hand … they’re telling me I don’t have any authority to complain about how this is being handled or about the fact that I’m being held responsible for something,” she said.

“And then, on the other hand, [they’re] also saying, ‘Well, you’re financially liable, you should be paying this debt.'”

Working with police: Rogers

The Winnipeg Police Service confirmed it is investigating McKay’s fraud claim and said the case has been passed along to the financial crimes unit, but added these investigations take time.

In an email sent to CBC on Thursday, Rogers said it continues “to work with local law enforcement as they conduct their ongoing review, consistent with our customer’s request.”

The company said it understands the experience has been “frustrating,” and “[we] look forward to the police’s findings.”

McKay said while she was relieved to see the debt removed from her Equifax account after months of advocating for herself, she thinks Rogers should re-evaluate its fraud policy.

“Rogers’ current fraud policy is obviously woefully inadequate,” she said.

“I really hope that through all of this, they’ll examine that, and they’ll start working with people more instead of fighting them.”

WATCH | 8-month struggle to escape shadow of $1,300 Rogers bill:

Winnipeg woman fights phantom $1.3K Rogers bill

A Winnipeg woman says she fought for months over a bill on an account she says she never opened. Last summer, Christina McKay noticed her credit score had dropped significantly. When she looked into it, she found a $1,300 debt from Rogers Communications she didn’t recognize.