Thanks to a CRTC ruling in January, Internet and TV customers no longer have to give 30 days’ notice to cancel service – but that hasn’t stopped some companies from charging past the cancellation date.

In its ruling, the CRTC banned 30-day cancellation policies and declared customers’ accounts must be cancelled the day they give notice to avoid “double-billing” for their services when they move to another provider.

The regulatory body didn’t address what happens when people cancel in the middle of a billing cycle, however, and now some customers are still getting dinged for jumping ship.

Some providers have a different understanding of the ruling. Telus told us that much like a gym membership, the customer pays for content in advance just like Telus pays its content supplies and the customer is responsible for the whole billing month even after canceling. 

Vancouver resident Ed London recently made the switch from Telus to Shaw. His service was cut off Sept. 1 but Telus charged him until Sept. 22, the last day of the billing cycle.

"They believe their service contract overrides the CRTC regulation," London told us.

Upon close examination, the CRTC ruling did not specifically address the issue of refunds or pro rating the bill when a customer cancels. 

Rogers has a different take than Telus. 

"The expectation that people have is the day they cancel a service, is the last day that they pay for it," Aaron Lazarus at Rogers told us. “We refund the money, pro-rated, to the day they cancel the service."

Both Rogers and Shaw don’t charge past the cancellation date. Telus and Bell, the parent company of CTV, both require consumers to pay through the billing cycle.

Two eastern Canadian telecoms, Quebecor and Eastlink, are part of an application to the CRTC to force companies to stop billing beyond cancellation. The Consumers Association of Canada has also thrown its weight behind the application to stop the practice. 

"I was sure that I wasn't just the sole victim of this," says London,who has filed a complaint about his case with the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunication Services.

No date has been set for the CRTC to make a final decision about billing beyond cancellation of service.