Telus activated security service without consent, now $8K in collection!!!!

[Family89]

Telus has activated a home security service without my consent, which led to a $8,000 debt (for a service I never used and a system that was never installed) being sent to collections. This has caused significant damage to my credit score, and I am holding Telus fully responsible for the series of errors and oversights that led to this mess. I expect Telus to take full responsibility and resolve it immediately.

On December 12, 2023, a Telus employee visited my home to assess what equipment might be needed for a potential home security service installation. After this visit, I received a quote from Telus employee on December 15, 2023, with costs and terms for a three-year contract. I decided not to proceed with the service due to the high costs, and I did not respond to this email. On December 18, 2023, the employee sent me another email with an updated quote, but once again, I did not authorize any installation or activation of the service. At no point did I agree to proceed with this service, nor did I authorize any installation or activation of security equipment.

Despite this, Telus activated the home security service on my account without my knowledge or consent. The service was never installed at my home, and I have never used this type of service. It is unacceptable that Telus proceeded with activating a service I never wanted, never authorized, and never received.

I only discovered this situation on November 26, 2024, when I received a letter from MetCredit stating that i have debt owing for a Telus wireline account. Upon calling Telus, I learned that the account had been activated using my mother's phone number because that was the only contact information the employee had. This is both reckless and unprofessional. The fact that a service was activated on my account without my knowledge and with incorrect contact information is completely unacceptable.

When I contacted Telus customer service on November 26, 2024, I was informed by Lilian that multiple text messages had allegedly been sent to me regarding the outstanding balance in February 2023. However, these messages were sent to my mother's phone, and I was never sent any paper or online statements directly, which is not only irresponsible but also unlawful. To further add to my frustration, Lilian claimed that it was my responsibility to pay the bill because "notifications" had been sent. This is outrageous and completely unjustifiable. Telus' failure to properly notify me and their unauthorized activation of a service I never agreed to is the direct cause of this issue, yet the company continues to attempt to shift the blame onto me.

The issue was escalated to a manager, Jason, who directed me to contact General Credit Services (GCS) to resolve the matter. I called GCS, and they informed me that, since the debt had not been repaid within 20 days, it was transferred to MetCredit. I then contacted MetCredit, and they told me that they cannot contact Telus to resolve this issue on my behalf. Additionally, the MetCredit representative informed me that the interest rate on the debt is 42.58% per annum, which is an astronomical rate for a debt I should never have had to begin with. This is a complete mess, and I should not have to be dealing with the aftermath of Telus' errors.

Furthermore, I checked my credit score on Equifax on November 26, 2024, and discovered that the collection account had severely damaged my credit score. This is completely unacceptable and has caused long-term consequences for my financial standing. And as a result, I can no longer even rent a new place or find new job. My prospects have been crushed because of a series of errors that are entirely Telus’ fault, which could have been avoided if Telus had acted responsibly from the outset.

On November 28, 2024, I called Telus again to voice my concerns. The customer service representative assured me that a ticket had been created for the back office, and an investigation would be opened regarding this matter, and back office would contact me within 72 hours to resolve the situation. However, I have not received any calls till today.

I submitted a CCTS complaint on December 3, 2024 given no response was given from Telus. Telus Regulatory Department responded right away on December 5, 2024 and objected the complaint, and claiming that the matter would be forwarded to Security Department. However, it's been 2 weeks and still no one contacted me from Telus.

I called again the Telus customer service line again on December 16, 2024. The representative said he sent a new ticket to the back office, and someone would contact me within 48 hours. However, no one has be calling or emailing me regarding this matter. The lack of response from Telus has only added to my distress. I was promised that someone would contact me, but each time, I’ve been left in the dark. It is impossible to get any answers or a sense of closure. My life has been put on hold, and I feel utterly powerless in this situation.

I truly hope that Telus can now take the right steps, make the correct decisions, and take ownership of this problem.