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Manitoba to ban negative option billing
By ILSTV Staff on May 25, 2010 in Canadian Government
Manitoba is set to join other provinces such as Ontario in banning negative-option billing. The NDP government is proposing legislation that would disallow companies from charging consumers for services they didn’t ask for.
Penalties would range up to $300,000 in fines. Negative-option billing stirred controversy across Canada in the 1990s when some cable companies gave customers free television channels for a trial period. Customers were then charged for the extra channels unless they specifically requested they be removed.
Under Manitoba’s proposed law, consumers would have up to one year to demand a refund for anything they inadvertently paid for through negative marketing.
