Would you pay Bell $2000 to rent this phone?

A couple recently discovered that they had been charged more than $2000 over a period of 30 years for a basic, corded telephone. 

Larry Heinlein and Sandra Byers had unknowingly been “renting” the phone from Bell’s Canadian holding Bell Aliant since activating their phone line in 1979.  

At the time, all customers were required to rent a telephone from the company, but nobody notified customers once the policy changed. The $5.95/month rental charge is buried in a 4-page phone bill, and is listed as “Basic Telephone”. Similar phones retail for about $10.

It is unknown how many other customers are unknowingly being charged, but most will be long-time customers such as senior citizens.  

Nevertheless, the company, which reported a profit of  $72 million last quarter, does not intend to change its billing practices. “Bell Aliant considers the current bill description satisfactory and we have no plans to change it or notify customers if they are renting sets,” they said in a recent e-mail. However, upon request, they will remove the recurring charge from a customer’s bill, and refund up to 12 months of rental fees – about $70.

Click here to read the full story of Larry and Sandra's battle to make sure nobody else unknowingly pays Bell $2000 to rent a phone or join their campaign on Facebook.