Heather Gunn-LaBrie is still paying off a surprise $5,000 Bell bill for long distance and talk minutes charges, racked up by her 16-year-old son late last year. A newly released survey commissioned by the CRTC — Canada's telecom regulator — suggests many Canadians struggle with surprise wireless charges. However, when it comes to texting, or — in Gunn-LaBrie's case — long distance and talk minutes charges, the same regulations don't apply. 'Pernicious pricing mechanism'Consumer advocate John Lawford believes the CRTC's rules for data and roaming charges should apply to all wireless fees. Respondents in the latest CRTC-commissioned survey cited long distance fees as the third biggest reason for customers' bill shock, following data and roaming charges.

Source: CBC News March 31, 2019 07:52 UTC