Quebec court dismisses call centre case against Shaw

The Quebec Superior Court has dismissed a case against Shaw Communications Inc.’s satellite business in the province related to the termination of a third-party contract for call centre services. The plaintiffs, Opportunités d’Affaires Telecommunications VR Inc. (Tele VR) and its sole shareholder, Vincenzo Russo, claimed that Shaw illegally and prematurely terminated a two-year contract in which the former were expected to market and sell Shaw products from its call centre. Shaw had previously not had an outbound calling service in the province, according to court documents dated Nov. 17. Tele VR was seeking $1 million in damages, which included forecasted sales commissions, and Russo himself sought $2.4 million in damages based on two lost opportunities with BCE Inc. to deliver the same services, which he refused in light of the agreement with Shaw. Shaw argued that there was no two-year contract and that the verbal agreement amounted to a trial of services, in which Shaw would evaluate the churn numbers after sales were made. It said it was in its legal right to terminate the agreement at any time and it did so based on high churn numbers, among other issues. Judge Chantal Chatelain sided with Shaw, saying that the plaintiffs couldn’t prove that the agreement was for a two-year term; and that the signed non-disclosure agreement, which stated within that it was for “evaluating a potential business relationship,” was a separate contract from the “agreement.” The court also ruled that the terminated agreement was not based on “bad faith or ulterior motives” but on “sound administrative, financial and economical reasons.” The court dismissed the rest of Tele VR’s claims of loss of opportunity — because it could not prove the existence of a two-year contract — and loss of projected sales commission. Chatelain determined that Russo could not prove that such business opportunities existed or that $2.4 million could be gained out of them.

Quebec court dismisses call centre case against Shaw

Brief | November 22, 2016

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us

Quebec court dismisses call centre case against Shaw

Brief | November 22, 2016

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

Related Stories

Rogers backs Bell’s SRDU request while creatives oppose

Bell asks CRTC to lift regulations on satellite TV distributors

Telesat provides satellite lessor capacity

No plans to change alerts system, for now: CRTC

Reuse & Permissions

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us