Does shock, anger or confusion best describe your reaction to your cellphone bill? Wendy Mesley, host of MARKETPLACE, investigates the story behind huge bills many Canadians rack up from using their cellphones. For several months, MARKETPLACE has collected bills and stories from Canadians about the astronomical and sometimes mystifying charges they have received. On Canada’s Worst Cellphone Bill, airing Friday, March 5 at 8:30 p.m. (9 NT) on MARKETPLACE, Mesley announces Canada’s winner – or maybe loser – who has really been put through the wringer by their phone company.
After careful review, MARKETPLACE has whittled the bills down to a handful of finalists, with three being put to a nationwide poll commissioned by Angus Reid Strategies. One thousand Canadians (18 years or older) voted online for the story that best demonstrates the frustration consumers face from their cellphone carrier companies.
In this episode viewers also learn how much cell service actually costs and how little it costs their carriers. Mesley even speaks with the bill-holder’s cellphone company.
Below are highlights for new episodes on MARKETPLACE this season:
March 12
Who’s Minding the Store? Erica Johnson investigates the newest way thieves are stealing your credit and debit card information. In the Busted segment of this episode, MARKETPLACE targets private umbilical cord-blood banks.
March 19
Erica Johnson reveals many nursing homes are not equipped with sprinklers. And MARKETPLACE investigates American-based charities that offer debt counseling advice in Canada.
March 26
Erica Johnson investigates the widely advertised decompression therapy for back pain. In the Busted segment of this episode Lysol gets a deep cleaning.
April 2
Erica Johnson tests fish with surprising results and in the Busted segment this week MARKETPLACE investigates cellphone radiation.
April 9
Wendy Mesley investigates how insurance companies are sneaking a peek at your personal credit scores to raise your home insurance, and this episode’s Busted targets labeling.
MARKETPLACE airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m. (9 NT) on CBC-TV and rebroadcasts on CBC News Network Saturdays, at 5:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. PT).
