Rogers Communications is denying online accusations that it charges its internet customers for internal traffic on their routers, even if that traffic doesn’t use the Rogers network.
Several users of the social news site Reddit claim Rogers charged them for traffic on their local area network — traffic moving between computers on a Rogers-issued home router but which doesn’t go through Rogers’ internet infrastructure.
One Reddit user told The Huffington Post Canada he noticed his internet usage count jump by 50 gigabytes last month during a period when he was hardly surfing the web — but had transferred 50 gigabytes’ worth of data from one computer to another using a router.
The customer, who declined to be named in this article to protect his online anonymity, said a Rogers customer service rep told him the company charges for all traffic on a subscriber’s home network, regardless of whether it goes through Rogers’ network.
“In my opinion this is outright theft,” he said.
He said Rogers offered him a lower monthly price and a higher download limit when he complained, but he still plans to switch internet service providers.
Rogers vehemently denies this is happening.
“The only traffic that is counted towards the monthly usage allowance is the traffic that leaves the customer’s modem and goes across the Rogers network,” a Rogers spokesperson told The Huffington Post Canada in an email.
“If a customer is moving a file from one computer to another within their home that usage is not counted against their monthly usage allowance.”
The spokesperson said the Rogers customer service rep who said this is happening “was misinformed.” The company is asking customers to reach out to them directly if they have concerns about their account.
Whether or not the problem exists, it would only affect Rogers home customers who transfer large amounts of data on local area networks.
Another Reddit user who claimed they had “the exact same thing” happen to them said a faulty Rogers modem was to blame.
“Once they replaced the modem, I stopped getting charged for internal data,” Reddit user “MaxxDelusional” wrote.
But Rogers says usage collection and billing is not dependent on the type of modem a subscriber has.
"Customers who use a combination modem and router are not charged for any usage incurred internally," Rogers said. "With so many devices connected in the home, perhaps there is another device in their homes that’s connected to the internet."
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