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Ottawa, 22 July 2011

Mr. Orlando Sabas Arroyo Marroquin
Marketing 4 Sunset Group s.a. de c.v.
Blvd. Kukulkan km. 10
Benito Juarez, Quintana Roo
Mexico
77500

 

Dear Mr. Marroquin:

 

RE: Telemarketing calls to consumers in Canada

 

The Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC, by its acronym in the English language) regulates telemarketing in Canada. It has come to our attention that over the past two years, the Mexico-based company, Cancun Unlimited s.a. de c.v. (Cancun Unlimited), and its affiliates, including Marketing for Sunset and Premier Cancun Vacations, have been contacting consumers in Canada via telemarketing telecommunications in a manner that allegedly violate the Canadian Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules (the Rules).

The CRTC wishes to inform Cancun Unlimited of allegations against it and its affiliates, made by Canadian consumers, and the results of the investigation carried out by the CRTC into the alleged activities.  In addition, the CRTC wishes to inform Cancun Unlimited that it has been working with the Mexican Consumer Protection Agency (PROFECO) in this matter.

With the assistance of PROFECO, the CRTC is seeking to inform Cancun Unlimited and its affiliates of the steps that should be taken to ensure that their telemarketing activities to consumers in Canada are in compliance with the Rules, and thus, avoid the issuance a Notice of Violation and an Administrative Monetary Penalty.

Background

Over the past several years, the CRTC has received over 12,000 consumer complaints connected to telemarketing calls made by Cancun Unlimited and its affiliates to consumers residing in Canada. These complaints triggered the CRTC’s investigation into Cancun Unlimited’s telemarketing activities in October 2009. 

The CRTC’s investigation into the telemarketing activities of Cancun Unlimited and its affiliates to consumers in Canada concluded that:

In addition to the CRTC’s formal investigation into consumer complaints, several well-known Canadian corporations have informed the CRTC that they have also received complaints of calls where the caller claimed to be associated with the Canadian company even though it had no business relationship with Cancun Unlimited or any of its affiliates.  In particular, the CRTC has also been informed by a large Canadian company that its customers received between 30,000 and 40,000 calls per day from “spoofed” (or fake) telecommunications numbers that were displayed on the consumers’ call displays, also contrary to our Rules.

Violations of the Rules

Based on the above, the CRTC wishes to inform Cancun Unlimited that it has committed the following violations of the Rules

1) Contacting consumers via automated dialing-announcing device (ADAD)

2) Violations relating to the National Do Not Call List (National DNCL)

3) Other concerns

Next steps

The CRTC has concluded that Cancun Unlimited and its affiliates are responsible for making the telemarketing calls and for violating the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules mentioned above.  In the spirit of cross-border law enforcement cooperation, the CRTC has requested that PROFECO organize a meeting between PROFECO, the CRTC and Cancun Unlimited to discuss compliance with all relevant Canadian legislation going forward and come to a resolution with regard to the CRTC’s concerns. A standard agreement will be drafted and distributed for your consideration at this meeting.

We trust that this letter clarifies the situation and the CRTC’s position, and we hope that through cooperation and an engagement by Cancun Unlimited for future compliance, we can reach an agreement to avoid the need for further enforcement action.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

Original Signed by

 

Andrea Rosen
Chief Compliance and Enforcement Officer

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