TORONTO – After sending out a tweet in support of the federal government’s proposed carbon pricing plan, Telus has issued an apology to angry customers threatening to take their business elsewhere.
The telecom giant said the tweet was not meant to be partisan or political, and apologized for it in another tweet sent today.
Within hours on Tuesday night, Telus’s offending social media high five to carbon pricing had sparked multiple responses from disgruntled people identifying themselves as customers.
Kevin Lacey, Atlantic director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, called Telus “an embarrassment” in his own tweet. He added he was a longtime customer who wanted a good phone service, not an advocate for higher taxes.
Many other individuals tweeted they would be leaving Telus and seeking alternative wireless plans from alternative providers.
Customer service representatives for telecom rivals Rogers and Bell also tweeted at Telus customers offering their services and detailing their wireless packages.
The Telus tweet on Tuesday night read: “As a founding member of @smartprosperity, we support @JustinTrudeau & @cathmckenna in putting a #PriceOnCarbon,” followed by a link to a joint statement by 22 prominent Canadian business leaders who support carbon pricing.
The apology issued by Telus seemed to do little to assuage its detractors, including Canadian investment banker and former Dragon’s Den panelist W. Brett Wilson. In response to its apology, he tweeted that Telus should “then announce that, on reflection, the model announced is ill-conceived and divisive to Canada.”
Following its initial apology, Telus sent out another tweet that read: “We take your input very seriously and your feedback will inform our sustainability policies and initiatives going forward.”