In 2018, the Minister of Industry in the federal government of Canada, Naveet Baines, launched an inquiry into “aggressive and misleading telecommunications sales practices”. This inquiry ensued after a series of news stories on the topic revealed the prevalence of these practices in Canada. One of the groups that journalists, and industry whistle blowers, identified as most likely to be targeted were ‘seniors’. Former sales personnel spoke of “golden lists”, a pejorative term for older customers seen as providing an opportunity to be sold more extensive and expensive digital packages. As one employee wrote: “I know all about Golden Lists and targeting seniors and the mentally challenged. You know exactly where you're calling and it's a celebration when you hit these demographics” (Johnson, 2018). The Canadian telecommunications industry maintains that the occurrence of these practices is not wide-spread and insist that the problem is perpetuated by a few unscrupulous ‘individuals’ and it is experienced by a few individuals. The debates in the comments sections, as well as interviews with 53 Canadian adults over the age of 64 suggests otherwise. Seventy-five percent of our interviewees recounted some form of negative encounter with this industry. Likewise, data from Ipsos indicates that 40% of all Canadians, at a minimum, experience misleading or aggressive tactics (CRTC, 2018). This paper will examine the testimonials left behind in the commentary sections, as well as interview data. These written and oral testimonies indicate that misleading and aggressive sales practices are alarmingly widespread in Canada, as well as the contempt in which respondents hold our regulatory agency, the CRTC (Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission). I will discuss these testimonials, which in addition to anger with the industry, reveal the very human impacts of these practices on older adults, how older adults attempt to deal with these disadvantages, and the dilemmas faced by workers in the sales departments of the telecommunications industry who are forced to engage in these practices in order to retain their jobs: a form of systemic ageism in the industry.
Note on format: 'Golden Lists' will be presented virtually. The video presentation will be made using iMovie and will present images of the testimonials with my voice over.
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