Her 9-year-old used a voice remote to buy Netflix, now this Ontario mom wants to warn others

Kendra Seguin · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 21, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

When Courteney Morris received her March tv bill, she was amazed to spot an other $21 complaint for a Netflix subscription. 

Already a Netflix subscriber done the streaming service's website, the London, Ont., ma was confused wherefore she was charged for a caller relationship done her Rogers TV container – and not conscionable past month, but each period since July 2024.

After 5 hours of telephone calls betwixt her and the 2 companies, Morris said she enactment unneurotic what happened: her 9-year-old girl utilized the TV's dependable distant to acquisition a Netflix subscription.

"She clicks the button, [says] 'Netflix,' and that's it. That's each she had to do," said Morris. 

Morris' girl utilized her school-given email code to motion up for the account, but the subscription outgo was automatically billed to the family's Rogers relationship that's linked to the TV box, Morris said. 

"It has go trivially casual to marque payments done devices that successful years past, we mightiness not person utilized to marque payments," said exertion expert Carmi Levy. "Unfortunately, with kids successful the house, that makes it easier for them to marque those purchases too."

Consumers tin enactment their recognition paper accusation into TVs, astute watches, and astute speakers 1 time, Levy said, and they tin automatically usage it for each aboriginal purchases. 

"We astir apt privation to beryllium checking our monthly bills, peculiarly connected our telecommunication services arsenic good arsenic our recognition paper statements, to marque definite that we are alert of each outgo that's connected everything we've purchased," Levy said. 

In an email to CBC News, Rogers said they sent Morris 9 antithetic billing emails dating backmost to July, each of which notified her of the change. Morris admits she doesn't typically cheque each of the circumstantial charges connected each Rogers measure since she pre-pays them successful a lump sum astatine the commencement of the year. By the clip she noticed the monthly charges, she had paid a full of astir $200.

On the telephone with a Rogers typical past week, Morris said she was told the institution operates nether the presumption that the relationship holder is the 1 buying subscriptions and that she is liable for mounting up parental controls to forestall unwanted purchases.

Customers tin acceptable up a four-digit acquisition PIN for movie rentals and pay-per-view transactions, according to accusation connected the company's website. Rogers told CBC News customers besides person accusation astir mounting up parental controls erstwhile they person a TV box.

Still, Morris said, the institution should person verified her subscription erstwhile it was archetypal made. 

"There's nary notification that's sent to you; each that gets sent to you is the bill," she said, adding that by the clip the measure arrives, the subscription has already been charged. 

A informing to different parents 

Morris said she wants telecommunications companies to instrumentality a strategy that volition authenticate purchases connected customers' accounts. 

"We unrecorded successful 2025. There are truthful galore ways to person verification," she said, pointing to two-factor authentication systems wherever customers person an email oregon substance connection to corroborate their purchase.

"When I was a kid, if you went connected pay-per-view, you could not bid thing without a code, and that wasn't a 'parental thing,'" she said. "It was acceptable up due to the fact that you're making a acquisition connected your television, and you request authorization to bash so."

However, Levy said the work is connected consumers to show their purchases.

"As overmuch arsenic we privation the companies we subscribe to oregon that we bargain the TV services from would support us, the world is that the work rests with us."

That looks similar mounting up additional controls similar passwords to halt unauthorized purchases and having conversations with the full household astir avoiding buying mistakes, helium said. 

"This isn't conscionable an contented for households with kids. This is an contented for anybody who uses immoderate benignant of astute device," Levy said. "The world is you tin marque those purchases yourself, accidentally."

"At the extremity of the day, you can't kick to those companies, you request to look successful the mirror."

A typical astatine Netflix told CBC News that consumers with billing disputes connected Rogers Netflix accounts indispensable spell done Rogers for refunds arsenic that is the constituent of purchase. 

Meanwhile, Rogers gave Morris a $60 recognition to wage backmost 3 months of the subscription. She said she has present cancelled her Rogers Netflix subscription, but that won't instrumentality effect until May arsenic she has already been billed for April.

Morris said she wants her acquisition to beryllium a acquisition for others astir monitoring their bills and what's happening connected their TVs. 

"You're going to beryllium paying for it if you're not paying attention."