FCC Consumer Complaints – 15 December 2014

Introduction

On Monday, 15 December 2014, the Federal Communications Commission recorded 532 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services, this was higher than the 181 complaints recorded the previous day. The complaints came from 43 states and territories, with California recording the largest share of reports at 80 complaints. Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) was reported slightly more frequently than other issues.

Key statistics

Total complaints
532
States & territories reporting
43
Most common issue
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (164)
Most reported state/territory
California (80)

Where the complaints came from

On 15 December 2014, the 532 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 411 cities across 43 states and territories. The distribution of complaints was relatively even, with no single state or territory contributing a dominant share. At the city level, complaints were similarly dispersed, with no single location accounting for a notable share of the total.

The distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.

State/Territory Complaints
California 80 15.0%
Florida 40 7.5%
New York 32 6.0%
Texas 30 5.6%
Georgia 25 4.7%
Illinois 24 4.5%
New Jersey 20 3.8%
Pennsylvania 20 3.8%
Ohio 19 3.6%
Washington 19 3.6%
Other states and territories 223 41.9%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date fell into 7 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 437 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 437 82.1%
TV 46 8.6%
Internet 38 7.1%
Radio 6 1.1%
Accessibility 2 0.4%
Emergency 2 0.4%
Request for Dispute Assistance 1 0.2%

Phone complaints

437 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 82.1% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) 164 37.5%
Robocalls 118 27.0%
Billing 62 14.2%
Privacy 27 6.2%
Availability (including rural call completion) 17 3.9%
Equipment 16 3.7%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 15 3.4%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 10 2.3%
Junk Faxes 6 1.4%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 1 0.2%

Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) and Robocalls accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

TV complaints

46 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.6% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 17 37.0%
Loud Commercials 11 23.9%
Availability 6 13.0%
Equipment 6 13.0%
Indecency 6 13.0%

Billing and Loud Commercials accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

Internet complaints

38 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 7.1% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 12 31.6%
Privacy 10 26.3%
Availability 9 23.7%
Speed 7 18.4%

A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Privacy and Availability among the most common.

Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 15 December 2014.

The information presented on this page is based on consumer complaint data submitted to regulatory authorities. References to telephone numbers reflect reports made by consumers and do not confirm ownership, authenticity, or that the number was genuinely associated with the call. Caller ID information may be inaccurate or subject to spoofing.

Complaint categories, dates and complainant locations are based on the source records and may contain incomplete, approximate or user-entered information. Location details refer to the complainant’s reported location, not the location of the caller or telephone number. This content is provided for informational purposes only.