FCC Consumer Complaints – 7 August 2016

Introduction

A total of 332 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on Sunday, 7 August 2016, complaint volume fell from 448 complaints the previous day. Complaints were reported across 46 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Billing was reported slightly more frequently than other issues.

Key statistics

Total complaints
332
States & territories reporting
46
Most common issue
Billing (62)
Most reported state/territory
California (42)

Where the complaints came from

A total of 332 complaints were recorded on 7 August 2016, with reports originating from 271 cities in 46 states and territories. Activity was spread across states and territories, with no single location accounting for a substantial share of complaints. This pattern continues at the city level, where complaints were distributed across multiple locations without a single city standing out.

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

State/Territory Complaints
California 42 12.7%
Florida 29 8.7%
Texas 22 6.6%
Maryland 20 6.0%
New York 20 6.0%
Illinois 16 4.8%
Georgia 12 3.6%
New Jersey 12 3.6%
Pennsylvania 12 3.6%
Tennessee 11 3.3%
Other states and territories 136 41.0%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date fell into 5 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 137 complaints. This was followed by Internet, which accounted for 91 complaints.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 137 41.3%
Internet 91 27.4%
TV 87 26.2%
Radio 16 4.8%
Accessibility 1 0.3%

Phone complaints

137 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 41.3% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) 54 39.4%
Robocalls 23 16.8%
Billing 19 13.9%
Equipment 11 8.0%
Availability (including rural call completion) 9 6.6%
Privacy 7 5.1%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 5 3.6%
Interference (including signal jammers) 3 2.2%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 3 2.2%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 1 0.7%
Junk Faxes 1 0.7%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 1 0.7%

Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing), Robocalls and Billing.

Internet complaints

91 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 27.4% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Availability 27 29.7%
Billing 26 28.6%
Speed 14 15.4%
Interference 8 8.8%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 6 6.6%
Equipment 5 5.5%
Privacy 5 5.5%

Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Availability, Billing and Speed.

TV complaints

87 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 26.2% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Indecency 31 35.6%
Availability 19 21.8%
Billing 17 19.5%
Loud Commercials 9 10.3%
Equipment 8 9.2%
Interference 3 3.4%

Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Indecency, Availability and Billing.

Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 7 August 2016.

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.