FCC Consumer Complaints – 30 October 2016

Introduction

On Sunday, 30 October 2016, 388 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, this represented a decline from the 429 complaints recorded the previous day. Complaints were reported across 42 states and territories, and Florida generated the highest number of submissions with 98 complaints. Unwanted Calls was reported slightly more frequently than other issues.

Key statistics

Total complaints
388
States & territories reporting
42
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (127)
Most reported state/territory
Florida (98)

Where the complaints came from

The 388 complaints recorded on 30 October 2016 originated from 277 cities across 42 states and territories. Compared with most days, complaint activity was more concentrated, with Florida contributing the largest share of complaints. No single city accounted for a significant proportion of the complaints recorded on this date.

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

State/Territory Complaints
Florida 98 25.3%
California 47 12.1%
New York 19 4.9%
Texas 19 4.9%
Maryland 18 4.6%
Georgia 17 4.4%
Michigan 16 4.1%
Illinois 15 3.9%
North Carolina 13 3.4%
Washington 13 3.4%
Other states and territories 113 29.1%

Location highlight

Florida had the widest distribution of complaints, with reports originating from 58 different cities.

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date fell into 6 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 201 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 201 51.8%
Internet 107 27.6%
TV 56 14.4%
Radio 21 5.4%
Emergency 2 0.5%
Accessibility 1 0.3%

Phone complaints

201 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 51.8% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 127 63.2%
Billing 34 16.9%
Availability (including rural call completion) 11 5.5%
Equipment 8 4.0%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 7 3.5%
Privacy 5 2.5%
Interference (including signal jammers) 3 1.5%
Junk Faxes 2 1.0%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 2 1.0%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 2 1.0%

As is often the case in this category, unwanted calls were the most frequently reported issue. Further analysis of these complaints is provided below. Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment.

Internet complaints

107 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 27.6% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 36 33.6%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 22 20.6%
Availability 16 15.0%
Speed 15 14.0%
Interference 8 7.5%
Equipment 6 5.6%
Privacy 4 3.7%

Complaints in this category covered a range of issues, including Billing, Open Internet/Net Neutrality and Availability.

TV complaints

56 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 14.4% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 20 35.7%
Availability 13 23.2%
Indecency 8 14.3%
Loud Commercials 8 14.3%
Equipment 4 7.1%
Interference 3 5.4%

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

Unwanted calls

A total of 127 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 32.7% of all complaints. Caller ID and business contact numbers are shown below where sufficient data is available.

Most reported caller ID numbers

Telephone number Complaints Share
(850) 692-8796 59 46.5%
(619) 702-8483 2 1.6%
(917) 856-5878 2 1.6%
(202) 795-1941 1 0.8%
(202) 864-1697 1 0.8%
(207) 420-8904 1 0.8%
(207) 932-2730 1 0.8%
(212) 238-6230 1 0.8%
(248) 997-4248 1 0.8%
(310) 259-3265 1 0.8%

Most reported business contact numbers

Telephone number Complaints Share
(850) 692-8796 18 14.2%
(202) 795-1941 1 0.8%
(202) 864-1697 1 0.8%
(207) 420-8904 1 0.8%
(414) 448-1304 1 0.8%
(480) 269-9633 1 0.8%
(580) 768-1963 1 0.8%
(617) 648-5754 1 0.8%
(619) 702-8483 1 0.8%
(716) 247-4493 1 0.8%

Key patterns

  • Prerecorded Voice accounted for the largest share of unwanted call complaints by call type.
  • (850) 692-8796 stood out as the most frequently reported business contact number.
  • (850) 692-8796 stood out as the most frequently reported caller ID number.
Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 30 October 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.