FCC Consumer Complaints – 27 September 2017

Introduction

A total of 1142 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday, 27 September 2017, this was higher than the 1065 complaints recorded the previous day. The complaints came from 51 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Unwanted Calls, accounting for 701 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
1142
States & territories reporting
51
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (701)
Most reported state/territory
California (133)

Where the complaints came from

On 27 September 2017, the 1142 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 753 cities across 51 states and territories. Complaints were relatively evenly spread across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a dominant share. A similar pattern is observed at the city level, with complaints spread across locations rather than concentrated in a single area.

The table below shows the distribution of complaints by state and territory for this date, highlighting the locations with the highest number of reports.

State/Territory Complaints
California 133 11.6%
Florida 99 8.7%
Texas 79 6.9%
New York 59 5.2%
Georgia 50 4.4%
Illinois 46 4.0%
Pennsylvania 45 3.9%
Ohio 44 3.9%
Michigan 40 3.5%
Virginia 39 3.4%
Other states and territories 506 44.3%

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 900 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 900 78.8%
TV 120 10.5%
Internet 109 9.5%
Radio 10 0.9%
Emergency 2 0.2%
Request for Dispute Assistance 1 0.1%

Phone complaints

900 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 78.8% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 701 77.9%
Billing 83 9.2%
Availability (including rural call completion) 40 4.4%
Equipment 24 2.7%
Privacy 20 2.2%
Junk Faxes 10 1.1%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 9 1.0%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 8 0.9%
Interference (including signal jammers) 4 0.4%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 1 0.1%

As is typical for this category, unwanted calls accounted for the largest share of complaints. A more detailed analysis of these reports is provided in the section below. The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment.

TV complaints

120 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 10.5% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 55 45.8%
Availability 31 25.8%
Loud Commercials 9 7.5%
Equipment 8 6.7%
Indecency 8 6.7%
Interference 5 4.2%
Privacy 4 3.3%

The largest share of complaints in this category related to Billing and Availability, with fewer reports falling into other issue types.

Internet complaints

109 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 9.5% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 42 38.5%
Availability 23 21.1%
Speed 16 14.7%
Interference 8 7.3%
Equipment 7 6.4%
Privacy 7 6.4%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 6 5.5%

The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Speed.

Unwanted calls

A total of 701 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 61.4% 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
(844) 369-3859 7 1.0%
(415) 287-6011 4 0.6%
(618) 216-1572 4 0.6%
(620) 988-6446 4 0.6%
(815) 239-6253 4 0.6%
(206) 451-5861 3 0.4%
(800) 871-3984 3 0.4%
(888) 727-1633 3 0.4%
(208) 413-8528 2 0.3%
(210) 714-7804 2 0.3%

Most reported business contact numbers

Telephone number Complaints Share
(844) 369-3859 9 1.3%
(800) 871-3984 5 0.7%
(815) 239-6253 4 0.6%
(844) 313-4104 4 0.6%
(605) 836-7212 3 0.4%
(618) 318-8984 3 0.4%
(844) 213-4104 3 0.4%
(888) 719-0920 3 0.4%
(210) 714-7804 2 0.3%
(213) 784-4794 2 0.3%

Key patterns

  • Prerecorded Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
  • (844) 369-3859 was reported slightly more often than other business contact numbers.
  • (844) 369-3859 was reported slightly more often than other caller ID numbers.
Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 27 September 2017.

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.