FCC Consumer Complaints – 9 January 2018

Introduction

On Tuesday, 9 January 2018, 1144 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded in the Federal Communications Commission system, complaint volume increased from 989 complaints the previous day. The complaints came from 52 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. Unwanted Calls was the most frequently reported issue, with 584 complaints recorded.

Key statistics

Total complaints
1144
States & territories reporting
52
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (584)
Most reported state/territory
California (131)

Where the complaints came from

On 9 January 2018, the 1144 complaints recorded by the Federal Communications Commission were reported from 770 cities across 52 states and territories. Overall, complaint activity was broadly distributed, with no single state or territory representing a significant proportion of the total. 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 131 11.5%
New York 103 9.0%
Florida 93 8.1%
Texas 67 5.9%
Ohio 54 4.7%
Pennsylvania 47 4.1%
Colorado 45 3.9%
Illinois 40 3.5%
Missouri 35 3.1%
Georgia 32 2.8%
Other states and territories 490 42.8%

What the complaints were about

Complaints recorded on this date related to 5 different complaint categories. Phone was the most reported category, with 792 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 792 69.2%
Internet 167 14.6%
TV 167 14.6%
Radio 16 1.4%
Emergency 2 0.2%

Phone complaints

792 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 69.2% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 584 73.7%
Billing 109 13.8%
Availability (including rural call completion) 26 3.3%
Equipment 22 2.8%
Privacy 17 2.1%
Junk Faxes 9 1.1%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 7 0.9%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 7 0.9%
Interference (including signal jammers) 6 0.8%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 3 0.4%
Rural Call Completion 2 0.3%

Unwanted calls again accounted for the largest share of complaints in this category. These reports are examined in more detail in the section below. A broad mix of issues was reported in this category, with Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment among the most common.

Internet complaints

167 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 14.6% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Equipment 45 26.9%
Billing 44 26.3%
Availability 32 19.2%
Speed 29 17.4%
Interference 6 3.6%
Open Internet/Net Neutrality 6 3.6%
Privacy 5 3.0%

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

TV complaints

167 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 14.6% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 68 40.7%
Availability 37 22.2%
Indecency 27 16.2%
Loud Commercials 17 10.2%
Equipment 13 7.8%
Interference 5 3.0%

Billing and Availability were the main issues reported in this category, while other issues were less common.

Unwanted calls

584 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, accounting for 51% of all complaints. Reports referenced both caller ID numbers and business contact numbers, with number tables shown where meaningful patterns are present.

Most reported caller ID numbers

Telephone number Complaints Share
(208) 437-8490 7 1.2%
(678) 809-0379 3 0.5%
(973) 898-3722 3 0.5%
(240) 203-8067 2 0.3%
(240) 292-1708 2 0.3%
(408) 705-2344 2 0.3%
(470) 344-1183 2 0.3%
(585) 421-6070 2 0.3%
(646) 558-6671 2 0.3%
(719) 270-2083 2 0.3%

Most reported business contact numbers

Telephone number Complaints Share
(208) 437-8490 7 1.2%
(973) 898-3722 3 0.5%
(216) 223-5874 2 0.3%
(240) 292-1708 2 0.3%
(402) 278-5113 2 0.3%
(408) 705-2344 2 0.3%
(414) 940-1349 2 0.3%
(470) 344-1183 2 0.3%
(555) 555-5555 2 0.3%
(585) 421-6070 2 0.3%

Key patterns

  • Prerecorded Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
  • (208) 437-8490 stood out as the most frequently reported business contact number.
  • (208) 437-8490 stood out as the most frequently reported caller ID number.
Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 9 January 2018.

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.