FCC Consumer Complaints – 14 July 2018

Introduction

A total of 402 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on Saturday, 14 July 2018, this was lower than the 1233 complaints recorded the day before. Complaints were reported across 46 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Unwanted Calls, accounting for 244 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
402
States & territories reporting
46
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (244)
Most reported state/territory
California (61)

Where the complaints came from

The 402 complaints recorded on 14 July 2018 were submitted from 289 cities across 46 states and territories. Complaint activity was fairly evenly distributed, with no single state or territory accounting for a large share of reports. 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 61 15.2%
Florida 35 8.7%
Washington 35 8.7%
Texas 29 7.2%
New York 26 6.5%
Virginia 18 4.5%
North Carolina 16 4.0%
Arizona 13 3.2%
Colorado 13 3.2%
Pennsylvania 12 3.0%
Other states and territories 144 35.8%

What the complaints were about

Complaints recorded on this date related to 5 different complaint categories. Phone accounted for the largest share, with 292 complaints. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 292 72.6%
Internet 62 15.4%
TV 39 9.7%
Radio 8 2.0%
Accessibility 1 0.2%

Phone complaints

292 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 72.6% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 244 83.6%
Billing 18 6.2%
Equipment 8 2.7%
Availability (including rural call completion) 7 2.4%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 6 2.1%
Privacy 4 1.4%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 2 0.7%
Interference (including signal jammers) 2 0.7%
Junk Faxes 1 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, Equipment and Availability (including rural call completion) among the most common.

Internet complaints

62 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 15.4% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 24 38.7%
Availability 10 16.1%
Interference 9 14.5%
Speed 9 14.5%
Equipment 5 8.1%
Privacy 5 8.1%

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

TV complaints

39 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 9.7% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Availability 12 30.8%
Billing 9 23.1%
Loud Commercials 5 12.8%
Indecency 4 10.3%
Interference 4 10.3%
Equipment 3 7.7%
Privacy 2 5.1%

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

Unwanted calls

A total of 244 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 60.7% 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
(206) 452-0627 5 2.0%
(516) 739-8540 5 2.0%
(412) 430-3876 3 1.2%
(518) 329-9667 3 1.2%
(954) 990-0626 3 1.2%
(208) 464-7376 2 0.8%
(786) 590-1097 2 0.8%
(202) 754-8298 1 0.4%
(202) 769-1077 1 0.4%
(202) 991-2845 1 0.4%

Key patterns

  • Prerecorded Voice was reported slightly more often than other call types.
  • Reports were spread across many different business contact numbers, with no single number dominating.
  • Several caller ID numbers were reported multiple times, with no single number clearly ahead of the others.
Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 14 July 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.