FCC Consumer Complaints – 15 August 2018

Introduction

The Federal Communications Commission recorded 1309 consumer complaints on Wednesday, 15 August 2018 relating to telecommunications services, this represented an increase from the 1224 complaints recorded the day before. The complaints came from 52 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Unwanted Calls, accounting for 875 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
1309
States & territories reporting
52
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (875)
Most reported state/territory
California (150)

Where the complaints came from

A total of 1309 complaints were recorded on 15 August 2018, with reports originating from 864 cities in 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 150 11.5%
Texas 118 9.0%
Florida 88 6.7%
New York 82 6.3%
Ohio 51 3.9%
Georgia 49 3.7%
Illinois 47 3.6%
North Carolina 45 3.4%
New Jersey 43 3.3%
Virginia 43 3.3%
Other states and territories 585 44.7%

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date were spread across 6 complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 1057 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 1057 80.7%
Internet 126 9.6%
TV 108 8.3%
Radio 14 1.1%
Accessibility 3 0.2%
Request for Dispute Assistance 1 0.1%

Phone complaints

1057 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 80.7% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 875 82.8%
Billing 67 6.3%
Availability (including rural call completion) 39 3.7%
Equipment 23 2.2%
Junk Faxes 23 2.2%
Privacy 11 1.0%
Interference (including signal jammers) 8 0.8%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 6 0.6%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 4 0.4%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 1 0.1%

As is often the case in this category, unwanted calls were the most frequently reported issue. Further analysis of these complaints is provided below. The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability (including rural call completion) and Equipment.

Internet complaints

126 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 9.6% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 42 33.3%
Availability 33 26.2%
Speed 21 16.7%
Equipment 13 10.3%
Privacy 10 7.9%
Interference 7 5.6%

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

TV complaints

108 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.3% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 54 50.0%
Availability 25 23.1%
Indecency 11 10.2%
Equipment 8 7.4%
Loud Commercials 6 5.6%
Interference 4 3.7%

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

Unwanted calls

A total of 875 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, representing 66.8% 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
(708) 255-1525 8 0.9%
(305) 688-3448 7 0.8%
(470) 287-1634 3 0.3%
(618) 464-3520 3 0.3%
(708) 584-0067 3 0.3%
(954) 439-5786 3 0.3%
(202) 684-3248 2 0.2%
(202) 688-2962 2 0.2%
(203) 720-6741 2 0.2%
(203) 734-7890 2 0.2%

Most reported business contact numbers

Telephone number Complaints Share
(305) 688-3448 6 0.7%
(618) 464-3519 5 0.6%
(202) 688-2962 3 0.3%
(470) 287-1634 3 0.3%
(217) 883-4239 2 0.2%
(220) 201-3688 2 0.2%
(305) 674-9220 2 0.2%
(305) 720-7824 2 0.2%
(347) 955-9848 2 0.2%
(360) 203-3334 2 0.2%

Key patterns

  • Prerecorded Voice accounted for the largest share of unwanted call complaints by call type.
  • (305) 688-3448 was reported slightly more often than other business contact numbers.
  • (708) 255-1525 was reported slightly more often than other caller ID numbers.
Page last updated: 10 December 2018 with FCC complaints data from 15 August 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.