FCC Consumer Complaints – 6 October 2018
Introduction
A total of 473 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on Saturday, 6 October 2018, complaint volume fell from 1239 complaints the day before. The complaints came from 49 states and territories, with California reporting a modestly higher count than the other locations. Unwanted Calls was the most frequently reported issue, with 269 complaints recorded.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 473
- States & territories reporting
- 49
- Most common issue
- Unwanted Calls (269)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (61)
Where the complaints came from
Reports recorded on 6 October 2018 show 473 complaints originating from 352 cities across 49 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 | 12.9% |
| Texas | 44 | 9.3% |
| Florida | 38 | 8.0% |
| New York | 27 | 5.7% |
| New Jersey | 19 | 4.0% |
| Ohio | 19 | 4.0% |
| Colorado | 18 | 3.8% |
| Georgia | 15 | 3.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 15 | 3.2% |
| Missouri | 14 | 3.0% |
| Other states and territories | 203 | 42.9% |
Location highlight
California had the widest distribution of complaints, with reports originating from 46 different cities.
What the complaints were about
Complaints recorded on this date related to 5 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 330 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 330 | 69.8% |
| Internet | 64 | 13.5% |
| TV | 64 | 13.5% |
| Radio | 14 | 3.0% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 1 | 0.2% |
Phone complaints
330 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 69.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unwanted Calls | 269 | 81.5% |
| Billing | 17 | 5.2% |
| Equipment | 14 | 4.2% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 10 | 3.0% |
| Privacy | 8 | 2.4% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 5 | 1.5% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 2 | 0.6% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 2 | 0.6% |
| Junk Faxes | 2 | 0.6% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 1 | 0.3% |
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, Equipment and Availability (including rural call completion).
Internet complaints
64 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 13.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 21 | 32.8% |
| Availability | 11 | 17.2% |
| Privacy | 10 | 15.6% |
| Speed | 10 | 15.6% |
| Equipment | 6 | 9.4% |
| Interference | 6 | 9.4% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Privacy.
TV complaints
64 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 13.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 23 | 35.9% |
| Availability | 15 | 23.4% |
| Equipment | 9 | 14.1% |
| Indecency | 7 | 10.9% |
| Loud Commercials | 5 | 7.8% |
| Privacy | 3 | 4.7% |
| Interference | 2 | 3.1% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Equipment.
Unwanted calls
There were 269 complaints relating to unwanted calls on this date, representing 56.9% of all complaints. Caller ID and business contact number details are listed below where there is enough concentration to make the data meaningful.
Most reported caller ID numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (843) 742-3514 | 6 | 2.2% |
| (916) 756-3608 | 6 | 2.2% |
| (718) 568-2230 | 3 | 1.1% |
| (816) 245-7360 | 2 | 0.7% |
| (201) 215-1004 | 1 | 0.4% |
| (201) 215-1468 | 1 | 0.4% |
| (201) 215-1525 | 1 | 0.4% |
| (201) 215-1542 | 1 | 0.4% |
| (201) 215-6362 | 1 | 0.4% |
| (202) 738-1558 | 1 | 0.4% |
Most reported business contact numbers
| Telephone number | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| (843) 742-3514 | 6 | 2.2% |
| (916) 756-3608 | 6 | 2.2% |
| (718) 568-2230 | 3 | 1.1% |
| (469) 687-9560 | 2 | 0.7% |
| (614) 305-7565 | 2 | 0.7% |
| (805) 637-7243 | 2 | 0.7% |
| (859) 286-5591 | 2 | 0.7% |
| (201) 215-1404 | 1 | 0.4% |
| (201) 215-1518 | 1 | 0.4% |
| (201) 215-5715 | 1 | 0.4% |
Key patterns
- Prerecorded Voice accounted for the largest share of unwanted call complaints by call type.
- Several business contact numbers were reported multiple times, with no single number clearly ahead of the others.
- Several caller ID numbers were reported multiple times, with no single number clearly ahead of the others.
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.