FCC Consumer Complaints – 29 January 2019

Introduction

A total of 1555 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday, 29 January 2019, complaint volume increased from 1134 complaints the day before. Complaints were reported across 53 states and territories, with California slightly ahead of the other locations. Complaints were most commonly associated with Unwanted Calls, accounting for 864 complaints.

Key statistics

Total complaints
1555
States & territories reporting
53
Most common issue
Unwanted Calls (864)
Most reported state/territory
California (154)

Where the complaints came from

Across 904 cities in 53 states and territories, a total of 1555 complaints were recorded on 29 January 2019. Complaints were spread broadly across states and territories, with no individual location contributing a significant share. At the city level, a significant concentration was observed in Arizona, where Casa grande accounted for 97 of the 133 complaints recorded.

The distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.

State/Territory Complaints
California 154 9.9%
Arizona 133 8.6%
Florida 132 8.5%
Texas 95 6.1%
New York 90 5.8%
Georgia 68 4.4%
Pennsylvania 66 4.2%
Illinois 59 3.8%
New Jersey 54 3.5%
Ohio 49 3.2%
Other states and territories 640 41.2%

Location highlights

  • A large share of complaints in Arizona originated from Casa grande, which accounted for most reports within the state.
  • California had the widest distribution of complaints, with reports originating from 112 different cities.

What the complaints were about

The complaints recorded on this date fell into 5 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 1243 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.

Complaint category Complaints Share
Phone 1243 79.9%
TV 164 10.5%
Internet 135 8.7%
Radio 12 0.8%
Accessibility 1 0.1%

Phone complaints

1243 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 79.9% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Unwanted Calls 864 69.5%
Availability (including rural call completion) 139 11.2%
Billing 125 10.1%
Equipment 42 3.4%
Privacy 22 1.8%
Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) 19 1.5%
Junk Faxes 13 1.0%
Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) 9 0.7%
Interference (including signal jammers) 9 0.7%
Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) 1 0.1%

Unwanted calls again accounted for the largest share of complaints in this category. These reports are examined in more detail in the section below. The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Availability (including rural call completion), Billing and Equipment.

TV complaints

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

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 92 56.1%
Availability 28 17.1%
Indecency 14 8.5%
Equipment 11 6.7%
Loud Commercials 8 4.9%
Interference 7 4.3%
Privacy 4 2.4%

Billing and Availability accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.

Internet complaints

135 complaints were recorded in this category, representing 8.7% of the total.

Issue Complaints Share
Billing 46 34.1%
Availability 32 23.7%
Privacy 24 17.8%
Speed 13 9.6%
Equipment 11 8.1%
Interference 9 6.7%

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

Unwanted calls

864 complaints relating to unwanted calls were recorded on this date, accounting for 55.6% 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
(682) 444-7887 10 1.2%
(706) 275-0987 4 0.5%
(630) 877-7890 3 0.3%
(800) 847-2911 3 0.3%
(801) 700-5511 3 0.3%
(904) 380-3080 3 0.3%
(305) 926-2423 2 0.2%
(307) 240-6446 2 0.2%
(315) 948-3406 2 0.2%
(321) 255-7112 2 0.2%

Most reported business contact numbers

Telephone number Complaints Share
(682) 444-7887 9 1.0%
(800) 847-2911 4 0.5%
(904) 380-3080 3 0.3%
(315) 948-3406 2 0.2%
(369) 877-4588 2 0.2%
(410) 344-7369 2 0.2%
(410) 609-4293 2 0.2%
(555) 555-5555 2 0.2%
(562) 249-1642 2 0.2%
(682) 444-7863 2 0.2%

Key patterns

  • Prerecorded Voice accounted for the largest share of unwanted call complaints by call type.
  • (682) 444-7887 stood out as the most frequently reported business contact number.
  • (682) 444-7887 stood out as the most frequently reported caller ID number.
Page last updated: 30 January 2019 with FCC complaints data from 29 January 2019.

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.