Most wireless complaints billing-related, FCC report says

Nearly 3,100 consumers complained to the FCC’s Consumer Information Bureau (CIB, www.fcc.gov/cib/) about wireless services during the third quarter of this year. More than half of them had billing-related gripes.

The CIB has released its first quarterly consumer-complaint-and-inquiry report listing the top complaints about telecommunications services. For both wireless and wireline carriers, billing grievances ranked number one.

In the wireless category, billing complaints ranged from disputes about actual vs. billed airtime charges to disputes about roaming rates or call rounding. Concerns about marketing and advertising misrepresentations came in a distant second, with slightly more than 400 complaints lodged.

The other top complaints about wireless service were: disputes about early service termination; unauthorized, misleading or deceptive charges on the bill; equipment problems and service quality issues, including coverage shortages within the stated service area.

“The statistics in this report will allow CIB to play a proactive role in alerting the commission to potential problems that may require further consumer education efforts or policy changes,” said CIB Chief K. Dane Snowden in a press statement.

The CIB highlighted the top complaint categories to educate consumers about potential problems as they shop for telecommunications services and to give carriers a way to target problem business components.

The bureau also shares complaint details with the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau and other FCC offices and bureaus. By reviewing complaint trends, FCC bureaus and offices can determine whether the FCC needs to take additional steps to protect consumers from certain service or business-practice problems.