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FCC Revamps Customer Complaint System

Posted by samzenpus on from the how-do-you-like-us-now? dept.

blottsie writes The FCC has heard your complaints, and it's finally going to make it easier to file more complaints. The Federal Communications Commission on Monday announced the launch of its Consumer Help Center, which according to a press release will feature a "streamlined, user-friendly complaint filing system," the "ability for consumers to monitor complaints, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week," and "faster delivery of complaints to service providers, enabling them to respond to consumers sooner."

41 comments

  1. FCC complaint system autoresponder by JoeyRox · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Thank you for contacting the FCC regarding your complaint. An industry-appointed representative will work quickly resolve your problem in a manner congruent with the monied corporate interests that run of our organization"

    1. Re:FCC complaint system autoresponder by Cardoor · · Score: 2

      reminds me of that south park episode.. "Thank you ladies and gentlemen. If there are any questions, you may direct them to that brick wall over there."

  2. feeding the trolls by Cardoor · · Score: 1

    don't like something on tv? now there's an app for that... initiate 4 billion complaints in under 10 seconds! just what the government 'surveys' of what the 'people want' ordered

    1. Re:feeding the trolls by Trepidity · · Score: 1

      Yeah, the FCC has a bit of a garbage-in, garbage-out problem with the whole complaint system. The proportion of knowledgeable complaints about things like signal interference or fraudulent business practices is pretty low. Lots more people use the FCC complaint system to file a complaint about curse words or a flash of a breast on network TV.

      --
      10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
    2. Re:feeding the trolls by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      Curse words and titty flashes? Think of the children.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    3. Re:feeding the trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Pedophile

    4. Re:feeding the trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thanks for the warning. I'll make a point to avoid you. What's your address?

      Captcha: punitive

  3. Route to /dev/null - problem solved. by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 2

    >> "streamlined, user-friendly complaint filing system"

    File all you want, we'll route 'em all to /dev/null. Problem solved, right?

    1. Re:Route to /dev/null - problem solved. by antdude · · Score: 1

      Yep, or they will just misplace them like last time: http://yro.slashdot.org/story/... ... :(

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  4. Is it too late..? by mamba69 · · Score: 1

    Is it too late to stop Comcast merger?

    1. Re:Is it too late..? by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 1

      As of Nov. 2014, yes.

  5. Help by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can't fill out the form because my Comcast connection is loading fcc.gov at 300 baud.

    1. Re:Help by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow! I see you got Comcast's Extreme Internet plan... Comcast gave me 2 cups and string, and told me to fork over the money.

    2. Re:Help by ubrgeek · · Score: 1

      And for SSL you wrap tinfoil around the string, right?

      --
      Bark less. Wag more.
  6. Must have been too hard to ignore before by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This time, that'll be fixed.

  7. Slowed to 1bit/year without NN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why do I get a feeling this form will be slowed down to 1 bit/year if carrier detects your complaining?

    1. Re:Slowed to 1bit/year without NN by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 2

      That's completely not true. Comcast is working hard on improving transmission speeds over their slow speed lanes. They're going to have facilities on the peaks of mountain ranges that transmit the information via semaphore flags.

    2. Re:Slowed to 1bit/year without NN by Ackmo · · Score: 1

      I wish they would hurry up. I want to download "Wuthering Heights".

    3. Re:Slowed to 1bit/year without NN by Peter+Simpson · · Score: 1

      That's completely not true. Comcast is working hard on improving transmission speeds over their slow speed lanes. They're going to have facilities on the peaks of mountain ranges that transmit the information via semaphore flags.

      I believe they're in full compliance with RFC1149. https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc11...

  8. Just what we need by bughunter · · Score: 2

    So now it's that much easier for some sexually repressed prude to complain they saw a nipple at halftime or something, and ruin it for the rest of us.

    Apparently, complainers like that were the only ones motivated enough to overcome the obstacles in the existing complaint system. Make it easier, and they'll hammer it like a /b/tard on the F5 key

    --
    I can see the fnords!
    1. Re:Just what we need by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 1

      So now it's that much easier for some sexually repressed prude to complain they saw a nipple at halftime or something, and ruin it for the rest of us.

      That's already happened at a public library.

    2. Re:Just what we need by guises · · Score: 2

      A lot of people here are confusing the comment system, where people comment on pending FCC action, with the complaint system, where people notify the FCC when they see what they perceive as a violation of FCC censorship policy. As you say, streamlined complaints likely means increased censorship. An effective protest might be to complain about censorship - file a complaint whenever someone gets bleeped or they blur a person's middle finger. If the people doing this ever became a large majority of the complaints that the FCC receives it might induce some change on the matter.

    3. Re:Just what we need by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In the old days, /b/ would have raided the shit out of this for the lolz. Now they are busy taking down video game servers as advertising for their crap ddos services and extorting money out of people.

  9. The phone menus by TWX · · Score: 1

    "Thank you for calling the Federal Communications Commission. Please select an option from the menu or say outloud what you would like to do"

    "File a complaint."

    "I'm sorry, I didn't understand that."

    "FILE a comPLAINT!"

    "I'm sorry, I didn't understand that."

    "Goddamn this menu system, I SAID I WANTED TO FILE A COMPLAINT!"

    "You said that you want to compain about our menu system. Forwarding you to the suggestion box, so that you make express your concerns with the Federal Communications Department before hanging up."

    "GODDAMMIT SO MUCH! THIS SYSTEM SUCKS!"

    Your concern has been recorded and will be submitted for consideration to improve our systems. Thank you for calling the Federal Communications Commission. Good bye!"

    "FUUUUUUUUUU..."

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    1. Re:The phone menus by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sounds like Apple's VRU! It doesn't understand the word MacBook. I guess laptops aren't important products to Apple.

    2. Re:The phone menus by TWX · · Score: 1
      I have a list of products for you to try, just for the lulz...
      1. iBook
      2. eMac
      3. PowerPC
      4. Powerbook
      5. All-in-one
      6. Quadra
      7. Centris
      8. Xserve
      9. Laserwriter
      10. Imagewriter
      11. Performa
      12. eMate
      13. Newton
      14. LC
      15. Mac Plus
      16. Mac SE/30
      17. IIci
      18. A/UX

      Just curious if any of these work, at all.

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    3. Re:The phone menus by iron-kurton · · Score: 1

      My state disability office has an INSANE menu that takes about 15 minutes to get through. I mean, the voice says "it will be easier to manager your claim if you go to... H... T... T... P... S... colon... forward... slash... forward... slash... double-u, double-u, double-u, dot..., (but of course their website is useless) and each "..." is about a 1 second pause. Finally, you get to an option called "Speak to a representative" and I get this:

      "The number of active callers has exceeded the capacity of our phone system. Please try your call again later. Goodbye." and hangs up.

      *desk flip*

      --
      Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine -- Robert C. Gallagher
    4. Re:The phone menus by TWX · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately, by using an SSL site without having a non-SSL site provide a redirect, they make it a lot harder for your average person to figure out how to go there, hence the insane URL read-off.

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    5. Re:The phone menus by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you sure it didn't say press #1 for English first?

  10. Technology! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Now, instead of your complaint being printed by a printer that feeds directly into a paper shredder, your complaint will be shredded digitally for greater efficiency!

    1. Re:Technology! by dl_sledding · · Score: 1

      That's the proof that environmental whackos (greenies) have invaded the corporate bureaucracy. However, I am not sure how they are going to forward their "big government" plan, if they are laying off the three or four guys that would NORMALLY take the shredded remains to the incinerator...

      Maybe they'll continue their jobs emptying the bit bucket?

  11. The FCC deleted +50% of comments on Net Neutrality by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They can go fuck themselves.

  12. Just in time by T.E.D. · · Score: 1

    ...just in time to for the entire system to become completely irrelevant, because almost nobody gets their media broadcast over public airwaves anymore.

  13. Contest Proposal: by sabbede · · Score: 1
    I propose a contest to see who can post the funniest joke about this. An "improved" government website is a joke machine in and of itself, but this is also the FCC, post healthcare.gov, and a complaints page to boot!

    To call this a comedic goldmine would surely understate the matter.

    So far, the only prize I have to offer is the satisfaction of making me laugh.

  14. Can't say I bother anymore by Rigel47 · · Score: 1

    I used to file complaints regularly with the FCC when I got bogus pre-recorded calls to my cell phone promising a free cruise or whatever. After years of doing this I've concluded the FCC straight up sucks at enforcement.

    I'm sure if you ran an illegal 15 watt FM transmitter they'd spare no expense to find you but as to stopping these robo-calling dirtbags? Seems like they couldn't care less.

  15. I filed so many 1088's with the FCC... by bswarm · · Score: 2

    And absolutely nothing was done. The Do Not Call list is a joke, I think telemarketers use it to make more calls. I finally said "F" it, and cancelled my landline. No one but family gets my cell phone number, everyone else gets my google call number and can only leave a message.

  16. redirect output by nobuddy · · Score: 1

    /dev/null

    Complaint system is much faster now.

  17. maybe they should fix the phone system instead by c5402dc53929211e1efb · · Score: 1

    why is it still possible for telemarketers to block their number from showing up on my phone, or to spoof it?

    1. Re:maybe they should fix the phone system instead by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because people become impatient and dishonest with themselves just barely often enough to make it worth their while to bribe companies/congress into letting them get away with it. If everyone was simply extremely honest with these guys, the trauma of working for a telemarketer would become too physically painful for anyone to endure.

  18. It wouldn't be so bad, except.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The web site is designed by the people who brought you Health.gov