Wireless Service Consumer Ratings

Find Out Who's the Best Wireless Carrier in Your Area

To help consumers compare wireless carrier services, we show the results of two customer survey studies by J.D. Power and Associates and Consumers Union.

J.D. Power and Associates Rankings

According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2005 U.S. Wireless Regional Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Study^SM released in September 2005, overall satisfaction performance with wireless service providers has decreased 10 percent over 2004, the biggest year-over-year change since the study’s inception.

T-Mobile performs particularly well in the study, ranking highest in all six regions (including four ties), largely by demonstrating a competitive advantage in service plan options, cost of service and billing. Verizon Wireless also ranks highest in a tie in four regions: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, North Central and West. The carrier's main strengths are in the call quality and brand image dimensions.

The study measures customer satisfaction based on 42 specific service-related measures grouped into six key factors that impact overall wireless carrier performance. These are (in order of importance):

call performance and reliability (26%);
customer service (17%);
service plan options (17%);
brand image (14%);
cost of service (14%); and
billing (12%).

2005 J.D. Power and Associates' Highest Customer Satisfaction Award Recipients:

Regions*	Carrier Ranking in Highest Satisfaction (2005 Award Recipients)
Northeast	T-Mobile (tie) Verizon Wireless (tie)
Mid-Atlantic	T-Mobile (tie) Verizon Wireless (tie)
Southeast	T-Mobile
Southwest	T-Mobile
North Central	T-Mobile (tie) Verizon Wireless (tie) U.S. Cellular (tie)
West	T-Mobile (tie) Verizon Wireless (tie)

source: J.D. Power and Associates

2005 Wireless Customer Care Performance Study Results

T-Mobile has been ranked highest for wireless-customer-care performance by J.D. Power and Associates. The 2005 Wireless Customer Care Performance Study is based on responses from more than 8,300 wireless customers. Interviews were conducted in March and April.

Click here for details.

Consumers Union's Survey Results

Consumer Reports’ Annual Cell Phone Survey Shows No Meaningful Improvement In Service Since 2001 Benchmark Study.

Verizon Wireless Tops Ratings But Overall Industry Averagae Low.

Consumer Reports’ annual cell phone report released in January 2005 shows that consumers experienced chronic, major problems with service, billing, and complaint handling with every national wireless carrier. The survey, conducted last September and based on the experiences of over 39,000 ConsumerReports.org subscribers in 17 cities, indicates that overall levels of satisfaction for wireless service remain lower than for most other services that Consumer Reports rates. The report also shows that Consumer Reports’ overall satisfaction index has only nudged one point, from 65 to 66 points, since the annual survey was begun three years ago.

To see the full list of wireless carrier ratings in 17 cities, view Consumer Reports Ratings table.