Which Wireless Service Is Best In Your Area?

Customer Satisfaction Study Results Help You Compare Carriers

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 2006 U.S. Wireless Regional Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Study

According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 U.S. Wireless Regional Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) StudySM released in April 2006, overall customer satisfaction with wireless service providers has increased significantly from 2005 as customers react to new service offerings and aggressive pricing strategies.

Carriers are ranked across six regions in the United States: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, North Central, Southwest and West.

T-Mobile ranks highest in all six regions (including five ties), performing particularly well in service plan options, cost of service and billing.

Verizon Wireless ranks highest in ties in five regions: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, North Central and West. Verizon Wireless’s main strengths are in the areas of call quality and brand image dimensions.

U.S. Cellular ranks highest in a tie with Verizon and T-Mobile in the North Central region.

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%).

Over the past three-year period, overall satisfaction has fluctuated significantly as changes in the industry, such as the recent carrier mergers, have influenced the customer experience. The study finds satisfaction has improved 3 percent from 2005, with particular improvements in the areas where the industry has been aggressively marketing new services and offering more attractive pricing options. For example, the service plan options and cost of service factors receive the largest increase in satisfaction ratings from 2005.

2006 J.D. Power and Associates' Highest Customer Satisfaction Award Recipients:

Regions* Carrier Ranking in Highest Satisfaction (2006 Award Recipients) Northeast T-Mobile (tie) Verizon Wireless (tie) Mid-Atlantic T-Mobile (tie) Verizon Wireless (tie) Southeast T-Mobile (tie) Verizon Wireless (tie) 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

* Regions
• Northeast Region includes: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.
• Mid-Atlantic Region includes: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
• Southeast Region includes: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
• North Central Region includes: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.
• Southwest Region includes: Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.
• West Region includes: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming.

2006 Wireless Customer Care Performance Study Results

T-Mobile has been ranked highest for wireless-customer-care performance by J.D. Power and Associates. The 2006 Wireless Customer Care Performance Study is based on responses from more than 13,970 wireless customers.

Click here for details.

Consumers Union's Survey Results

Consumer Reports’ Annual Cell Phone Survey released in the January 2007 issue shows that call quality remains an aggravation for many cell phone users. In fact, 54 percent of the survery respondents who switched carriers during the past three years attributed their decision to poor phone service, including dropped calls and no service at home.

Verizon Wireless Tops Ratings.

Verizon came out at or near the top in the 20 metropolitan areas, as it has in years past. But Alltel is emerging as a formidable challenger. T-Mobile is also giving Verizon a run for its (and your) money.

The publication says that 43,000 wireless subscribers in 20 markets participated in surveys used to create the ratings. The survey covered key service issues such as call quality, how well inquiries and complaints were handled, and billing problems. The survey was conducted in September 2006.

Some other highlights from the survey include:

• Cell service still leaves a lot to be desired. As a group, cellular carriers scored only 66 on a scale of 0 to 100 for overall satisfaction. (A 100 would mean that all readers were completely satisfied.)
   
• Call quality remains an aggravation for many cell phone users. In fact, 54 percent of respondents who switched carriers during the past three years attributed their decision to poor phone service, including dropped calls and no service at home.
   
• Most consumers aren’t ready to give up their landlines and go all wireless, all the time. Someday that may happen, but probably not until cell-service quality improves significantly and its 911 issues are more fully resolved. This year 5 percent of the respondents said that they currently have a cell phone but no landline at home.

Consumer Report's 2006 Consumer Ratings

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