WASHINGTON-More than one third-35 percent-of respondents to a survey by the National Regulatory Research Institute would give their mobile-phone carrier a D or F grade, said the NRRI in a report released late Thursday.
“The number of years since competition began in the long-distance and cellular markets, the current level of competition and levels of marketing activity all would suggest a relatively high level of effective choice should exist in cellular service. One might expect that long-distance and cellular service would be roughly equal in their percentages of dissatisfied customers who nonetheless did not switch providers. Yet the Consumer Utility Benchmark Survey results show a higher percentage of dissatisfied consumers who stayed with their cellular providers (23.9 percent) than for long distance (16.8 percent),” said NRRI.
The survey results were released as the clock was ticking down to wireless LNP and NRRI admits “with WLNP effective Nov. 24, dissatisfied customers will find it easier to switch providers.”
“Why am I not surprised that NRRI, made up entirely of regulators, has taken a survey that finds more regulation is needed? It is not. Competition and voluntary industry steps like the consumer code are the vehicles which best deliver choice, innovation and lower prices to wireless customers,” said Travis Larson, spokesman for the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association.
NRRI said the results of its survey would be a red flag for regulators. “Gaps in wireless service quality are a red flag to many policy makers at state regulatory commissions,” said NRRI.
Indeed, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, which represents state regulators, last week in Atlanta passed a resolution calling for better wireless customer service quality, better training of customer-service staff and easier-to-read bills with explanations of what is a mandated tax or surcharge.
If consumers have an issue with their wireless carrier, the industry would prefer you speak with the carrier’s customer-service department first, but K. Dane Snowden, chief of the FCC’s Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, had another suggestion: call 1-888-CALL-FCC.
“When consumers ask, `if I actually send something to the FCC or that federal agency, will anything happen?’ The answer is a significant `yes,”‘ said Snowden during his quarterly press conference on Thursday.
Consumer telephony complaints most often involve billing issues, said Snowden. He said by working with the FCC’s customer-service center, telephony consumers are able to recover approximately $1 million per month.
