The latest issue of Consumer Reports comes down hard on the wireless industry in its annual wireless consumer review, referred to facetiously as an “Annual Address on the State of Consumer’s Cell Hell” by Jim Guest, president and chief executive officer of Consumers Union.
The report details cell-phone carriers, phones and service plans in 12 cities in the United States based on the results of responses to an online survey of 31,000 subscribers to ConsumerReports.org. There has been “no overall improvement in customer satisfaction since last year,” when the group published an equally disapproving study, said Guest, adding wireless carriers now rank with cable operators on customer satisfaction.
The report commends some major events in the wireless industry, including the implementation of wireless local number portability, the introduction of a consumer’s bills of rights and the anticipated deployment of enhanced 911 service. Although admitting these initiatives bode well for consumers, Consumer Reports said that according to its research, quality of network service, customer service and billing issues continue to plague the industry.
According to the research, Verizon Wireless ranked No. 1 in all cities surveyed (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.) for overall satisfaction. However, even as the top carrier, Verizon’s overall satisfaction score never went above 75. According to Consumer Reports, 100 would indicate all consumers were satisfied while 80 would indicate consumers were “very satisfied,” and 60 would mean consumers were “fairly well satisfied.”
AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and Sprint PCS consistently ranked toward the bottom of the ratings, while T-Mobile USA Inc. and Nextel Communications Inc. were more often closer to Verizon. Cingular Wireless L.L.C.’s placement varied. After Verizon, carriers received city-by-city overall satisfaction scores between 58 and 70. Consumer Reports required 150 responses per city for a company to be included, so some carriers were not included in certain cities where they do indeed have a presence.
Along with its research, Consumer Reports announced a new campaign associated with its EscapeCellHell.org consumer Web site. The group is calling for
- carriers to offer better, more accurate information on coverage areas;
- carriers to pro-rate early termination fees;
- the Federal Communications Commission to prohibit locking down cell phones so handsets can be ported along with service if networks are compatible;
- and the right to know the number and types of customer complaints filed with the FCC.
Through an enhancement to the EscapeCellHell.org site, consumers can directly send an action item detailing those issues, and add personal comments, to their carrier and federal regulators. In addition, an interactive cell-phone plan selector will be offered on ConsumerReports.org.
