It’s a well-known fact that Americans love their video and broadband connections. Their providers? Apparently, not so much.
According to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) report, entitled “ACSI Telecommunications and Information Report 2015,” customer satisfaction with subscription television service is down 3.1% from 2014 to an ACSI benchmark of 63. Satisfaction with Internet service providers remains unchanged at 63. Together, the two are tied for dead last place among the 43 industries rated, lower than airlines, health insurance and the U.S. Postal Service.
ACSI said that the low ratings are “a result of poor customer service combined with higher prices.”
The highest rated industry was televisions and video players, at 86. Cellular telephones (78) and computer software (74) were middle of the pack, while wireless telephone service (70) and fixed-line telephone service (69) joined subscription telephone service and ISPs in the bottom six.
Among individual subscription television services, Verizon FiOS was highest rated at 71, up 4% from 2014. AT&T U-verse was next at 69 (unchanged), followed by closely DirecTV (68, down 1%) and DISH Network (67, unchanged.) The bottom three were Comcast (54, down 10% from 2014), Mediacom Communications (51, not rated last year) and Time Warner Cable (51, down 9%.)
The top-rated ISPs were AT&T U-verse (69, up 6% from 2014), Verizon FiOS (68, down 4%), and Bright House Networks (63, unrated in 2014.) The three lowest rated were Charter Communications (57, down 7%), Mediacom Communications (57, not rated last year) and Comcast (56, down 2%.)
Each year, ACSI surveys 70,000 customers about the products and services they use most. The data is then used to benchmark customer satisfaction with more than 300 companies in 43 industries and 10 economic sectors. The “ACSI Telecommunications and Information Report 2015” is based on interviews conducted in January and February with over 14,000 customers of the cellular telephone, computer software, fixed-line telephone service, ISP, subscription TV service and wireless telephone service industries.
