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Higher-End Smartphones Make You Happier, Says JD Power Study (cnet.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the satisfaction-guaranteed dept.

A new J.D. Power study published Thursday found that users who pay more for their smartphones report higher satisfaction than those who pay less for their smartphones. The study also found that among ATT and Sprint customers, Samsung phones ranked highest in overall satisfaction, while T-Mobile and Verizon customers preferred Apple iPhones. Jessica Dolcourt via CNET writes about the other conclusions made by the J.D. Power study: - Customers of ATT, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon (full-service carriers) report more satisfaction than customers on Boost Mobile, Cricket, MetroPCS and Virgin Mobile (co-contract carriers).
- Full-service customers pay an average of $361 for their phones compared with prepaid customers' $137 average.
-Customers who pay more for their phones report higher satisfaction.
- This is likely because high-cost phones perform better. (Editor's note: no duh)

8 of 126 comments (clear)

  1. Consumers are trained well. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Consumers are trained well.

  2. Happy about what? by ark1 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Life? Phone? ROI? Value?

    1. Re: Happy about what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Stockholm Syndrome. They are stuck with it, paid too much to ditch it. They come to love it.

  3. Or is it self-justification? by LesFerg · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is likely because high-cost phones perform better.

    Maybe the people who forked out all that cash are just trying really hard to convince themselves they got something better than the cheaper options?

    It's a coping mechanism to hold of the fits of depression when they accept that it's still just a phone with some annoying silly apps on it.

    --
    If I had a DeLorean... I would probably only drive it from time to time.
  4. A well known psychological bias by GuB-42 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I don't know the name of this bias but when someone invests a lot in something, he will tend to convince himself that he made the right choice.
    That's how audiophiles will clearly notice the effect of their $1000+ cables and will consider it money well spent whereas the one who used zip chord will probably be less satisfied, even though he paid 100x less for the same objective result.

  5. Re:So ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Post-purchase rationalization. People who spend more for something will rarely admit that they got ripped off, so they try to convince themselves that the product was worth it.

    This is standard behaviour for most Apple customers.

  6. Re:Or... by frovingslosh · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Maybe it is because people who pay $700 for their phone and then see someone else who got a phone for under $100 are damn well determined to justify their choice. Even if it has an Intel chip in it rather than a Qualcomm chip.

    --
    I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
  7. Re:$5k hookers make you happier than $5 crackwhore by pnutjam · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If the carrier doesn't sell it, most consumer don't know it exists.

    --
    Cheap storage VM.