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All Major ISPs Have Declined In Customer Satisfaction, Says Study (dslreports.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the nothing-to-brag-about dept.

The latest American Customer Satisfaction Index survey finds that Verizon FiOS has been rated the highest in customer satisfaction with a score of 70 out of 100. But, as DSLReports notes, that's nothing to write home about since that score was a one point decline from one year earlier. Furthermore, the industry average was 64 points, which is not only a decline from last year but lower than most of the other industries the group tracks. From the report: According to the ACSI, high prices and poor customer service continues to plague an U.S. broadband industry with some very obvious competitive shortcomings. "According to users, most aspects of ISPs are getting worse," the ACSI said. "Courtesy and helpfulness of staff has waned to 76 and in-store service is slower (74). Bills are more difficult to understand (-3 percent to 71), and customers aren't happy with the variety of plans available (-3 percent to 64)." Not a single ISP tracked by the firm saw an improvement in customer satisfaction scores.

The worst of the worst according to the ACSI is Mediacom, which saw a 9% plummet year over year to a score of 53, which is lower than most airlines, banks, and even the IRS according to the report. Charter Spectrum and Suddenlink also saw 8% declines in satisfaction year over year, and despite repeated claims that customer service is now its top priority, Comcast saw zero improvement in broadband satisfaction and a slight decline in pay TV satisfaction.

4 of 85 comments (clear)

  1. Not enough competition by thule · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It used to be that you could dialup whatever ISP you wanted. If you didn't like them, cancel them, dial up another. It was great, but the old copper just can't handle high speed.

    At the local level, cities need to allow more competition. The current, local, regulation doesn't cultivate competition for last mile services. There is not much the FCC can do about that.

    The old model of granting a single cable company to provide service in a city just doesn't hold up. The what is the solution? Pulling coax/fiber costs money (just ask Google). The grant of exclusivity made sure the company would make their investment back. Maybe a model would be that a city would grant exclusivity to two or more infrastructure companies. The infrastructure companies only sell their services to ISP's. The ISP's can use the infrastructure company that works best for them and customer can choose the ISP that they like. This would be closer to what happened in the days of dialup.

    1. Re:Not enough competition by sjames · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It's not the cities any more. Many if not most welcome multiple providers, In those places where there is more than one, the providers have privately marked out territories in order to not compete.

      It's looking like it's going to requite a split-up like was done to AT&T. Once they were forced to allow alternative LD services to connect, LD rates dropped overnight.

      Splitting things into a tightly regulated last mile service (or perhaps make last mile a municiple service), content, and other services should work well. It worked in the '90s when anyone could get a few phone lines and a T and become an ISP. Just make sure the last mile can reach a choice of colo centers and watch the fur fly.

    2. Re:Not enough competition by AHuxley · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The USA needs to replace its paper insulated wireline networks.
      That needs the freedom in invest in some parts of a city that can pay back for that network investment.
      Under the federal NN rules every part of that city would have to have an equal network upgrade.
      So the poorest communities would get new networks. A network in a poor community that would never make a profit.
      Everything is just left as is and sold as a NN ready network. No investment needed. But its all NN.
      The networks get slower and slower.
      Its not the ISP. The networks are getting beyond the data speeds of POTS.
      Allow innovative and investment ready parts of the USA to build their own new community networks without federal NN rules to hold new investment back.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  2. Re: WTF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    I realize being a liberal comes with a big dose of cognitive dissonance, but the "he's literally Hitler" thing was dropped months ago.

    Just yesterday you were going into hysterics over Trump:Hitler comparisons, completely ignoring your hypocritical usage of them during the Obama administration and now you can't remember them less than 24 hours later? Does conservative zealotry require this level of mental discongruity? It certainly appears so.

    Take a moment to consider our situation:

    A president who openly switches position based on the money received?

    A president who literally declares that white supremacists are good people?

    A president who hires the "most corrupt" and "totally incompetent" for his Cabinet?

    A president who treats the investigation into his criminal behavior as a violation of his personal sanctity?

    A president who declares a success one week then completely reverses course the next?

    A president who literally tries to buy the silence of porn stars?

    A president whose own "lawyers" argue that we can't believe a word he says?

    A president who coerced the NFL into compulsory displays of poltical support by employees without even consulting them?

    A president who faked Magazine covers and official medical reports?

    A president who insulted a dying Senator who dared to disagree with him?

    Good job, maybe you can praise him as he fails the country some more.

    We're currently enjoying peace and prosperity, for the first time in decades.

    That explains why just yesterday that Trump declared us to be on the precipice of even more war, while mourning the dead in the current ones, and followed that up with demands to salvage the faltering economy by taking action against foreign nations which were doing unpleasant things.

    You can't even be consistent with your glorious leader.

    Of course, you're wrong. We've been enjoying prosperity for years since recovering from the Wall Street induced catastrophe of the Bush Administration. Of course, Trump is taking steps to rid ourselves of the protections and safeguards against them, even pardoning their frauds, so that won't last.

    That he wants to start wars with four countries will be another set of problems. But hey, then he can declare six more victories.

    Is there any point or purpose in making shit up about the administration?

    Yes, because actually telling the truth would be utterly devastating, that is why they literally pay people to make up Trump's accomplishments.

    And all the little faithful sheep spend their time chanting along with it.

    Don't worry, he increased your chocolate ration.