Broadband ISP Customer Satisfaction Ranked Second Worst, Above Only Gas Stations
from the we-don't-have-to-care dept
We’ve noted for years how the steady, mindless consolidation by telecom monopolies has resulted in patchy broadband access, slow speeds, and high prices. But another longstanding trademark of the industry has been its abysmal customer service, created by mindless growth and a subsequent refusal to scale customer service to match.
The latest customer satisfaction rankings by the American Consumer Satisfaction Index shows that while broadband and traditional cable TV provider customer satisfaction is slowly increasing for some providers, the industry as a whole still rates as the second worst in America, above only gas stations:
Overall satisfaction of ISPs rose 6%, to a score of 68, in ACSI’s latest study. But ISPs still have a ways to go on the consumer satisfaction front when compared to other industries. The ISP benchmark score of 68 was near the bottom, beating only gas stations, which posted a benchmark score of 65. Subscription TV services, with a score of 69, didn’t perform much better. The US Post Office, with a 70, scored higher than ISPs and subscription TV services.
You have to truly pause and think about the large number of terrible industries that exist in the U.S. (airlines, utilities, insurance companies, U.S. health care) to appreciate the work it takes to have the worst customer service in the country. And this is after literally decades of broadband and cable companies insisting that improving customer service and satisfaction was their top priority.
Meanwhile, while streaming video services are certainly experiencing some very ugly growing pains (especially among employees and creators), they continue to rank significantly higher among consumers than the traditional cable TV providers they disrupted:
Turning to overall streaming apps, Amazon Prime led with a score of 80, followed by Peacock (79). Hulu’s subscription VoD service, Netflix, Paramount+ and YouTube Premium all notched a 78. The bottom-feeders in the category were ESPN+ (72) and Crackle (70).
The most popular industries in America? Athletic shoes and soft drinks, followed by breweries, full service restaurants, online retailers, and television manufacturers.
Filed Under: acsi, broadband, cable tv, customer satisfaction, customer service, streaming
Comments on “Broadband ISP Customer Satisfaction Ranked Second Worst, Above Only Gas Stations”
I wouldn’t expect them to score very far apart, considering that for most customers they’re the same company.
A few gas stations near me started with the “ads at the pump” BS, so I boycott them now. Sure wish I could boycott any ISP I didn’t like.
Re:
It was pretty funny when Jay Leno would screw with people via the tv-gas pump. Some gas station customers would laugh but a few did not like it at all.
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If you hit the second button down on the right, it’ll mute most gas pumps. If that one doesn’t do it, just keep pressing the different ones until it does. It won’t cut the video off, but it’ll at least shut up the gawdawful racket.
If you have gas stations without the stupid screens, more power to you avoiding them outright, but around me, they’re ubiquitous.
Re: Re:
If you stick a knife in the speaker and move it around, it’ll permanently mute the advertisements.
Or if you spray some insulating foam into the grille, same effect.
…but don’t do either of those, that would be vandalism.
Maybe I don’t have many demands on my ISP, but I am satisfied with the service I have. I pay $50.00/month and have unlimited use at a data rate sufficient to handle any movies or video I have watched. (I don’t recall the data rate, but since those specs don’t mean too much given that it’s always an “up to,” what matters is that it actually works well enough.) I also get a landline for that price.
I don’t have tv service, but that seems like a waste to me. What is more of an issue is media outlets that can only be accessed through the purchase of a tv bundle that is mostly media one would never watch. I have netflix and I watch a lot of youtube science, mathematics and music educational videos, so maybe my demands are not great. I think the real issue is more about people who live in areas where broadband is not really available. Maybe service could be less expensive than the 50.00/month I pay and certainly communities should not be barred from creating their own service to compete with private companies.
I did not include my ISP because I did not want to be perceived as an ad bot or whatever.
and which of the ISPs or, in particular, their extremely well over-paid basses is gonna take the slightest bit of notice of this? they’ve gotten their subsidies, they’ve used them to line their own pockets, they’ve not done a friggin’ thing that they promised to do in order to get the subsidies except lie through their teeth with complete immunity! why? because the bastards giving them the subsidies are the same people who cloud the various issues, hide the truths from the customers and from the overall government because they themselves are on the take as well!!
I find this difficult to believe. Gas station customer service is mediocre, but consistent. They have things I need, usually only for a few bucks, and there seems to be meaningful price competition.
If I lived in Iraq during the 1980s, and if Saddam Hussein’s torturers charged me for the hot poker irons and car batteries hooked up to my genitals, even that would only be roughly comparable to broadband ISPs. Even his torturers, professional psychopaths that they were, might have their mouths agape at the bullshit I have to put up with the local cable company. One imagines being dragged into their dungeon, only for the lead villain to shake his head and say “he’s already beyond anything we can do to him, the cable internet bill came in this week”.
The very same day that television commercials started playing that told people “Suddenlink is changing its name to Optimum!” was the same day we started getting 1-10 minute outtages up to 40 times a day. They had it working, made a change that should not have had anything to do with the hardware, yet somehow broke it. This persisted for about 3 months before it slowly resolved itself. Calling in for support was a “please reboot the modem” comedy skit.
Where are these people?
I always wondered where these people are that have so many issues with their providers.
Billing is consistent across the nation.
I’ve lived in many states and had many providers over the years and only one ever was a problem, one that was a pre-Musk satellite service.
I can teach CS in under 10 minutes. Often in one or two.
My bills are what I expected.
My only wonder is if all those complaining are people who are in the heart of a city where thousands use a single line, or are crybaby whiners who piss off everyone around them.
Maybe I’ve been lucky all my life with service. Maybe I’m more realistic in my expectations. I don’t know.
If I’m paying for GB service and it drops to 800 on Friday night, I’m not going to pick up the phone and complain. Not when I get 1.2 in the over night hours.
Ya'll have never been in a Buc-ees
Honestly, those gas stations are awesome. Unlike any broadband ISP.
No ads at the pump.
Tons of pumps.
A well lit, well stocked store.
Plenty of registers.
Very (and I mean very) clean bathrooms.
Everyone is paid well. Their pay scale is posted literally on a sign outside.
Compare this to ISP’s:
Yep…Buc-ees is better than any broadband ISP.