Study Shockingly Finds You Still Hate Your Cable Company, ISP Though some cable companies like Comcast have seen small upticks in a few recent customer satisfaction studies (from "awful" to just "very bad"), a new report by Consumer Reports states pay TV and broadband subscriber satisfaction overall remains incredibly low. While the magazine's full rankings (based on 172,000 subscribers reporting on their experience with home internet, pay TV, and telephone service) remain behind a paywall, a breakdown over at the Consumer Reports site offers some of the dismal details.

quote: Some of the country's largest cable TV companies—including Comcast, as well as Time Warner Cable and Charter, which recently merged—are among the bottom dwellers in overall customer satisfaction, though they actually don't score the worst. (More on that later.) And, when it comes to internet service, only three of 54 providers received better than a middling score for value . Subscribers opting for TV, internet, and phone bundles were just as unhappy. They didn't deem a single company worthy of more than the worst score for value. And while incumbent TV providers are ranked poorly (28 of the 30 TV service providers earned the magazine's lowest score possible), Consumer Reports notes that Google Fiber, and Chattanooga's EPB municipal broadband network, are the exceptions: quote: But there were two bright spots, a municipal broadband service run as a public utility in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and a fiber service run by Google in a handful of markets across the country. These innovative options both outpaced the conventional telecommunications companies when it came to value and customer satisfaction. And while companies adore upselling the triple play bundle fewer than one in three subscribers said they were very or completely satisfied with their bundles. As always, the dismal ratings reflect a lack of competition -- specifically in broadband. This allows companies to relentlessly hike prices while providing the least expensive customer service possible, all why breathlessly professing that customer satisfaction is their highest priority. Big providers overall continue to rate poorly for many aspects of service, but absolutely tank when customers were asked to rate them on "value":And while incumbent TV providers are ranked poorly (28 of the 30 TV service providers earned the magazine's lowest score possible), Consumer Reports notes that Google Fiber, and Chattanooga's EPB municipal broadband network, are the exceptions:And while companies adore upselling the triple play bundlewith their bundles. As always, the dismal ratings reflect a lack of competition -- specifically in broadband. This allows companies to relentlessly hike prices while providing the least expensive customer service possible, all why breathlessly professing that customer satisfaction is their highest priority.







News Jump California Defends Its Net Neutrality Law; AT&T's Traffic Up 20% Despite Data Traffic Actually Being Down; + more news Are The Comcast-Charter X1 Talks Dead In The Water?; AT&T May Offer Phone Plans With Ads For Discounts; + more news Europe's Top Court: Net Neutrality Rules Bar Zero Rating; ViacomCBS To Rebrand CBS All Access As Paramount+; + more news Verizon To Buy Reseller TracFone For $7B; 5G Not The Competitive Threat To Cable Many Thought It Would Be; + more news MS.Wants Records From AT&T On $300M Project; Google Fiber Outages In Austin, Houston, Other Texan Cities; + more news States With The Biggest Decreases In Speed; AT&T Hopes You'll Forget Its Fight Against Accurate Maps; + more news AT&T's CEO Has A Familiar $olution To US Broadband Woes; EarthLink Files Suit Against Charter; + more news 5G Doesn't Live Up To Hype, AT&T's 5G Slower Than Its 4G; Cord-Cutting Now In 37% of Broadband Households; + more news FCC Cited False Broadband Data Despite Warnings; ZTE, Huawei Replacement Cost Is $1.87B, But Only $1B Allocated; + more Cogeco Rejects Altice USA's Atlantic Broadband Bid; AT&T Is Astroturfing The FCC In Support Of Trump Attack; + more news ---------------------- this week last week most discussed

Most recommended from 28 comments



buzz_4_20

join:2003-09-20

Biddeford, ME (Software) Sophos UTM Home Edition

Ruckus R310

7 recommendations buzz_4_20 Member Like it says. Many times for rural areas you can't vote with your wallet... and have internet.



For many American's there is NO OTHER OPTION.



Here are the ISP options at my home.

Time Warner

GWI (Business Class @ $1000+ install and at least $200 monthly)

Dialup

Hughesnet

No WISPs

No Cellular



So if I want to continue having internet service I don't really have a choice but to keep begrudgingly sending Time Warner(Charter) $90 a month.

karlmarx

join:2006-09-18

Moscow, ID 4 recommendations karlmarx Member As someone who HAS EPB... I've had comcast, I've had brighthouse.. There is literally no comparison at all. I paid over $100 a month for 50/5 from comcast, and paid $90.00 for 150/15 from brighthouse. EPB offers me a FULL 1gb/1gb (and I GET the 1000/1000 speeds, 7x24x365. All for $79.99 a month. And when I say $79.99/month, I MEAN $79.99.



There are no modem rental fees, no under the line fees, no overage fees. It' just $79.99 a month, all inclusive. Comcast Advertised $79.99 for their 50/5 'Blast', But you had another $20.00 a month of under the line fees and charges. Same with Brighthouse. Their 'advertised' price in not even related to the 'final' price you end up paying every month.



Heck, I 'could' get 10gb/10gb for just $300.00 a month. I don't have enough gear to justify that, but I can see myself getting that in a couple of years, and by then the price will probably be closer to $149.99 a month.

kdwycha

join:2003-01-30

Ruskin, FL 4 recommendations kdwycha Member Hah! I would rather eat a whole bottle of this on a burrito then call Frontier customers support.

jazzlady

join:2005-08-04

Tannersville, PA 4 recommendations jazzlady Member Big providers... As bad as those big providers may be, they're still better than some of the small regional cable monopolies.



I would switch to Comcast in a heartbeat if I could, because it would be faster, better, and WAY less money than I pay now to my local cable company. :-/



It's just a pitiful situation for most people with any kind of cable service in this country.