People walk past a Sprint store in New York in this December 17, 2012 file photo. Sprint Corp, the No. 3 U.S. mobile provider, on February 11, 2014 reported an increase in quarterly revenue that was ahead of analysts' expectations and said it added wireless subscribers in the fourth quarter. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/Files (UNITED STATES - Tags: BUSINESS LOGO)

When it comes to companies we dread dealing with, we all know who they are. Let's put it this way, would you rather go to the Apple Genius Bar to fix something with your iPhone or to the Bank of America teller to reverse a surprise interest charge?

It's perhaps no wonder Bank of America leads the nation in bad customer service. The massive U.S. financial institution has made the Customer Service Hall of Shame every year since 2009.

In collaboration with research survey group Zogby Analytics, we polled 2,500 adults about the quality of customer service at 150 of America’s best-known companies in 15 industries, asking if that service was "excellent," "good," "fair" or "poor."

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Those with the highest percentages of "excellent" rankings make up the Customer Service Hall of Fame; those with the highest share "poor" ratings make up our Customer Service Hall of Shame. (See how we did our survey and the complete rankings.)

Many of the other companies with the bottom-rated customer service have earned spots on the Hall of Shame list in the past. Eight of the 10 companies in the Hall of Shame have made at least three previous appearances since 2009.

It is difficult for businesses in some industries to garner consumer praise. Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup -- three of the largest banks in the country -- received some of the worst customer service ratings in the nation. For banks, the many fees they charge may contribute to a customer's poor evaluation of a company.

“As soon as you take out your Bank of America ATM card you get charged,” said Praveen Kopalle, professor of marketing at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

In addition to unpleasant and repeated charges and fees, these large banks engaged in questionable and often unlawful behavior that contributed to the housing crisis. For example, “[Banks] assured customers that [mortgage-backed securities] were actually good products when, in fact, they were pretty toxic,” Kopalle said.

Cable and satellite TV companies are another segment that that has repeatedly received poor customer service ratings. Shep Hyken, a customer satisfaction expert, explained that these companies are often unclear about their service charges. “Customers get shocked when they get their bill,” Hyken said.

In some instances, companies have little incentive to offer good service. “If people really don’t like the customer service that they receive from telecom companies, they don't have a lot of choice,” Tim Calkins, clinical professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, explained. Without competition from other companies, “there is just not that pressure to deliver great service.”

Future consolidation in these industries may exacerbate the problem. Companies like AT&T and DirecTV, as well as Time Warner Cable and Comcast, are driving merger and acquisition activity that will likely close this year pending government approval.

Many of the companies with the worst customer service, however, are still market leaders and manage to maintain impressive profit margins. Seven of the 10 companies in the Hall of Shame dominate their industries.

24/7 Wall St. commissioned Zogby Analytics to conduct an online national survey in which 2,500 randomly chosen respondents rated customer service at 150 of the best-known companies in the country. Fifteen industries are represented in the study.

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Respondents were asked to evaluate customer service quality as “excellent,” “good,” “fair,” or “poor.” Of the 150 companies, 108 companies had at least 500 valid responses. Companies with fewer valid responses were not considered.

The 10 companies with the highest percentage of "poor" responses represent our Customer Service Hall of Shame. Using the same methodology, the 10 with the highest percentage of "excellent" responses became our Customer Service Hall of Fame. This is the first year 24/7 Wall St. has conducted this study.

In previous years, the study was conducted by MSN and Zogby Analytics.

This is 24/7 Wall St.'s Customer Service Hall of Shame

10. Citigroup

> Pct. ratings “poor”: 15.3% (credit card), 15.1% (banking)

More than 15% of respondents said they had a “poor” experience with both Citigroup’s credit card and banking businesses.

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