Posted on 10/13/2011 1:50:26 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
You're not the only person who hates Bank of America, American Airlines and Time Warner.
We've updated our list of the worst companies on the American Customer Satisfaction Index, which gives remarkably accurate ratings based on thousands of surveys. The most-hated list hasn't changed much since June, because the companies rated since then are in the well-liked durable goods industries.
"Generally speaking, manufacturing companies have a much easier time to quality control their products," ACSI's David VanAmburg told us. "In terms of purchase and consumption, you're going to get much higher ratings than an airline company where there's a greater chance that something can go wrong."
The worst companies include big banks, legacy airlines and utilities.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
I know that Ebay went to all Paypal a few years ago. But do they still allow people to use “Bidpay” (Or maybe it was called “Billpay”)? I think that was the service that some sellers would only take. And believe it or not was worse than Paypal IMHO.
“I am surprised there weren’t any insurance companies.”
And here we’re publicly told how evil they all are. Especially regarding medical (no, it’s not “health”).
Pepco’s numbuh won? Who needs customer service for their Pepsi (not axin’ you, Captain Obvious!) ?
I was talking to a guy who came out to do a repair; he said the the AT&T upper management only cares about cell service; they wish the land-line business would just go away so they wouldn't have to put up with it.
Morons With MBAs™.
You don't use them. They use you.
“MY experience with Delta is really quite good.”
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Not for me, but it was in 2004 on a flight from Paris to Atlanta.
As the Stew was coming up the aisle from behind, she was serving drinks.
The guy behind asked for a Coke, and was charged one or two bucks.
When she got to me, I said I had never heard of an airline charging for drinks on am international flight, and certainly not for a soft drink.
She barked back at me...”Well, we are just trying to stay in business”. All of the stews looked pretty frumpy, as if they had slept in their uniforms.
Delta use to be a fine airline.
The pilot that flew their first 747 to Europe was a ham radio friend of mine.
It is sad that the US has no airline in the four or five star ratings, and only a few with three star, including Delta.
My last three flights have been on Qatar, a five star airline.
The last time I dealt with those SOBs they missed three installation appointments, and each time tried to tell me it was my fault because I had signed-up for a later installation date.
AT&T Delenda Est.
RE: Pepco’s numbuh won? Who needs customer service for their Pepsi
Let’s not confuse PEPCO with PEPSICO. Two very different companies!
I use them. I play games, I communicate with friends and family, and I have ad block plus installed so I don’t see whatever ads are targeting me. FB is still making money probably, but that’s OK, they’ve earned the money from my perspective, especially since it’s not my money.
Actually it makes perfectly good sense. They make a ton more money from cell users than land lines, and the cost to maintain is much higher for land lines than cells. Who wouldn’t want their lower revenue higher cost service to go away?
Number 18 - Bank of America (BOA)
One of the reasons the Business Insider (BI) authors offered for the BOA rating was their $5 charge for using certain debit cards. The Liberal BI cited Senator Dick Durbin’s rant over that charge on the floor of the Senate. What the BI failed to tell its readers was that Mr. Durbin’s own additions to the Dodd-Frank Frankenstein-esque financial services legislation set price controls on the banks in other areas; dictating what arrangements had to be between banks and retailers over charges retailers had been charged for credit and debit card transactions.
So Banks are told to increase their capital (preserve capital) to new higher standards, and Congress says let’s cut some of their revenue (looking for campaign finance contributions from the consumer retailers industry). In response, the banks, quite appropriately, looked for ways to offset the revenue loss dictated by Federal fiat.
Now, I am not letting BOA off the hook for its part in the mortgage business failures. BUT, Mr. Durbin (and Mr. Obama) have made the BOA a populist whipping boy and in part unjustly; in part due to the results of conditions their own legislative reach helped create.
Number 16 - Cox Communications
In their comments about Cox communications they mention that cable-TV companies in general are “less liked than satellite” TV companies; while satellite TV supplier Dish Network was ranked at 17, and one step worse than Cox. Go figure.
Number 15 - Pacific Gas and Electric
The major complaints given were increased rates and so-called “smart-meters”. Left out is any mention of legislative & regulatory issues and legislative mandates that in California are significant factors in both of those issues. Again, a case where the politicians cause some of the problems that result in issues that the private concerns are left shouldering all the public blame for.
I gave up reviewing their list.
I am not writing to defend in a general sense any one of the companies listed.
But the fact is that in many cases very unscientific and populist notions reign, when it comes to SOME (not all) of the perceived “problems” with some companies, and often SOME of their problems have been fostered by what politicians have done in the process of “regulating” the industries involved.
And, in spite of how many Airline companies are on the list, the fact is that average airfares, including the many new fees, and adjusted for inflation has maybe never been cheaper since deregulation began. Everybody has wanted to fly cheaper, since deregulation, and everyone still wants to fly cheaper, while all the certain costs, fuel and labor have continued to climb. The profit margins of most U.S. airlines have not been great, and yet they are one of the most capital-needy industries there is. It will be a wonder if all the aging planes of U.S. airlines will be replaced when they should be, over the next decade. And people wonder why added weight to a flight (that extra bag) has become more expensive.
Americans have been addicted to “cheap” and very much expecting champaign taste on a beer pocketbook. Our highly over-borrowed society has done that.
That’s over.
In many industries (not all) if you want “better” something, you are going to have to actually pay for it; and that will be with an outfit that offers it; and they will most likely offer it at a price that you most likely are not now paying. In some cases you won’t get “better quality” by just complaining. Complaining won’t restaff some hollowed out companies that striving for “cheaper” everywhere has produced.
There is a lot to complain about with some companies. There is a lot more looking-in-the-mirror that the whole society has to do.
Funny thing is that I don't really miss TV. Soon everything will be available via broadband anyway.
I haven’t sold anything in so long I gave up following Ebay updates and policies. The limit does not surprise me at all.
It used to be fun and profitable but people had to meddle and take more and more I guess.
‘Americans have been addicted to “cheap” and very much expecting champaign(sic) taste on a beer pocketbook. Our highly over-borrowed society has done that.’
You are so right. We are spoiled - and rotten, I might add.
Look at the complaints about Best Buy (I agree) - more “big box” stores; i.e., “warehouse” stores. There is no good service in those places.
You get what you pay for - cheap means no service. But it seems Americans are FIRST addicted to “cheap” - Southwest (has anyone really compared the costs? Are food/baggage fees good because you don’t pay if you don’t want it whereas SW just plain doesn’t offer it? I’ve never known anyone to love them except here on FR), BestBuy, Wal-Mart, CostCo, Home Despot. They seem to care nothing except “I got it cheaper there” - even when they’re treated like criminals with “assistants” checking over your bags.
Who was the woman in charge who recently got so much “credit” (even here on FR) for “updating” and “shoring up” eBay?
Seems to me since she’s been around it’s been bastardized.
Gee, I wonder how they made money before debit cards were invented.
That’s no excuse for missing three installation appointments and a voice-mail hell system that literally goes around in circles, asking the same questions over and over.
I just recently had an altercation with AT&T that was frustrating. I had spent around 25 hours on the phone trying to work it out with them.
I finally had to file a complaint with the California Public Utilities Commission to make them talk to me. Ultimately they waived all charges and we worked things out. But they had to be dragged creaming and kicking to the table.
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