Satisfaction with wireless providers has improved since last year, survey finds

Photo (c) Witthaya Prasongsin - Getty Images

But the providers don’t do quite as well among ConsumerAffairs reviewers

How satisfied are you with your wireless provider? When J.D. Power asked consumers that question, it found that satisfaction has improved across the board from 2021.

The survey’s authors conclude that wireless providers have rebounded from last year’s challenges and are adapting to evolving customer expectations.

“The industry is getting a grip on what the new norm is and has invested time and energy in training customer service representatives to best handle incoming requests based on customer preferences and issues,” said Ian Greenblatt, managing director at J.D. Power. 

Greenblatt says making the connection with customers is important to keep satisfaction levels going up to pre-pandemic levels.

“For example, this volume of the study shows us that T-Mobile has made strong efforts to improve problem resolution satisfaction through its social media channel, which is seen in an increase in its satisfaction scores,” he said.

Some consumers disagree...

T-Mobile had the best overall score in the mobile network operators segment with a score of 823. While the company showed up well in the J.D. Power study, T-Mobile scores a 3.3-star rating on a 5-star system among ConsumerAffairs reviewers, barely ahead of Verizon’s 3.1 stars and lagging behind AT&T’s 3.8-stars.

Jay, of Stoughton, Mass., recently told us that he encountered what he believes to be contradictory information when he was researching a trip to Mexico.

“On their website there are several plans that claim phone services included (service) to Mexico and Canada. But when I called customer service to make sure I was covered they told me that no matter what plan you have it's $0.25 a minute when calling from Mexico to the US!” Jay wrote in a ConsumerAffairs review.

Importance of customer service

Despite his disappointment, Jay gave T-Mobile 2-stars. He said his rating was that high because the customer service representative was helpful. 

“The customer service representative was friendly and cordial and just doing her job,” Jay told us. 

But customer service is a sore point with Heidi, of Greenbriar, Tenn., a Verizon customer.

“Was on hold and transferred around for FOUR HOURS just to transfer my kids' phone lines to my plan from their father's,” Heidi wrote in a ConsumerAffairs review. “Disney Plus never did activ(ate) for us even though we registered for the free 1 year. Customer service tried to help but couldn't figure out the problem.”

In the J.D. Power survey, Cricket Wireless ranked highest in the mobile virtual network operators segment with a score of 824, followed by Metro by T-Mobile with 812.

Consumer Cellular ranks highest in the value mobile virtual network operators segment with a score of 855.

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