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Are You Getting the Best Customer Service from Your Phone Company?

Customer Service Ratings for Phone Companies

J.D. Power and Associates helps you to figure out if you are getting the service you deserve.

Market-research firm J.D. Power and Associates has found that phone service offered by cable companies drew the highest customer service ratings in five out of six U.S. regions.

In half of the six regions defined by J.D. Powers, Cox Communications Inc., the only cable company to take top honors in just one region in a study, ranked highest in the Northeast, West and Southwest. Other cable companies earning high marks include Time Warner Inc. who lead the North Central region, and Bright House Networks holding the top spot in the Southeast. Verizon Communications Inc. was the only traditional phone company ranked highest in one of its territories this year, leading the Mid-Atlantic region.

"While telephone service offered by cable companies is relatively new to the market, large numbers of customers are being lured to switch with enticing cost savings and highly attractive bundles of video, voice and data service," said Steve Kirkeby, executive director of telecommunications and technology research at J.D. Power.

At the same time, the survey of more than 12,000 consumers who get their local and long-distance service from just one company showed that traditional phone carriers have done a poorer job of satisfying their customers. J.D. Power reports that phone company satisfaction dropped in all six regions it measures.

Attributes used to rank the carriers included reliability, billing, customer service and promotions. For many, the study underscores the need for traditional phone companies to do a better job of improving customer service or risk losing subscribers to cable competitors.

To see all the results of this survey, visit the J.D. Power Consumer Center.