Most of us still get our cell-phone service from one of the four big wireless providers — Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, or Sprint. But a Consumer Reports survey finds that people who use smaller services tend to be happier.
Consumer Reports asked 90,000 of its subscribers to rate their cell service. They were asked about data, texting, voice, customer service, and whether they got good value for the money.
Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and Sprint got the lowest rating possible for value. T-Mobile is a better deal, but it still ranked lower than some of the smaller providers.
NBCDFW reached out to Verizon, the company had this response:
"The Verizon network has been top-rated by various publications for many years, and we've always said that the most accurate performance measurement comes from scientific-based testing, not from crowd-sourced or reader-survey data. In any event, Verizon remains focused on providing the best wireless network and experience possible for our customers, not on earning accolades."
AT&T released the following statement:
"We appreciate feedback from surveys such as Consumer Reports. We continue to study the results. The AT&T network has the nation’s strongest 4G LTE signal and most reliable 4G LTE, and our customers are doing the things they love on their LTE wireless devices, such as streaming music and videos and surfing the Web. Customer satisfaction is driving lower postpaid churn and our year-to-date postpaid churn is our best ever. AT&T has invested more capital in the U.S. than any other public company over the past six years. AT&T’s total investment between 2009 and 2014, including capital investment and acquisitions of spectrum and wireless operations, was nearly $140 billion. We’ll continue to enhance our offerings to deliver a great mobile experience for our customers."
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And Sprint told NBCDFW:
"Creating an amazing customer experience is one of the key areas of focus for our turnaround strategy. We're making steady progress but we are not satisfied with our results. We're committed to delivering the best wireless experience and becoming the undisputed loyalty leader."
People who use Consumer Cellular and Ting gave top marks for value and customer service, but they were also quite pleased with data and voice.
Ting customers are billed for the service they use rather than paying a flat rate. The company uses the Sprint and T-Mobile networks. It offers a variety of phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Apple iPhone 6s, and makes it easy to check and see whether you can use your old phone.
Consumer Cellular is also highly rated. It runs on the AT&T network and offers combo text, talk, and data plans for as little as $25 per month.
Consumer Reports’ survey was conducted before Sprint’s recent announcement that it was cutting prices. However, Sprint also got relatively low scores for voice and data.
In addition, Consumer Reports surveyed people who use a prepaid phone service. Among the best liked are Republic Wireless, Cricket and Page Plus Cellular.
Complete Ratings and recommendations on all kinds of products, including appliances, cars and trucks, and electronic gear, are available on Consumer Reports’ website.
