Hot on the heels of a RootMetrics’ wireless network report, JD Power has released a new report of its own that measures customer satisfaction with the wireless device purchase process. And with this one, T-Mobile fared much better.
JD Power’s study evaluates the buying experience for customers picking up a new wireless phone from any of three channels: phone calls with sales reps, visits to a brick and mortar retail store, and online. The customer satisfaction ranking takes into account six factors, which are (in order of importance) store sales rep, website, offers and promos, phone sales rep, store facility, and cost of service.
In the JD Power report, AT&T scored the highest for wireless phone purchase experience among the four major US carriers, earning a score of 813 out of 1,000. T-Mobile was right on AT&T’s heels, though, earning score of 812. Verizon came in third with a score of 797, while Sprint finished fourth with 784 points.
Flipping over to the prepaid side of things, MetroPCS finished in fifth place with a score of 787 out of 1000. TracFone won out in the prepaid category with 802 points, while Virgin Mobile earned 796 points, Cricket got 795, Boost Mobile had 792, Straight Talk earned 775, and Net10 brought up the rear with 764 points.
Other tidbits included in today’s JD Power report include the finding that the average out-of-pocket price paid for phones has grown by $31 (to $276), which JD Power attributes to the move from subsidized phones to EIPs as well as the launch of new flagship phones like the iPhone 6s and Samsung Galaxy S6. Despite the price increase, the average customer satisfaction when buying from the major US carriers grew 6 points from the 2015 Vol. 2 report to finish at 803. JD Power attributes the increase to carriers offering larger data plans, including unlimited rates, which “help to increase a customer’s perception of added value considerably.”
T-Mobile has won the past couple of JD Power customer care awards, and while it didn’t come in first place in this wireless purchase experience study, it did come about as close as you can to winning without actually winning. To check out the full JD Power report for yourself, hit up the link below.
Source: JD Power