Us West Ranked Low In Customer Satisfaction Survey Phone Company Had The Bottom Score Among Seven Baby Bells
J.D. Power and Associates, widely known for its automobile customer surveys, ranked US West at the bottom in a survey of customer satisfaction with major telephone companies.
US West scored below the industry average in the J.D. Power survey released Wednesday. The ranking was based on seven criteria, including cost of service, corporate image, promotions, call quality, billing, calling cards and operators.
US West scored 94 on J.D. Power’s index, compared with an industry average of 100. The score was the lowest of the seven Baby Bells, with a margin for error of plus or minus five points.
The ranking, which comes after years of regulatory and customer complaints about US West’s service, raises new questions about its ability to compete with the long-distance and cable TV companies that soon will offer local telephone service.
At the same time, Catherine M. Hapka, US West’s rising executive star tapped to lead cost-cutting efforts at US West Communications, resigned. Hapka said only that she planned to take advantage of entrepreneurial opportunities.
“Now, households will be able to pick one company for both services,” said Zaiba Nanji, J.D. Power’s director of telecommunications services. “Therefore, customer satisfaction with current carriers will greatly influence future behavior.”
Atlanta-based BellSouth scored highest in the Power survey at 110, followed by Pacific Telesis, 107; Bell Atlantic, 105; SBC, the former Southwestern Bell, 103; Ameritech, 102; Nynex, 96; Southern New England Telephone, 96; and GTE, 77.
Jim Smith, US West’s vice president of local markets, pointed out that other surveys have been more favorable, indicating many of its residential customers were satisfied with their service.
Past problems and higher rates likely colored customer perceptions about service, Smith said. He said initiatives enacted in the past year have resulted in dramatic service improvements.
“I think what carries weight with US West customers is our performance,” said Smith.
US West has paid nearly $6 million in penalties during the past two years for failing to meet quality-of-service criteria it negotiated with the Colorado PUC.
The company also has paid penalties in other states and had a general rate increase request rejected by regulators in Washington partly because of its poor service record in that state.
The J.D. Power survey was conducted in June and July, with interviews of 6,128 subscribers of the nine companies.