Customer Satisfaction With TV, Internet and Phone Service at 7-Year Low, Study Finds

Americans have long expressed dissatisfaction with their cable and Internet service. In 2015, they seem to have grown even more dissatisfied. The American Customer Satisfaction Index released the results of its latest study on customer satisfaction with cable TV, Internet and phone service providers, saying that the results declined to a seven-year low. Of the 43 industries on which the survey solicits opinions, TV and Internet companies tied for last place in customer satisfaction. Cable TV and Internet providers have faced particular scrutiny in a year filled with talk of mergers in the industry.

“Internet and TV have always been among the lowest scoring,” said David VanAmburg, director of the Index. “But this year they’re at the very bottom.” The study, which is based on more than 14,000 consumer surveys, gives companies a rating from 0 to 100. For cable TV service, Comcast’s rating dropped by 10 percent over 2014, for a score of 54, the Index found. Time Warner dropped by 9 points, to a 51, tying Mediacom Communications for the lowest score among the more than 300 companies evaluated by the Index. For Internet service, Time Warner received a more favorable rating than 2014, earning a score of 58, compared with 56 for Comcast, 57 for Charter, 68 for Verizon FiOS and 69 for AT&T U-verse.