T-Mobile may only be ranked third in terms of subscriber count but according to Consumer Reports' fifth annual customer satisfaction survey, team magenta is the best option among the top four carriers in the US.
Consumer Reports asked its readers to rank their wireless carrier with regard to voice quality, text messaging service, data speeds, overall value, web-related issues and customer service. The results may surprise you.
T-Mobile earned a score of 73 out of a possible 100, narrowly edging out Verizon which finished with 70 points. John Legere and company scored favorably in the categories of customer service and value but didn't do as well in terms of call and data quality.
AT&T came in third place with a score of 68 with Sprint bringing up the rear at 67. Interestingly enough, it's the first time that Verizon wasn't ranked #1 among the nation's four major wireless providers.
As you can see, there isn't a significant difference between first and last place. What may surprise you, however, is that each of the major providers was outscored by regional carriers and MVNOs including Consumer Cellular, Credo, Jitterbug, Ting, U.S. Cellular and Virgin Mobile.
Verizon spokesperson Chuck Hamby said his company has always maintained that the most accurate performance measurement comes from scientific-based testing, not from crowd-sourced or survey data.
While Hamby isn't wrong, public perception certainly shouldn't be ignored. After all, there are undoubtedly countless mobile service shoppers that ask around to friends and family before selecting a carrier - feedback that can certainly weigh heavily on their ultimately decision.
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