AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon goaded into customer service showdown
It doesn't matter who your carrier is, you're gonna have some complaints. But is the grass always greener somewhere else? To answer that question, the kids at Laptop Magazine have conducted a test of the customer service practices of the big four (Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T) to ascertain each company's friendliness, knowledge, and timeliness. The publication placed customer service calls twice during a week (once at midday and once during rush hour), visited two stores per carrier in New York City, and tried to find solutions to its problems using each carrier's online knowledge base. Apparently, T-Mobile takes the prize for in-store assistance and web support, and Sprint, while not always able to answer questions, at least had taken steps to streamline the support process (and the fact that its employees were friendly didn't hurt). Apparently Verizon Wireless offered solid in-store support (albeit with grumpy employees), "quick and accurate phone support" and "solid" online help. AT&T, sadly, was the loser here -- Laptop says it left the store "shocked" that one representative couldn't figure out how to get email up and running on its Blackberry. Shocking! Hit the read link to see for yourself.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Matt S @ Sep 29th 2009 3:25PM
Summary: It seems as if half of the companies reps they called didnt know crap. Verizon seemed to know everything about what they were asking for but were too busy or too lazy to show the customer how.
J @ Sep 29th 2009 3:51PM
I think the results are a little biased. Read the account of the Verizon phone support and then the AT&T phone support. There seems to be only small differences between the two (basically, the AT&T side either didn't know Slacker Radio or wouldn't support it since it wasn't their software) yet Verizon scored an A- and AT&T a C-. Pretty big discrepancy for not many differences.
SoCoolCurt (PSN: KillaKornbread - XBL: SoCoolCurt) @ Sep 30th 2009 1:05AM
well it doesn't really seem like a very accurate test anyway really. 2 phone calls and 2 in store visits each? these companies are huge, you could get a different experience each time you go in. i didn't hit the read link so maybe they reported it wrong, but 4 samples each is not a very good test, there are too many variables.
and for the record, i have Verizon. there customer service has been great almost every time i've dealt with them either in-store or over the phone. except for one grumpy lady, i've left satisfied that they helped me out each time, and that they were more than happy to do so. only complaint with them is the waiting time which is most times pretty close to an hours wait before i get to speak to a rep.
now i've ventured into Sprint a number of times, since my friend has Sprint and i used to go with him when he paid his bill there, and i was strongly considering making a switch to them since they had MUCH better smartphones at the time. each time i went in there i was pretty much the only person in the store and the sales reps seemed so bhappy to get some business they would approach, talk with me, and give me bouchers even though i was just playing with phones.
AaronWhite @ Sep 29th 2009 5:14PM
New York City? We don't all live in NYC. There are other cities.
SoCoolCurt (PSN: KillaKornbread - XBL: SoCoolCurt) @ Sep 30th 2009 2:37AM
another reason why these findings are suspect. there are too many variables here to base anything on only 4 samples each.
aMp 732 @ Sep 29th 2009 5:39PM
Wow I would of expected a different outcome. When I was on Verizon they would never be willing to make any changes. If I went over my minutes or tried to change my minutes plan on the fly etc that would never fly. ATT on the other hand has been willing to refund mistakes, Help with billing issues and make any changes if you gripe enough. I remember the person at verizon once telling me about a contract I was trying to break. You pretty much can break your contract without fees if you die or join the military.. Although my 3G works iffy sometimes ATT has def been better to me than Verizon.
ips0fakto @ Sep 29th 2009 6:29PM
att got last because techies go getting the latest and more advanced devices and they know what they are getting.
everytime i go to a att store they got morons working there. however, i don't need their help anyway.
big_psirex @ Sep 29th 2009 7:10PM
I had to walk a verizon tech through the setup of one of their own device when a co-worker came to me with an issue with her blackberry... So that is a complete and total fail on their part...
big_psirex @ Sep 29th 2009 7:11PM
To add: I'm a sprint customer and I don't call them for support either... They ALL fail in my book!
Scarhawk @ Sep 30th 2009 3:55AM
Two calls, two store visits, and one look at the web site (per carrier), this qualifies as a statistical survey? Anyone seriously considering changing carriers has done that much already, plus asked their friends for opinions, etc. This doesn't really tell us much.