AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon get beaten by small carrier in customer satisfaction

AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile may be the largest telecom companies in the US in terms of market share but that doesn't mean their customers are the happiest.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) today published a report to reveal which carriers and smartphone manufacturers ranked the highest in consumer satisfaction between April 2023 and March 2024. 12,414 customers were interviewed for the study. The results are mostly predictable with a few surprises thrown in.

Customer satisfaction with wireless services grew overall by 3 percent to an ASCI score of 76 with mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) slightly outpacing mobile network operators.

With 5G networks expanding and affordable 5G phones becoming available, consumers want services that not only provide excellent service but also the most bang for their buck.

AT&T scored the highest on customer satisfaction among mobile network operators

With the ASCI score rising by 4 percent to 78, AT&T continued to be the network operator at the top of the satisfaction chart, followed by T-Mobile which surged 4 percent to 77. With the biggest increase of 6 percent, US Cellular placed third with Verizon, which only saw an increase of 1 percent to 74.

Although mobile networks saw year-on-year improvements in all customer experience benchmarks, they fell short in meeting expectations regarding perceived value and also demonstrated the lowest level of price tolerance in the industry.

AT&T was also the top scorer when it came to call quality (82) and network capability (83).

Budget MVNOs surpassed top telecom companies

AT&T was outshone by MVNO Consumer Cellular, which saw its ASCI score increase by 4 percent to 85. The company offers affordable services and a burgeoning lineup. Mint Mobile and Straight Talk also edged out AT&T, scoring 83 and 79 points, respectively.

Customer experience improved in every way with value MVNOs, including remarkable improvements in call quality, call reliability, network coverage, and data speed. The better network capabilities coupled with low prices are proving to be a hit amongst customers burned by inflation.

Full-service MVNO also did better than network operators

Spectrum Mobile led the category with a score of 79, followed by Xfinity Mobile (78), and Cricket Wireless (77).

While customers praised full-service MVNOs for improving their overall quality and value, they didn't perform well across the board, with ratings for customer experience declining.

Samsung was the big winner in the smartphone category

Customer satisfaction with cellphones grew 3 percent to 81, with Samsung and Apple tying for the top sport with scores of 82. Motorola and Google were both at the second spot at 77.

For 5G customers, Samsung was the number one manufacturer, beating Apple by only one point.