After all of the recent price increases in Canada, it is hard to imagine that anybody is happy with their service, but according to J.D. Powers that is exactly what they are…happy! Their study shows that on average, monthly bills have dropped by $7.00 – and this has helped to improve their overall satisfaction. Much of the customers’ happiness is due to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) Wireless Code that was reworked in December 2013 and mandated some major changes – changes that hurt the carriers’ revenue streams. Such as, no cancellation fees can be accessed after two years – limits on data and roaming charges – the ability to unlock phones – trial periods without penalties – and clear and simple language in documents. Adrian Chung, account director at J.D. Power said:
“While the Wireless Code appears to have benefited wireless customers with a reduction in monthly fees, it may put increased financial strain on carriers over time. Carriers will need to look for other products and services to make up the losses and generate new revenue streams. Tablets with data packages are starting to take hold, and the average additional spend is $34 dollars per month among those with a connected tablet on their plan, compared to those without one. This is a great opportunity for carriers to leverage.”
This latest study ranks carriers in two market segments: Full Service and Stand-Alone and looks at customer perceptions in three areas: Service, Mobile Devices and Retail Experiences. They measured seven areas of satisfaction: cost of service, network quality, account management, offerings and promotions, customer service, handset and purchase process.
While there are more than 30 million wireless subscribers in Canada, this survey used about 12,500 subscribers, surveyed between October 2013 and March 2014. SaskTel garnered a score of 727 and ranks highest in customer satisfaction among full-service carriers for the third consecutive year – a 15-point improvement over 2013. TELUS was second in the full-service category with a 717 score and Bell followed with a score of 688 and Rogers bought up the bottom with a score of only 674.
In the stand-alone category, Koodo Mobile scored 778 and came in first place in customer satisfaction, also for a third consecutive year and went up 13 points from 2013. Virgin Mobile (753) came in second, followed by PC Mobile (752), Solo Mobile (736), in fifth place was Public Mobile (734). The bottom three were Fido (729), Mobilicity (728), and last was WIND Mobile (727).
Please let us know on our Google+ Page if you agree with these findings and how you would rank your own carrier…as always, we would love to hear from you.