Cable companies, ISPs score dead last in customer service satisfaction

Cable television providers and Internet service providers ranked last in a survey of customer service satisfaction, a U.S. research firm said Wednesday. A poll conducted by the Tempkin Group ranking the customer service of 235 companies across 19 industries found cable TV industry in last place, just ahead of ISPs, CNET reported Wednesday. Survey participants were asked to list their satisfaction level with various companies by ranking them on a scale of 1 (very dissatisfied) to 7 (completely satisfied.) ISPs including Cox Communications, Comcast and Cablevision were near the bottom of the list, while AT&T, Comcast and Verizon -- ranked as TV providers -- came in dead last. Healthcare providers, appliance makers and airlines also scored low on customer service while grocery chains and retailers were tops among consumers, the survey found. The survey of 10,000 consumers in the U.S. was conducted online during January 2013 and participants were asked to identify and rate companies they had dealt with over the prior 60 days. No margin of sampling error was reported.