Comcast's Customer Service Rate Plummets: What Do You Think?

By Justin Heinze:

Comcast’s customer service approval rating has drastically dropped over the past year, according to an annual study released Tuesday by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).

Their score of 54 out of 100 is a ten percent drop from 2014, and a drop of over 15 percent from 2001, the first year of the study.

They ranked third-lowest of the 14 subscription television services surveyed.

Comcast is headquartered in Philadelphia and is the primary cable service provider for Montgomery County and much of the surrounding region. They are the largest media corporation in the world, according to the Media Database, but dissatisfied customers could spell long-term trouble for the company.

“There was a time when pay TV could get away with discontented users without being penalized by revenue losses from defecting customers, but those days are over,” said Claes Fornell, ACSI Chairman and founder, in an analysis of the study. “Today people have more alternatives than ever before. Consumer abandonment of pay TV is shaking up the industry and lower satisfaction could mean even more cord cutting by subscribers ahead.”

Comcast officials said that they are looking for ways to improve their service.

“We have a massive plan underway to reinvent the customer experience,” said Comcast’s Jenni Moyer, Senior Director of Corporate Communications, in an email to Patch. ”We are investing an incremental $300 million, hiring thousands of people and looking across our business to make real changes in the way we interact with customers.”

Comcast recently dropped their bid to purchase Time Warner Cable, one of their chief competitors, in April.

The proposed merger was met with harsh criticism that ultimately led to the deal falling apart, as many believed that it would create a monopoly, giving a single entity far too much leverage in the market.

Time Warner joined Comcast in taking one of the hardest hits in the ACSI survey released Tuesday. Their approval rating dropped nearly nine percentage points over the past year, leaving them with an overall score of 51, and second from last.

Time Warner has arguably suffered more in the overall picture, with a 19 percent drop in customer service approval since 2001.

Analysis by ACSI suggests that mergers and even failed mergers may have a negative effect on customer service. Comcast merged with NBCUniversal in 2011.

“Cable companies are trying to strengthen their positions through consolidation, but the benefits to consumers of one coaxial cable company absorbing another are questionable,” David VanAmburg, ACSI Director, said in an analysis of the study.

Comcast says it will take time for the measures it has put in place to be seen in results.

“We have had early positive feedback from customers who have experienced some of these changes firsthand,” Moyer said. “But it will take time for those results to be reflected in national surveys like ACSI.”

What do you think about Comcast’s service? Is the ASCI rating fair? We want to know your opinion. Let us know in the comments.