Verizon had the highest single regional Internet customer service score, while AT&T won two of four regions – after winning three a year ago, according to the latest J.D. Power ISP ratings. The providers’ quality and speed were responsible for two-thirds of those assessments.
The scores of the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study:
- East: Verizon scored 758 (out of 1,000) points, the highest rating in the study. It was followed by Xfinity at 725.
- North Central: AT&T (732), WOW! (730), Xfinity (716).
- South: AT&T (753), Xfinity (740).
- West: Midcontinent (754), AT&T (728) Xfinity (723).
The survey, which was based on input from 27,181 people with Internet service, was in the field from October 2020 through this July. The factors considered were performance and reliability; cost of service; communications and promotions; billing and payment and customer service.
“The internet essentially became as or more important than other home utilities when the world nearly came to a halt in early 2020, and its importance has remained as businesses and schools have adjusted to new working environments,” J.D. Power managing director Ian Greenblatt said in a press release about the J.D. Power ISP ratings. “While overall satisfaction had been increasing since 2018, it has declined since last year, showing that as the necessity of internet service has increased, so have the expectations of customers.
In last September’s version of the J.D. Power ISP report, researchers found that AT&T had the highest score in three regions (north central, south and west) with scores of 742, 769 and 742, respectively. This means that it not only ceded the west to Midcontinent but also had lower scores in the two regions in which it retained the top spot.
In June, the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) found that respondents’ satisfaction with their ISPs remained unchanged from the previous report at 65 (out of 100).
