• Satisfaction rating: 60/100

Common complaints:

• Improper billing practices led to a class action settlement in 2004
• poor customer service following the closing of domestic call centers in 2006
  • Better Business Bureau issued a warning in 2007 following numerous complaints

Analysis: Charter communications, although it is at the bottom, has increased its satisfaction rating by 9 points this year. Plagued by a recent bankruptcy, the company had to cut cost and downsize heavily. It only became profitable in the first quarter of this year.

• Satisfaction rating: 60/100

               Common complaints:

• more long tarmac delays than any airline in June, according to Department of Transportation
• baggage fees

Analysis: The big merge between United Airlines and Continental might have influenced the bad score of the company in consumer satisfaction. According to ACSI, a big merger in service companies usually have a negative impact on customer services in the short-term, because of organization issues.

As with Delta-Northwest one would expect satisfaction to improve if the merger means more flights from more airports.

• Satisfaction rating: 61/100

               Common complaints:

• Poor communication of upgrades and billing changes – notably for customers of recently-bought out Suscon
• Lost channels for customers who didn’t upgrade to digital cable
• Long waiting time for technician – sometimes not arriving in the 8-hour window when you were stuck at home.
• And it’s raising prices again

Analysis: Comcast climbed 7 points since 2008, thanks to increased investment in customer service. One of the largest cable companies in terms of revenue, it remains one of the worst in terms of customer satisfaction.

• Satisfaction rating: 62/100

               Common complaints:

• Flight delays – 70.2% of Delta’s flights were on-time in August, that was below the average of 76.4% for all airlines, according to the Department of Transportation.
• Baggage Fees
• Service cutbacks, as with most airlines

Analysis: After the acquisition of Northwest, Delta saw its customer satisfaction drop by two points. The rating for Northwest, however, climbed from 57 to 61. If the merger leads to more flights from more airports, customers should be satisfied.

• Satisfaction rating: 63/100

               Common complaints:

• Long Tarmac Delays – 20% of American Airlines flights were delayed from January to June
• Baggage Fees
• Service cutbacks, as with most airlines

Analysis: American Airline’s satisfaction rating is up 3 points this year, but remains far behind companies like Continental that have increased the number of non-stop flights or improved their in-flight services.

• • Satisfaction rating: 64/100

   

                 Common complaints:

  • Privacy and Personal Information Protection

   

  Analysis: Users worry about privacy and sometimes complain when Facebook introduces new features — like the news feed.

  This is the first year ACSI has measured social media sites, however, and the ratings may have a few kinks to work out. Wikipedia earned the top score at 77.

• • Satisfaction rating: 67/100

   

                 Common complaints:

  • Usage caps were phased in last February, limiting most customers to 2 gigabytes per day

   

  Analysis: Cox improved its satisfaction rating by 1 point last year, maintaining its lead on Time Warner, Comcast, and Charter. Cox has actually been touted as a success story compared to other cable companies. That said, consumers dislike most cable companies and tend to prefer satellite, according to ASCI.

• • Satisfaction rating: 67/100

   

                 Common complaints:

  • Occasionally rude workers that cost millions in lost sales yearly
  • Unhealthy food – although McDonald’s has improved menus and products since ‘06
  • Toys that lure kids to unhealthy food
  • Low quality control at some franchises

   

  Analysis: McDonald’s was one of few fast food companies to lose points last year, falling 3 points to claim the industry’s worst score. This doesn’t match up with McDonald’s rising sales, however, which have benefited from the bad economy. The burger company is still up 5 points from ’06 following the introduction of healthier food.

• • • Satisfaction rating: 68/100

     

                   Common complaints:

    • Absurdly high overdraft fees according to a Federal Court suit
    • Other complaints associated with big banks

     

    Analysis: JPMorgan Chase suffered from its rebranding, as the reorganization was slow and some branches took a long time to present the new brand. Customer satisfaction fell 5 points after JPMorgan Chase became larger, as the bank was perceived as more impersonal, according to ACSI.

• • • • Satisfaction rating: 67/100

       

                     Common complaints:

      • High overdraft fees
      • Other Complaints associated with big banks

       

      Analysis: Bank of America lost consumer satisfaction in the midst of the acquisition of Merrill Lynch. The satisfaction rating tumbled 6 points as the now enormous financial services company was burdened with cost-cutting and layoffs in 2009. Recently, new regulations forbid banks to let the customer automatically overdraft their accounts and let them pay high overdraft fees to the bank.