Just one year ago, Time Warner Cable (TWC) tumbled to last place for customer satisfaction among 300+ companies in the ACSI. Along with TWC, Comcast showed the biggest ACSI loss among subscription television providers, a situation that has turned around in 2016. This year’s gains for Comcast and TWC (14% and 16%, respectively), come close to reversing two years of losing satisfaction, but neither company breaks out of the bottom quartile of the ACSI. While Comcast failed to nail down a marriage with TWC, Charter Communications is tying the knot, which will bring an end to the TWC brand.
ACSI results show Charter’s customer satisfaction fluctuating, now down 6% to 60 as the company begins its stint as the second largest U.S. cable operator following acquisitions of TWC and Bright House Networks. Among broadband players, Bright House at 66 is a cut above most. Nevertheless, like all cable companies, Bright House lags behind the fiber optic leaders of the pay TV industry, Verizon Fios (70) and AT&T U-verse (69), as well as satellite operators DIRECTV (68) and DISH Network (67). As a group, cable companies bring up the rear, but the range of scores is broad—from the above-average showing of Bright House and Cablevision to the last-place performance of Mediacom (54).
Mergers overwhelmingly dampen customer satisfaction in the short term, which could spell trouble for Bright House customers as the brand phases out and combines with Charter. For Charter, the challenge will be keeping satisfaction levels from falling further as it takes on a bigger slice of the market.
Bloomberg.com: So Long Time Warner Cable: Charter to Retire Maligned Brand »
Charlotte Observer: Customer Satisfaction Improves for Cable, Internet Providers »
CRM Buyer: Pay TV Firms Eke Out Tiny Gains in Customer Satisfaction »
Marketing Daily: Telecom Customer Satisfaction Improving, Slightly »
Multichannel News: Cable Stops Slide But Remains in ACSI Cellar »
Philly.com: Comcast Service Ratings are Better, But Still Low »
Yahoo! Finance: New Customer Service Survey Says Comcast is No Longer the Worst »
