# D* passes AT&T Uverse and Dish in Customer Satisfaction Index



## Satelliteracer (Dec 6, 2006)

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/DIRECTV-Surpasses-Cable-and-bw-3378249423.html?x=0&.v=1

Sometimes good to take a step back, realize there are 19 million + US customers with a complicated product in a complicated business. We aren't perfect, but there are thousands of men and women that sure try to get there.

We'll keep trying

_Full text of Press Release (added by Doug Brott)_

*EL SEGUNDO, Calif.*--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- For the 11th straight year DIRECTV, the world's largest pay TV provider, has once again scored higher for customer satisfaction than all major cable TV companies in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), released today. In addition, DIRECTV surpassed its competitors, DISH Network and AT&T U-Verse, who both had the biggest declines of four points in the ACSI this year.

In this year's ACSI survey, DIRECTV was the only company in the cable and satellite category to improve its position from last year and posted an index score of 69, reflecting customers' overall satisfaction with the service, compared to the cable and satellite TV industry, which received an average score of 66. Specifically, DIRECTV scored 10 points higher than Time Warner, Comcast and Charter Communications, who also posted declines from last year's survey. Customers surveyed by the ACSI in the first quarter of 2011 were also asked about such issues as customer expectations, perceived quality, and customer loyalty.

"The common goal of every employee at DIRECTV is to continually improve the customer experience and our ranking in this year's survey reflects their dedication and hard work," said Mike White, president and CEO of DIRECTV. "While we improved our position within the survey this year, we understand that our customers have many options when it comes to choosing a television provider, and we will continue to stay laser-focused on improving all facets of the overall customer experience to make their choice an easy one."

The American Customer Satisfaction Index is a national economic indicator of customer evaluations of the quality of products and services available to household consumers in the United States. ACSI releases results for various sectors of the economy on a monthly basis to provide up-to-the-moment coverage over the entire calendar year. The national index is updated each quarter and factors in scores from more than 225 companies in 45 industries and from government agencies over the previous four quarters. The Index was founded at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and is produced by ACSI LLC. ACSI can be found on the Web at www.theacsi.org.

*About DIRECTV:*

DIRECTV (NASDAQTV - News) is the world's largest pay TV provider delivering the premiere video experience through state-of-the-art technology, unmatched programming and industry leading customer service to more than 28.9 million customers in the U.S. and Latin America. In the U.S., DIRECTV offers its 19.4 million customers access to more than 170 HD channels and Dolby-Digital® 5.1 theater-quality sound (when available), access to exclusive sports programming such as NFL SUNDAY TICKET™, award winning technology like its DIRECTV® DVR Scheduler and higher customer satisfaction than the leading cable companies for 11 years running. DIRECTV Latin America, through its subsidiaries and affiliated companies in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, and other Latin American countries, leads the pay-TV category in technology, programming and service, delivering an unrivaled digital television experience to 9.5 million customers. DIRECTV sports and entertainment properties include three Regional Sports Networks (Northwest, Rocky Mountain and Pittsburgh) as well as a 60 percent interest in Game Show Network. For the most up-to-date information on DIRECTV, please call 1-800-DIRECTV or visit directv.com.


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## MysteryMan (May 17, 2010)

I agree.


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## Go Beavs (Nov 18, 2008)

I've had pretty good CS on the rare call into DIRECTV. It's nice to know most people have the same experience.

Keep it up! :up:


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

This comment alone deserves a special mention:

"In this year’s ACSI survey, DIRECTV was the only company in the cable and satellite category to improve its position from last year "

Good job DIRECTV.


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## Alan Gordon (Jun 7, 2004)

HD channel lineup aside, I too am very happy with my DirecTV service, so you won't see much surprise from me. 

~Alan


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## John Strk (Oct 16, 2009)

Great to hear. Seriously I've never had anything but great CS since signing up with D* almost four years ago. I don't know why so many people complain. Then again I've been a great customer too.


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## MikeW (May 16, 2002)

Aside from the poor escalation I received for an error in blackouts, I couldn't be happier with the service I receive.


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## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

All that gloating from Dish and their subs and they only managed to stay on top for one year.


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## Curtis0620 (Apr 22, 2002)

Hoosier205 said:


> All that gloating from Dish and their subs and they only managed to stay on top for one year.


Funny how dropping a channel or two will do that.


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## Karen (Oct 4, 2007)

I gave Directv excellent marks with the way they dealt with my pixelation issues last month. The CSR and the guy who worked on my dish were both great!


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## TDK1044 (Apr 8, 2010)

My recent post titled 'Excellent Customer Service' says it all for me.


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## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

Alan Gordon said:


> HD channel lineup aside, I too am very happy with my DirecTV service, so you won't see much surprise from me.
> 
> ~Alan


+1

My sentiments exactly!


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## JeffBowser (Dec 21, 2006)

To put in some perspective, the score is based on a scale of 1-100. DirecTV's score of 69 compared to year one's score is down 1.4%, and as a whole remains below that of 5 of their first 6 years of scores.

You'll also notice good scores are in the upper 70's and into the 80's. So, while it is true they are 1.4% better than last year, and the best of a sorry bunch of TV providers, they are far from a good customer service company in general, when taken out of their tiny world of rated providers.


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## Jon J (Apr 22, 2002)

Swanni writes today that Verizon FIOS topped DirecTV.

<Ducks. Runs.>


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## mreposter (Jul 29, 2006)

If you go to the linked site, you find the following scores:

Subscription Television Service (industry average).....66
Verizon FIOS........................................................72
Directv...............................................................69
All Others...........................................................69
ATT/Uverse.........................................................68
Dish..................................................................67
Cox...................................................................67
Time Warner......................................................59
Comcast.............................................................59
Charter...............................................................59

So, Directv doesn't really lead the pack, it's in 2nd place, tied with "all others." Directv has very good numbers, but several companies have caught up to them in the rankings.


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## JeffBowser (Dec 21, 2006)

I submit to you that 69 is not "very good numbers". We are all like lobsters being boiled in a pot, slowly being conditioned to accept "mediocre" as "good".


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

JeffBowser said:


> I submit to you that 69 is not "very good numbers". We are all like lobsters being boiled in a pot, slowly being conditioned to accept "mediocre" as "good".


Or we are whiny biatches who never are satisfied. I look at ratings in Consumer Reports for technology sevices and they are always low. Yet I have had few problems.

BTW, I would rate DirecTV customer service at least twice as good as Fios. If you think CSR roulette is bad with DirecTV, try it with Fios. You will not ever get the same answer twice for what a standard service costs.


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## xmguy (Mar 27, 2008)

Go Beavs said:


> I've had pretty good CS on the rare call into DIRECTV. It's nice to know most people have the same experience.
> 
> Keep it up! :up:


Agreed. Very happy with D*


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## JeffBowser (Dec 21, 2006)

Whiny? Heck yeah there are whiny brats out there who won't be satisfied with anything. Yet it remains, the masses are slowly being convinced that mediocre is good.



tonyd79 said:


> Or we are whiny biatches who never are satisfied. I look at ratings in Consumer Reports for technology sevices and they are always low. Yet I have had few problems.
> 
> BTW, I would rate DirecTV customer service at least twice as good as Fios. If you think CSR roulette is bad with DirecTV, try it with Fios. You will not ever get the same answer twice for what a standard service costs.


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## DarkSkies (Nov 30, 2007)

I love this annual argument.


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

JeffBowser said:


> Whiny? Heck yeah there are whiny brats out there who won't be satisfied with anything. Yet it remains, the masses are slowly being convinced that mediocre is good.


From a service perspective, I've had one CSR that was rude beyond rude with DIRECTV. This was many, many moons ago and I simply hung up and called back at a later time. Other than that incident, every CSR I've dealt with has been top notch with some even going above that level. I've been way more than satisfied with each call.

From an installer perspective, I haven't had a whole lot of experience .. There was one incident where I was annoyed because the guy showed up at 7pm for a 12-4 appointment window. I solved that problem by finding the earliest morning appointment. Since then my 8-12 appointments have all shown up between 7:30am and 8:30am ..


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

"JeffBowser" said:


> Whiny? Heck yeah there are whiny brats out there who won't be satisfied with anything. Yet it remains, the masses are slowly being convinced that mediocre is good.


Since i dont see anything mediocre about the service I pay for, I don't see where this is germane.

Full digital HD goodness coming from re sky that I can record, timeshift, share around my network, etc. for a market set price. Nothing mediocre there.

Everytime I have called I get good prompt service and no mistakes. Nothing mediocre there. In fact I usually wind up joking with the csr.


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## Alan Gordon (Jun 7, 2004)

JeffBowser said:


> Whiny? Heck yeah there are whiny brats out there who won't be satisfied with anything. Yet it remains, the masses are slowly being convinced that mediocre is good.


I think it depends upon one's experiences...

I lived through the "agony" that was DirecTV service via Pegasus... but ever since I've been with DirecTV proper, my service experience with DirecTV has mostly been great.

I say mostly because I had some issues with an install last year that was a pain in the butt, but thankfully, it got straightened out 110%, and of course there was an issue with some of the channels in my locals when my locals launched last year, but a kind person with DirecTV )) finally got that mess straightened out.

Now you may say that "mostly" may not be good enough, but when you're dealing with a company as large as DirecTV, I don't think "perfection" is possible, so "mostly" becomes a really big compliment... particularly when I think about the customer service issues I've had with my cell phone company earlier this year and late last year. Those issues made the issues with DirecTV I mentioned above seem very small, and unlike the cell phone company, DirecTV corrected their mistakes and apologized multiple times for my trouble. To me, that's pretty darn good...

No, I have complaints about them lacking some of my favorite channels (BBCA, AMC, TCM, CW DNS, etc.) in HD, and I'm disappointed that DirecTV is no longer offering ABC in HD in our local package here, and the SD ABC they're giving us has a MAJOR issue, but overall, I'm pretty satisfied with my service, especially the times I've dealt with them personally (customer service, etc.).

~Alan


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## QuickDrop (Jul 21, 2007)

In general, I feel this poll tends to be skewed.

The Top 4 in satisfaction are:

1. Fios
2. DirecTV
3. AT&T
4. Dish Network

The common denominator is that they are not cable. Cable is the status quo. A customer usually must choose not to have it rather than subscribe to it. Once a person decides to choose something other than cable I suspect they are less likely to complain because they made a choice under their own control and complaining about it would reflect poorly on them, while cable subscribers, many of whom are afraid to choose differently, view cable television as something omnipresent and beyond their control, so complaining about it doesn't, for them, reflect on their own choices.


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

"QuickDrop" said:


> In general, I feel this poll tends to be skewed.
> 
> The Top 4 in satisfaction are:
> 
> ...


Fell for the Verizon ads, huh? Fios is cable.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

tonyd79 said:


> Fell for the Verizon ads, huh? Fios is cable.


Isn't Uverse cable, too?


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

"sigma1914" said:


> Isn't Uverse cable, too?


Don't know. Never saw it.


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## jal (Mar 3, 2005)

How does the quality of HD picture on U-Verse compare to Directv? Does it matter where you are located (e.g. does U-verse quality vary depneding on where one lives?). The u-verse model has some positive aspects to it (e.g. no cost equipment for up to 8 tvs), but some negatives as well (only between 2 and 4 HD feeds can be watched/recorded at a time). I would think that the feeling about customer service relates directly to how many times technical problems occur with each provider.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

jal said:


> How does the quality of HD picture on U-Verse compare to Directv? Does it matter where you are located (e.g. does U-verse quality vary depneding on where one lives?). The u-verse model has some positive aspects to it (e.g. no cost equipment for up to 8 tvs), but some negatives as well (only between 2 and 4 HD feeds can be watched/recorded at a time). I would think that the feeling about customer service relates directly to how many times technical problems occur with each provider.


It's horrible on U-Verse no matter where you live. Distance from the "box" doesn't affect PQ, but it does affect how many HD streams you get.

Swanni said:


> Interestingly, the American Customer Satisfaction team noted that AT&T's score may have slipped due to a rise in customer complaints about the picture quality on their HD channels.


I'm only quoting him because I know he stole the information directly from ACS. He's still a tool.


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## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

"sigma1914" said:


> Swanni said:
> 
> I'm only quoting him because I know he stole the information directly from ACS. He's still a tool.


Hmmm...I just noticed the racist tinge to one of his recent "articles" and it does not surprise me.


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## TDK1044 (Apr 8, 2010)

jal said:


> How does the quality of HD picture on U-Verse compare to Directv? Does it matter where you are located (e.g. does U-verse quality vary depneding on where one lives?). The u-verse model has some positive aspects to it (e.g. no cost equipment for up to 8 tvs), but some negatives as well (only between 2 and 4 HD feeds can be watched/recorded at a time). I would think that the feeling about customer service relates directly to how many times technical problems occur with each provider.


:

I had U-verse for 30 days and walked away from it. Several reasons. The main reason was that the HD picture quality was so compressed that it was unacceptable to me. I would rate DirecTV HD pictures as 8 out of 10 and U-verse a 6 at best. The second issue with U-verse is that your profile (the number of HD streams you can get) is directly related to your distance from the VRAD. The further away you are, the fewer HD streams you can get. Lastly, U-verse can only work with a single DVR.

Anyone with DirecTV's Whole Home DVR is far better off than any U-verse customer will ever be. I have Whole Home DVR and three HD DVRs. I can therefore record six different channels in high quality HD and play them back on any DVR. With a bigger SWM and more DVRs, I could record even more HD. U-verse can't touch that.


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## QuickDrop (Jul 21, 2007)

tonyd79 said:


> Fell for the Verizon ads, huh? Fios is cable.


That wasn't my point. Telecos and satellite are usually the second and third choices in areas served by "traditional cable." Traditionally, customers choose to switch to them from whatever cable company is serving their market and I believe customers are less likely to be " not satisfied" with them (vs cable) because they are more likely than cable customers to believe that their non-satisfaction reflects poorly on them.


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

"QuickDrop" said:


> That wasn't my point. Telecos and satellite are usually the second and third choices in areas served by "traditional cable." Traditionally, customers choose to switch to them from whatever cable company is serving their market and I believe customers are less likely to be " not satisfied" with them (vs cable) because they are more likely than cable customers to believe that their non-satisfaction reflects poorly on them.


Okay. I see.


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## JeffBowser (Dec 21, 2006)

I'm not saying DirecTV's service is bad by any means. After all, I stick with them. What I am saying is, it's not great, either. And by "service" I am talking about the CSR experience, not the delivered product. It is mediocre, starting from the byzantine menuing system you have to traverse to get anywhere, all the way to the lack of current info/empowerment the front line CSRs suffer from. I've never had a problem with DirecTV that wasn't solved. That's not the point, the point I make is, it is too difficult to get to that resolution too often. All the replies up here have just solidified what I see across the board in nearly all the customer service world - we are indeed being conditioned to accept less and be happy with it (a 69 is an D- in my world). I refuse to go down quietly on that subject. In my company, when you call, you get a human being, immediately. A locally grown, English speaking, individual with all current information available to them, and considerable power of their own to cure any issues. This is the standard to strive to.



Doug Brott said:


> From a service perspective, I've had one CSR that was rude beyond rude with DIRECTV. This was many, many moons ago and I simply hung up and called back at a later time. Other than that incident, every CSR I've dealt with has been top notch with some even going above that level. I've been way more than satisfied with each call.
> 
> From an installer perspective, I haven't had a whole lot of experience .. There was one incident where I was annoyed because the guy showed up at 7pm for a 12-4 appointment window. I solved that problem by finding the earliest morning appointment. Since then my 8-12 appointments have all shown up between 7:30am and 8:30am ..


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## RACJ2 (Aug 2, 2008)

JeffBowser said:


> Whiny? Heck yeah there are whiny brats out there who won't be satisfied with anything. Yet it remains, the masses are slowly being convinced that mediocre is good.


Its funny that you say that, because the company I work for strives for mediocracy for our CSR's. This is second hand info, but someone told me this after attending a session with our Sr Mgr of Client Service. This person asked why we don't train people better and staff so we can provide correct answer in a more timely fashion. His response was "Oh no, we don't want to do that, then they will always expect that kind of service. We can't set the bar that high, because when they don't receive that type of service they will be upset. :nono2:


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## Shades228 (Mar 18, 2008)

RACJ2 said:


> Its funny that you say that, because the company I work for strives for mediocracy for our CSR's. This is second hand info, but someone told me this after attending a session with our Sr Mgr of Client Service. This person asked why we don't train people better and staff so we can provide correct answer in a more timely fashion. His response was "Oh no, we don't want to do that, then they will always expect that kind of service. We can't set the bar that high, because when they don't receive that type of service they will be upset. :nono2:


I'm sure that person would say something different if the CEO asked them. No company strives for mediocracy intentionally.

Service industries always score "low" in these sections because companies have trained customers to do so. The largest reasons for people who give middle of the line remarks are due to multiple reasons:

If you get a survey after service and you rate them low they call you back and try to make you happy.
People rank services low because of factors that have nothing to do with the survey. Like pricing, lack of expected services,
Political views
Letting outside factors that didn't happen to the individual, friend was slighted or read something in a paper that they didn't like
Compare the service they get to another company that isn't in the same industry.
People who score to extremes (1-3 8-10) are generally people who have had positive or negative experiences because they reflect that in a number they relate to.

Now this doesn't mean that DIRECTV, and every other company out there, cannot get better. It also doesn't mean that they can become complacent but it does mean that they on average provide a level of service that people find satisfactory.

In my opinion I know companies will eventually make a mistake. The true charater is when they do to correct that mistake. Most companies usually get it right, but sometime they don't. People are also changing what customer service means to them. A generation ago it meant that people were friendly, polite, and made you feel warm and fuzzy. The current generation coming up equates customer service to time and value. If you're fast and get a discount or promotion it's good.


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## RACJ2 (Aug 2, 2008)

Shades228 said:


> I'm sure that person would say something different if the CEO asked them. No company strives for mediocracy intentionally.
> 
> Service industries always score "low" in these sections because companies have trained customers to do so. The largest reasons for people who give middle of the line remarks are due to multiple reasons:
> 
> ...


I'm sure the factors you mention do come into play with CSI. Although there may be other reasons as well. Maybe CSR's aren't as well informed as customers expect them to be. Possibly they give a low rating, because they waited on hold too long. Or they hated the automated system they had to maneuver through, just to speak to a live person.

And I'm not sure if companies actually strive for mediocracy as I mentioned. But they may not be too concerned about providing mediocre service, that is best in class. Take DIRECTV for instance. Could they be using the same philosophy with customer service that they use with adding HD channels to standard packages "Why add more HD when churn is low and profits are at record highs". They could think, why invest in adding more CSR's or in additional training for them. Sales are great and our net loss of customers is low. So why create more expense, which reduces profits and shareholder wealth.


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## fireponcoal (Sep 26, 2009)

tonyd79 said:


> BTW, I would rate DirecTV customer service at least twice as good as Fios. If you think CSR roulette is bad with DirecTV, try it with Fios. You will not ever get the same answer twice for what a standard service costs.


this fios comment is spot foocking on.


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

fireponcoal said:


> this fios comment is spot foocking on.


It is a shame. Verizon does a good job of delivering services (phone, mobile, internet, TV) but a lousy job of running them all from a customer interface no matter if you are using their webpage or their people. Still trying to find out why the verizon webpage is so slow.


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## gilviv (Sep 18, 2007)

I couldn't be happier with the service I receive from D*, a minor thing here or there is OK. My parents recently had a Uverse bundle installed and well..... ATT botched it.! The install was a mess, their account and billing are all screwed up. And now subsequent connection problems with endless time spent trying to get someone NOT to pass the buck and transfer you all over the entire ATT network.:nono2: I told them they should have gone with DirecTV.....but NOOOOO.....when do parents ever listen to their children.


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## Dave (Jan 29, 2003)

Actually Verizon FIOS out performed all the competitors including Dish and DirectV. This is the first year that DirectV has been better than Dish in a long time. It is about service not the quality of the picture. It is all about the company serving the customer DirectV was so far down in customer service the only way for them to go was up.


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## I WANT MORE (Oct 3, 2006)

Results like these are why I continually sing the praises of D*


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Dave said:


> Actually Verizon FIOS out performed all the competitors including Dish and DirectV.


Actually, no one even said FIOS wasn't 1st.


> This is the first year that DirectV has been better than Dish in a long time.


 :nono:
No it's not. Since scoring began in 2001, DIRECTV scored higher than Dish in 09, 08, 07 was equal, 06, 04 was equal, 03, & 02. So...out of 11 years DIRECTV has beat Dish 6 times and equaled them 2 times. That's a 6-3-2 W L T record verse Dish. 


> It is about service not the quality of the picture. It is all about the company serving the customer DirectV was so far down in customer service the only way for them to go was up.


They also weren't "so far down" when they were 5th last year out of 10. They were the only cable/sat company to improve.


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## Aridon (Mar 13, 2007)

Excluding the bottom three all the companies scored almost the same. /yawn


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Aridon said:


> Excluding the bottom three all the companies scored almost the same. /yawn


Two of those bottom 3 are BIG players. Comcast & TWC being down there is fairly significant. Imagine the piling on that would occur here and by Swanni if DIRECTV was in those 3.


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## HerntDawg (Oct 6, 2008)

Room for improvement on everyones count.


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## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

HerntDawg said:


> Room for improvement on everyones count.


aaaah yeah

DIRECTV grade F two consecutive years on BBB. *link*


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## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

Hutchinshouse said:


> aaaah yeah
> 
> DIRECTV grade F two consecutive years on BBB. *link*


Only because they won't pay the BBB ransom. The BBB is FUBAR.


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

Hutchinshouse said:


> aaaah yeah
> 
> DIRECTV grade F two consecutive years on BBB. *link*


And yet DIRECTV wins the customer satisfaction battle from an independent pollster ... perhaps that should tell you something about the BBB.


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## Santi360HD (Oct 6, 2008)

shame with such a beautifully written article (page 1, post#1) that so many basic HD's remain absent from the lineup..shame indeed..D* is like a girl at the dance..Not willing to boast her dress and assets...but just happy to be there...


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

It's a customer satisfaction index .. DIRECTV exceeded most other providers .. All providers have their pluses and minuses with regards to content. With respect to the two satellite providers, DISH has had a significantly larger number of important channels vanish from their system during disputes than DIRECTV. For the most part, DIRECTV seems to want that dance to last rather than risk a one night stand ....


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## Santi360HD (Oct 6, 2008)

Doug Brott said:


> It's a customer satisfaction index .. DIRECTV exceeded most other providers .. All providers have their pluses and minuses with regards to content. With respect to the two satellite providers, DISH has had a significantly larger number of important channels vanish from their system during disputes than DIRECTV. For the most part, DIRECTV seems to want that dance to last rather than risk a one night stand ....


my one night stand with Cable (me getting a cable box after years of just having Cable Modem only) was when the Yes Network was in jeapordy of being pulled turned out to be a relationship I blossomed into..and i dont regret one nighting her for a load of stuff my current girlfriend D*never gave me...I have both now and if D* knows im cheating she'll know why...for the big sack of nothing she gives me..SO i scaled down her package (D*'s) in lieu of possibly letting her go..

heh heh


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## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

Hoosier205 said:


> Only because they won't pay the BBB ransom. The BBB is FUBAR.





Doug Brott said:


> And yet DIRECTV wins the customer satisfaction battle from an independent pollster ... perhaps that should tell you something about the BBB.


Per this *link*:

"Verizon's fiber-optic service, FiOS, holds the top ACSI spot for a second straight year"

DIRECTV did not win, they came in 2nd with 69% out of a possible 100%.

Grade "F" from BBB
Grade "D+" from ACSI

I've had zero problems with customer service. However, perhaps we shouldn't blow sunshine up DIRECTV's you know where.


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## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

Hutchinshouse said:


> Per this *link*:
> 
> "Verizon's fiber-optic service, FiOS, holds the top ACSI spot for a second straight year"
> 
> ...


D+? Sure Swanni... Keep making things up.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Hutchinshouse said:


> Per this *link*:
> 
> "Verizon's fiber-optic service, FiOS, holds the top ACSI spot for a second straight year"
> 
> ...


How about you watch this video on the BBB & wake up to what a sham it is so you'll quit using it as validation. Also, take a look at the 3 Lowest scoring companies BBB score...AT&T gets a B, TWC gets an A+, and Charter gets an A+. What do these 3 have in common? They pay BBB's extortion fee.


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

Hutchinshouse said:


> Grade "F" from BBB
> Grade "D+" from ACSI
> 
> I've had zero problems with customer service. However, perhaps we shouldn't blow sunshine up DIRECTV's you know where.


If you want to call that a D+, then go for it. As a comparative study DIRECTV is near the top. My point was that the BBB rating is worthless .. It doesn't matter if the BBB gives an 'A' or an 'F' .. Neither provide meaningful information. DIRECTV could easily get an 'A' from the BBB by paying the BBB.

At least the 'index' provides a meaningful number. It shows DIRECTV near the top of all providers .. It also shows that there is room for improvement. Generally speaking, Most folks @ DBSTalk seem to have a good experience with DIRECTV customer support .. Still, there are a number of drivebys and regulars that have issues with DIRECTV service and support. They are definitely not perfect.

In my opinion (and on the balance), I would give DIRECTV an A because I know that even when they fall down, the effort is there to make it right. I'm confident that most people would give DIRECTV a B or a C and very few would give less than that.


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## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

Doug Brott said:


> If you want to call that a D+, then go for it. As a comparative study DIRECTV is near the top. My point was that the BBB rating is worthless .. It doesn't matter if the BBB gives an 'A' or an 'F' .. Neither provide meaningful information. DIRECTV could easily get an 'A' from the BBB by paying the BBB.
> 
> At least the 'index' provides a meaningful number. It shows DIRECTV near the top of all providers .. It also shows that there is room for improvement. Generally speaking, Most folks @ DBSTalk seem to have a good experience with DIRECTV customer support .. Still, there are a number of drivebys and regulars that have issues with DIRECTV service and support. They are definitely not perfect.
> 
> In my opinion (and on the balance), I would give DIRECTV an A because I know that even when they fall down, the effort is there to make it right. I'm confident that most people would give DIRECTV a B or a C and very few would give less than that.


I'm not "calling" it a D+. On a scale of 0-100, 69% is a D+










I would give DIRECTV an A too. Like I said, I've never had problems with customer service. I'm just saying, hoisting a trophy overhead may be a bit much.


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

Hutchinshouse said:


> I'm not "calling" it a D+. On a scale of 0-100, 69% is a D+
> 
> I would give DIRECTV an A too. Like I said, I've never had problems with customer service. I'm just saying, hoisting a trophy overhead may be a bit much.


Can't really use a linear grading system when no one gets an A using it. The highest grade in any of the numbers I see on the ACSI webpage is 79 for software other than Microsoft. The highest historically were a few 83's for landline phones back in 1995.

But, any survey that gives Fios the highest grade on customer service is pretty much tainted anyway.

BTW, someone portrayed this earlier as a customer service rating. Nope. Don't see that at all. It is an overall satisfaction survey. And that tells me it is completely nuts. No one is going to tell me that either DirecTV or Fios belongs that low for overall satisfaction. The churn rates don't support that information.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Hutchinshouse said:


> I'm not "calling" it a D+. On a scale of 0-100, 69% is a D+
> 
> I would give DIRECTV an A too. Like I said, I've never had problems with customer service. I'm just saying, hoisting a trophy overhead may be a bit much.


Did you attend graduate school? (I'm not judging you, if not.) Some professors have extremely complicated grading systems with curves. I had a ridiculously difficult Exercise Physiology class where tests were mentally draining. On a few occasions, the highest score was in the 60s with a majority of scores in the 40s and 50s and some in the 20s...All on a 100 point scale. When a curve was factored in, those few 60s were "As" and the 40s and 50s were "Bs & Cs."

You can't just apply a 100 point & letter grading scale on everything.


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## Canis Lupus (Oct 16, 2006)

I've always been happy with the customer service. Any issues I've had have always been dealt with right away and, for the most part, the right way. Have there been mistakes? Yes. But taking the time to learn how to manage a fairly significant budget item from a luxury item standpoint, by using DBSTalk for instance, has made it really easy for me to help DirecTV quickly correct those mistakes. 

People can argue that stuff should just work, but like SatRacer said right in the first sentence of the OP, this stuff is pretty complicated given all of the factors that go in to making it work. 

My 9 month old Golden chewed through an external coax the other day. To the general public, it may be a 771 on 2 DVRs. To me it was, "Make a cable and secure this better". DBSTalk has always been a great resource, and seeing that DirecTV is at least trying to move in the direction of better service is good enough for me.


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## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

sigma1914 said:


> Did you attend graduate school? (I'm not judging you, if not.) Some professors have extremely complicated grading systems with curves. I had a ridiculously difficult Exercise Physiology class where tests were mentally draining. On a few occasions, the highest score was in the 60s with a majority of scores in the 40s and 50s and some in the 20s...All on a 100 point scale. When a curve was factored in, those few 60s were "As" and the 40s and 50s were "Bs & Cs."
> 
> *You can't just apply a 100 point* & letter grading scale on everything.


I didn't apply the 100, ACSI did.  Their site clearly stated the scale is 0-100. Just reporting the facts. If it makes you sleep better, use the curve. Many people s-talk FiOS customer service. DIRECTV scored lower than FiOS. No curve can remedy that little nugget. Again, I've had no problems with DIRECTV CS. I just read the data without blue glasses.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Hutchinshouse said:


> I didn't apply the 100, ACSI did.  Their site clearly stated the scale is 0-100. Just reporting the facts. If it makes you sleep better, use the curve. Many people s-talk FiOS customer service. DIRECTV scored lower than FiOS. No curve can remedy that little nugget. Again, I've had no problems with DIRECTV CS. I just read the data without blue glasses.


Did ACSI apply letter grades as you did?


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## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

sigma1914 said:


> Did ACSI apply letter grades as you did?


Why bother? Some folks have an agenda and will do whatever is necessary to support it. Swanni's minions.


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## RobertE (Jun 10, 2006)

When you take this in context it sheds some more light on the "Poor" score. Not just for DirecTv, but all providers:



> Subscription TV Service
> Customer satisfaction with subscription TV service is unchanged at an ACSI score of 66, a year after surging 4.8% to an all-time high. Quality, especially from fiber-optic and satellite, has improved in recent years, but higher fees are significantly dampening customer satisfaction, more so than in other industries.
> 
> "Bundling of services such as phone and Internet access may have been both a blessing and a curse for the industry," said Fornell. "A couple of years ago, a variety of bundling promotions boosted what people saw as value for money; but now, as many of these promotions have ended, subscribers with bundled services are becoming less satisfied and more concerned about price."


Seems like a lot of weight is put on the amount of the customers bill. How that applies to the satisfaction of the service provided seems a little shady to me.


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## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

sigma1914 said:


> Did ACSI apply letter grades as you did?


Nope, that move was all me brother.


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## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

Hoosier205 said:


> Why bother? Some folks have an agenda and will do whatever is necessary to support it. Swanni's minions.


!rolling

Good one Mr. White

I bet your agenda can kick my agenda's a**.


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## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

Hoosier205 said:


> Why bother? *Some folks have an agenda and will do whatever is necessary to support it*. Swanni's minions.


Yeah, like reading the facts.


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## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

"Hutchinshouse" said:


> Yeah, like reading the facts.


Since when?


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

"Hutchinshouse" said:


> I didn't apply the 100, ACSI did.  Their site clearly stated the scale is 0-100. Just reporting the facts. If it makes you sleep better, use the curve. Many people s-talk FiOS customer service. DIRECTV scored lower than FiOS. No curve can remedy that little nugget. Again, I've had no problems with DIRECTV CS. I just read the data without blue glasses.


Again. This is NOT a customer service survey. It is customer satisfaction. Different animal. Or did you not read the definition? Just the numbers?


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

"Hoosier205" said:


> Why bother? Some folks have an agenda and will do whatever is necessary to support it. Swanni's minions.


I don't like name calling in either direction.


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

"RobertE" said:


> When you take this in context it sheds some more light on the "Poor" score. Not just for DirecTv, but all providers:
> 
> Seems like a lot of weight is put on the amount of the customers bill. How that applies to the satisfaction of the service provided seems a little shady to me.


It does apply to overall customer satisfaction. Many people think TV should be cheap. Most of those same people don't have OTA setups. 

But that is why the industry scores low. Perception of what you should get for your money. And increases.


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

"Hutchinshouse" said:


> Nope, that move was all me brother.


Meaning it had no real meaning.


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## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

tonyd79 said:


> Or we are whiny biatches who never are satisfied. I look at ratings in Consumer Reports for technology sevices and they are always low. Yet I have had few problems.
> 
> BTW, I would rate DirecTV customer service at least twice as good as Fios. If you think CSR roulette is bad with DirecTV, try it with Fios. You will not ever get the same answer twice for what a standard service costs.


Again. This is NOT a customer service survey. It is customer satisfaction. Different animal. Or did you not read the definition? Just the numbers? 

Seriously, to me service and satisfaction go hand and hand. Maybe I got a little off point. Congrats to DIRECTV and their 69%


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## mreposter (Jul 29, 2006)

_"Bundling of services such as phone and Internet access may have been both a blessing and a curse for the industry,"_

For many cable customers, the "cable" bill has grown significantly in the past 5 years. By bundling tv, internet and phone services, companies like Time Warner and Comcast have been able to capture more business from their customers, but the monthly charge is now much larger. Now that those bills are in the $120-150/month range, they're much more likely to be the target of attention and frustration by their customers.


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

"Hutchinshouse" said:


> Again. This is NOT a customer service survey. It is customer satisfaction. Different animal. Or did you not read the definition? Just the numbers?
> 
> Seriously, to me service and satisfaction go hand and hand. Maybe I got a little off point. Congrats to DIRECTV and their 69%


Actually, when I posted that I was trusting someone who said it was customer service. When I went to look at the numbers, I found a different story.

No. Service and satisfaction are not the same. Service contributes to satisfaction. I am quite satisfied with Fios as a customer even though their customer service stinks. Why? Because the product is good for the money. I have little interaction with customer service so I don't really care much about it. If the product were buggy and I had to deal with them regularly, then the service I got would matter.

I hated Comcast as a product but had excellent service when I called them. Still dissatisfied enough to ditch them for fios for phone and Internet.


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