11:33 PM
Vinay Singh
VODAFONE customers just can't get no satisfaction.
The telco took out the top prize for the telco with the lowest customer satisfaction rating in a mobile lifestyle study released this morning.
Less than 50 per cent of Vodafone customers were satisfied with their provider, according to a study released by the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association.
The Australian Mobile Phone Lifestyle Index is an independent study conducted annually by the AIMIA.
Fifty-four per cent of Vodafone customers were not satisfied with the provider, which has been plagued by network issues over the last few years.
That figure represents a 42 per cent drop in customer satisfaction over the past two years.
Vodafone rated an 88 per cent satisfaction rate in the 2010 study and a 61 per cent satisfaction rate in 2011.
The drop in customer satisfaction, therefore, is significant.
The poor customer satisfaction rates follow almost two years of technical problems which caused prolonged network blackouts both for phone calls, text messages and internet access.
The problems were so bad it prompted the company's CEO, Nigel Dews to issue an apology to disappointed customers on Vodafone's blog in December of 2010.
The network problems followed a merger with the 3 Mobile network in 2009.
Dr Marisa Maio Mackay, Director of Complete the Picture Consulting and official research partner for the 2012 report told News Limited that the poor result for Vodafone "really reflected what had been happening in the market".
"It gains momentum," Dr Mackay said. "That probably is influencing the study result because of the significant drop in coverage for some users."
Dr Mackay said the merge with the 3 company and network drop-outs probably didn't help.
Virgin Mobile Australia took out the top satisfaction ratings when it came to smartphone choice, recording an 80 per cent satisfaction rate.
A spokesperson for Vodafone acknowledged that it had let its customers down."
"We know what it takes to be a market leader, and we know we’ve let our customers down," the spokesperson said.
"We are rolling out a range of initiatives to deliver a fantastic customer experience, teamed with our ongoing network improvement program and roll-out of 4G next year, we are confident we will lead the market again in customer experience."
Optus took out second place recording a 67 per cent satisfaction rate.
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