July 18, 2008

Long awaited day has finally arrived – many of the big name wireless providers are finally cutting the exorbitant fees usually charged for early terminations and cancellations.

July 17, 2008

Given the sheer number of different cell phones and mobile devices on the market today, choosing the right one can be difficult for consumers. WMUR 9 offers several different tips to help you choose the right device for you, so that you can make sure you get maximum efficiency at an affordable price.

July 16, 2008

It can if you live in San Francisco, according to the New York Times. In one of the most ambitious steps towards reducing the parking problem, San Francisco intends to test six thousand metered parking spaces that will, through a wireless sensor, be able to tell drivers which parking spots are available at any given moment.

July 14, 2008

UPI reveals that people living in Canada are receiving warnings from the Toronto Public Health department to limit the amount of time their children spend on the cell phones, due to increasing health concerns.

Customer Care Ratings

T-Mobile Tops JD Power’s 2007 Customer Care Study --

Wireless Provider Performance Declines Significantly When Customer Care Issues Are Handled by a Computerized Response System

According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Wireless Customer Care Performance Study realeased in January 2007, customer service issues that are handled by a computer automated response system (ARS) on the telephone generate significantly lower customer care ratings when compared with issues handled by a live representative.

The semi-annual study provides a detailed report card on wireless provider customer care performance based on customer experiences with three point-of-contact methods: telephone calls with a service representative and/or automated response system (ARS); visits to a retail wireless store; and online Internet connection. Within each contact method, processing issues such as problem resolution efficiency and hold-time duration are also measured.

For a fifth consecutive reporting period, T-Mobile ranks highest among the five largest wireless service providers by creating a positive experience among customers who contact the carrier for service or assistance. With an index score of 107 points, T-Mobile performs well across all factors that determine overall satisfaction, particularly in the ARS and retail contact channels, and in the overall hold-time duration on the phone. Verizon Wireless (101) and Alltel (99), respectively, follow T-Mobile in the rankings.

Carrier	Index Score
T-Mobile	107
Verizon Wireless	101
AllTel	99
Cingular	94
Sprint Nextel	92

Source: J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Wireless Customer Care Performance Study

The study also finds several key wireless customer care patterns:

More than one-half (55%) of wireless users have contacted the customer service department for assistance within the past year, marking a nearly 7 percent decline from the most recent reporting period (July 2006).
The average number of contacts necessary to resolve an inquiry by phone is 1.87—up from 1.76 in the previous reporting period.
Among customers who contact their provider, 73 percent do so by telephone and 24 percent do so through their provider’s retail store. E-mail/Internet accounts for only 3 percent of customer contacts.
The average initial reported hold time on calls to the customer service department is 3.58 minutes. In comparison, it takes an average of 8 minutes before speaking in-person to a representative at one of the provider’s retail stores.
More than four in 10 customers (42%) contact their provider with a billing-related service inquiry, with 55 percent of these contacts attributed to inaccurate charges. Additionally, 30 percent of all customer care inquiries are call-quality related.