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T-Mobile isn’t the best wireless network, according to the people

Published Jul 28th, 2016 7:30PM EDT
Best Cell Phone Service 2016

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T-Mobile has the cheapest prices and best perks in the industry, and certainly the most sweary executive. But for one of the things that matters most to customers — good customer care — AT&T actually pips the “Uncarrier” to the flag.

The latest edition of the J.D. Power satisfaction survey ranks AT&T as the network with the best overall customer care experience. T-Mobile finishes second, with Verizon and Sprint rounding out the best of the rest.

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The J.D. Power survey uses data from over 7,000 wireless customers across a broad demographic, and is the best annual look we get at who likes their cell carrier the most. Customers fill out a survey detailing their customer care experiences, and the responses are used to build a score out of 1,000 for each customer. AT&T scored 820, while T-Mobile was on 815. Sprint was down at 750, by comparison.

Interestingly, the best non-contract carrier, Customer Cellular, scored 878, way better than any full-service provider. Even though its customers are lacking years-long contracts, the quality of care they receive actually appears to be higher.

Of course, the customer experience is only one part of a network’s overall experience. Verizon is typically said to have the best service, for example, so a survey that takes into account cell coverage would probably see it bumped up a place or two. But it’s worth noting that AT&T, the oldest carrier (with the stuffiest reputation) has actually managed to keep its customers the happiest.

Chris Mills
Chris Mills News Editor

Chris Mills has been a news editor and writer for over 15 years, starting at Future Publishing, Gawker Media, and then BGR. He studied at McGill University in Quebec, Canada.