According to the latest customer satisfaction report from the South African Customer Satisfaction Index (SAcsi), MTN fared the worst out of all the mobile networks in the country in terms of the internet access it provides.

SAcsi notes that while the average customer satisfaction scores with wireless internet providers has increased somewhat when compared to last year, the industry is still in the lowest five sectors measured.

MTN scored the lowest (and below par) with 66.3 out of 100, but the top of the pack was led by Telkom with a score of 69.7. The average for the sector is 68.2 out of 100.

“Even as internet usage grows, customers are frustrated with unreliable service and slow broadband internet speeds. They resent not being able to modify products once they’ve made their purchases. Customers have high expectations and we see that when brands do not live up to those expectations, customer satisfaction drops,” explained Professor Adrè Schreuder, CEO of Consulta and founder of SAcsi.

According to SAcsi, there is a bit of an upshot, as its report indicates that one area in which wireless internet providers perform well is value for money.

Here Telkom also took the lead with the highest score for perceived value, with Cell C and Vodacom not far behind. Once again, MTN recorded the lowest value score this year.

“This means that Telkom and Cell C customers are happy with the quality of service they receive relative to the price they pay. We see that companies with the highest customer satisfaction are generally those that find the right balance between quality and value,” added Professor Schreuder.

[Image – CC Warren Rohner]