T-Mobile Claims Customer Service Superiority in 2017

Chris Holmes Staff Writer

Updated 03 January 2018

With trademark bravado, T-Mobile has issued a press release highlighting "top marks in customer satisfaction -- ALL YEAR LONG in 2017."

A #1 ranking in "overall customer satisfaction" and "likelihood to recommend" comes from opinion tracker HarrisX, while another independent study from YouGov BrandIndex found T-Mobile customers more "consistently satisfied" than those with other carriers.

However, it seems T-Mobile is being a bit selective about the polls they choose to publicize. A study by blue chip market research firm J.D. Power actually proclaimed Verizon tops in customer satisfaction in 2017.

T-Mobile's press release is sprinkled with typically fervent quotes from CEO-slash-head cheerleader John Legere, like this one: "The secret for having the happiest customers isn’t a secret at all. I’ve been yelling about it for years! Listen to customers, fix their pain points, give them a great deal and awesome coverage. You’d think even Dumb and Dumber would get it by now!"

#1	T-Mobile	T-Mobile Essentials \| Eligible First Responders ONLY Unlimited Unlimited 5G & 4G LTE with 50GB of Premium Data T-Mobile 5G Network in select areas with compatible devices 3GB mobile hotspot data $45.00/mo with Auto-Pay - Taxes & Fees included View Plan	$45.00/mo with Auto-Pay - Taxes & Fees included	View Plan
#2	T-Mobile	T-Mobile Essentials \| Eligible Military ONLY Unlimited Unlimited 5G & 4G LTE with 50GB of Premium Data T-Mobile 5G Network in select areas with compatible devices 3GB mobile hotspot data $45.00/mo with Auto-Pay - Taxes & Fees included View Plan	$45.00/mo with Auto-Pay - Taxes & Fees included	View Plan
#3	T-Mobile	T-Mobile Prepaid Unlimited Plan Unlimited Unlimited 5G & 4G LTE with 50GB of Premium Data T-Mobile 5G Network in select areas with compatible devices Unlimited mobile hotspot data $45.00 Per 1 Month Refill with AutoPay - Taxes & Fees NOT included + $10 Upfront View Plan	$45.00 Per 1 Month Refill with AutoPay - Taxes & Fees NOT included + $10 Upfront	View Plan

Regarding that "awesome coverage" Legere mentions, T-Mobile has been aggressively expanding its 600 MHz spectrum (a.k.a. band 71) throughout the country, and it's now available in 586 cities. The problem is that only two phones in T-Mobile's current lineup, the LG V30 and the Samsung Galaxy S8 Active, are compatible with the company's newest, fastest band. T-Mobile will seek to alleviate this issue in the coming year when they unveil a dozen new 600 MHz-capable smartphones.

T-Mobile Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray says the coverage gap with Verizon will be a "thing of history" as the company expands its network into rural America. Whether or not T-Mobile actually catches up to Verizon remains to be seen, but "Big Red's" lead is not insignificant, and they are constantly expanding their network's reach as well.

Chris Holmes

Staff Writer

Chris Holmes is a Contributing Writer for WhistleOut, where he covers the cell phone and internet industries. His work has been cited in publications like The Verge, The New York Times, and WIRED.

Read full bio