Switching to a new wireless carrier may seem like a hassle, but according to a Consumer Reports member survey, it’s well worth the effort.
While more than 40% of respondents said they had been using their current provider for over a decade, 7% had changed services in the previous 12 months — and some saved more than $40 a month.
“Verizon and AT&T are clearly getting outmaneuvered for new customers by the smaller providers,” says Martin Lachter, a research program leader in CR’s survey department. “The biggest reason for this is cost.”
Some people reported that their new provider gave them better customer service, cellular coverage, call quality, and/or data speed.
Thinking of making the leap to another carrier yourself?
To help you out, CR combed through the survey data to come up with a list of the best (and worst) phone plan providers. (CR members can consult CR’s phone service ratings, too.)
In CR’s most recent survey, 51,858 members shared their views on their providers’ offerings, including the value of the service they use, customer support, data service (cost, reliability, and speed), cellular reception, and consumer experience.
Check out our weekly newsletter compiled by Consumer Investigative Reporter Tiffany Salameh.
Note that CR’s methodology for scoring providers has changed a bit. The tweaks prevent a carrier from receiving an artificially inflated satisfaction score, bringing these ratings more in line with a provider’s overall performance.
But before you switch, keep in mind that it could have an impact on your data speeds and coverage, so it’s worth checking how much data you and others on your current plan use per month. (Log in to your wireless provider’s website and review your bills.)
Then, if needed, choose a new plan that gives you enough high-speed data. Be sure to read the fine print on the company’s website to see if and when it reduces data speeds.