Introduction
The CAI is an independent, not for profit, non-governmental organization registered with charitable status, working to promote, protect and represent the interests of consumers. We offer services and resources to aid consumers in the resolution of consumer problems and provide a united voice in the legislative arena with the explicit function of furthering the interests of Irish consumers.
This survey was conducted to assess the state of public opinion:
– On how mobile services are made available throughout Ireland
– On how complaints are handled
– To quantify and evaluate the levels of satisfaction with the providers and retailers customer service policies.
This report details consumer views based on recent contact with their provider/retailer. It shows, where possible, how each provider performs against key measures such as:
– Incidence of complaints
– Issue type
– Were the issues completely resolved
– Satisfaction with customer services
– Future use based on customer service experience.
Research Methodology and Analysis
The methodology used for this research was as follows:
– Over an eight week period, 1,989 consumers were invited to complete the survey. No incentive was offered for completion.
– A total of 590 consumers completed this survey. A copy of the questionnaire used is shown at the back of this report.
Executive Summary
– 58% of respondents were male and 42% were female.
– 50% of respondents were city based, 31% were based in towns and 19% were from rural locations.
– 39% of respondents were Vodafone customers, 28% were o2 customers, 13% were customers of Meteor, 11% were with Three, 9% were customers of others.
– 73% of respondents were bill pay and 26% were pay as you go.
– 28% percent of respondents did not know the duration of their contract, 25% were on a 12 month contract, 23% were on a contract of 18 months and 25% had contracts of 24 months.
– 66% of respondents were with their provider for longer than 6 months.
– 45% of respondents were quite satisfied with the ‘Availability of Connection’, with 10% not satisfied at all.
– 15 % were extremely satisfied with the ‘Reliability of Connection’, with 7% not satisfied at all.
– 38% were quite satisfied and 35% were moderately satisfied with the ‘Average Upload Speed’. 37% were quite satisfied with the average download speed.
– 8% were extremely satisfied with ‘Performance Relative to Cost’, with 15% not satisfied at all.
– 35% had contacted their provider in the last 3 months.
– 42% contacted their provider with a complaint.
– 70% contacted their provider by phone and 9% via email.
– 40% of respondents were left waiting 2 – 5 minutes to speak with a customer service representative.
– 17% of respondents had to contact their provider 4 times in relation to a specific issue.
– 31% of respondents felt the customer service representative did not resolve at all their question or problem.
– 10% of respondents would definitely not use ‘this Mobile Provider’ again.
Overview of each provider
This section gives a detailed breakdown of for the different providers from question 8 to question 28. It compares the different providers in terms of availability and reliability of service, cost, incidence of contact, whether the recent contact was a complaint or not, how the contact was made, what type of issue, whether the issue was considered to be resolved and satisfaction with the customer service experience. (Please note: Q.21 had 145 different responses, so this question is not included.)
- Overall, how satisfied would you say you are with the Availability of Connection?
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Extremely Satisfied |
6.18% |
5.08% |
0.88% |
1.10% |
1.77% |
| Quite Satisfied |
17.44% |
13.69% |
5.96% |
3.97% |
3.97% |
| Moderately Satisfied |
8.61% |
7.73% |
3.09% |
3.53% |
1.32% |
| Slightly Satisfied |
1.99% |
1.55% |
0.66% |
1.10% |
0.66% |
| Not Satisfied At All |
4.64% |
0.44% |
2.87% |
1.10% |
0.66% |
- Overall, how satisfied would you say you are with the Reliability of Connection?
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Extremely Satisfied |
6.26% |
4.25% |
1.34% |
0.89% |
2.01% |
| Quite Satisfied |
16.55% |
17.45% |
6.71% |
4.25% |
4.25% |
| Moderately Satisfied |
8.95% |
5.15% |
3.36% |
2.68% |
0.89% |
| Slightly Satisfied |
3.36% |
0.67% |
1.57% |
1.12% |
0.89% |
| Not Satisfied At All |
3.80% |
0.67% |
0.45% |
1.57% |
0.89% |
- Overall, how satisfied would you say you are with Average Upload Speed?
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Extremely Satisfied |
2.53% |
0.92% |
1.38% |
0.46% |
0.00% |
| Quite Satisfied |
13.59% |
13.36% |
3.23% |
4.15% |
3.23% |
| Moderately Satisfied |
12.90% |
9.45% |
5.30% |
4.61% |
3.46% |
| Slightly Satisfied |
4.84% |
2.07% |
2.76% |
1.15% |
1.15% |
| Not Satisfied At All |
5.30% |
1.38% |
0.92% |
0.46% |
1.38% |
11. Overall, how satisfied would you say you are with Average Download Speed?
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Extremely Satisfied |
2.09% |
0.70% |
0.70% |
0.93% |
0.00% |
| Quite Satisfied |
13.23% |
12.06% |
3.94% |
3.94% |
4.18% |
| Moderately Satisfied |
12.06% |
10.67% |
4.18% |
4.41% |
3.25% |
| Slightly Satisfied |
7.42% |
2.09% |
3.25% |
1.39% |
0.70% |
| Not Satisfied At All |
4.18% |
1.62% |
1.39% |
0.46% |
1.16% |
12. Overall, how satisfied would you say you are with Performance Relative to Cost?
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Extremely Satisfied |
2.70% |
1.35% |
1.35% |
1.12% |
1.35% |
| Quite Satisfied |
7.87% |
11.24% |
3.82% |
2.92% |
3.37% |
| Moderately Satisfied |
13.03% |
10.34% |
4.04% |
3.82% |
2.47% |
| Slightly Satisfied |
6.97% |
3.15% |
1.80% |
1.12% |
0.90% |
| Not Satisfied At All |
8.76% |
2.02% |
2.47% |
1.35% |
0.67% |
13. Have you contacted your Provider with an issue recently?
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Within the last three months |
14.22% |
8.89% |
4.89% |
3.78% |
3.56% |
| Within the last six months |
5.56% |
5.78% |
3.11% |
1.56% |
0.67% |
| Within the last 12 months |
6.00% |
5.11% |
0.89% |
1.56% |
0.89% |
| Longer ago |
8.22% |
3.56% |
1.56% |
1.78% |
1.33% |
| Not at all |
5.33% |
4.67% |
2.44% |
2.44% |
2.22% |
14. Thinking now of the most recent issues you had to contact your Provider about, which of the following categories did the issue fall into? Was it to do with
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| A billing, pricing or payment issue |
11.44% |
8.46% |
5.72% |
3.23% |
1.99% |
| A fault with the service you are buying from them, for example total or partial failure of service |
4.48% |
2.24% |
0.75% |
1.24% |
2.99% |
| The service not performing as well as expected, for example issues with coverage, speed, picture quality |
7.46% |
2.74% |
0.75% |
1.74% |
0.50% |
| Problems with the repair service, for example it didn’t happen or didn’t solve the problem |
2.99% |
2.24% |
1.24% |
1.24% |
0.00% |
| A problem relating to the installation or set up of your service |
2.99% |
1.49% |
0.25% |
0.25% |
1.24% |
| Or something else, a general issue |
9.95% |
10.95% |
4.98% |
3.23% |
1.24% |
15. And more specifically, which of the following best describes what the issue with your Provider was concerning?
A. Billing
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Bill was inaccurate |
1.33% |
0.00% |
1.87% |
0.00% |
0.27% |
| Bill contained items that you should not have been charged for |
2.67% |
1.87% |
1.33% |
0.53% |
1.33% |
| Pre-pay credit lost or not credited to card |
1.07% |
1.33% |
0.00% |
0.27% |
0.00% |
| Need help to understand the bill |
0.80% |
0.80% |
0.53% |
1.33% |
0.27% |
| Bill was a lot higher than expected |
4.80% |
1.87% |
0.53% |
0.53% |
1.33% |
| The format of the bill |
0.27% |
0.27% |
0.00% |
0.27% |
0.00% |
| Payment Issues (including setting up/making a payment, non-direct debit charges) |
1.33% |
1.33% |
1.07% |
0.80% |
0.00% |
| Account details (name, address, tariff, package etc) |
0.80% |
0.80% |
1.60% |
0.00% |
0.53% |
| Getting a refund, credit note, or cashback |
1.33% |
0.53% |
0.27% |
0.27% |
0.00% |
| Closing/switching your account |
2.93% |
0.53% |
0.53% |
0.27% |
0.53% |
| A different issue |
20.53% |
18.67% |
6.93% |
7.47% |
3.47% |
16. B. Faults and Repairs
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Poor reception/coverage |
10.42% |
5.36% |
1.19% |
3.87% |
2.08% |
| Text or voice mails delivered late |
1.49% |
1.19% |
0.00% |
0.60% |
0.00% |
| Problems with calls being disconnected during a call or not connected at all |
2.38% |
2.68% |
0.60% |
1.19% |
1.49% |
| Availability of coverage |
4.17% |
1.49% |
1.79% |
0.89% |
1.49% |
| Reliability of service |
2.08% |
0.89% |
0.30% |
1.19% |
0.00% |
| Time taken to repair a fault |
2.68% |
1.19% |
1.19% |
0.89% |
0.00% |
| A different issue |
17.26% |
16.37% |
6.55% |
2.98% |
2.08% |
17. General enquiries
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Contract, enquiring or complaining about the terms of your contract |
3.35% |
2.44% |
1.22% |
0.91% |
0.61% |
| Mis-selling |
0.61% |
0.91% |
1.22% |
0.00% |
0.61% |
| Cooling-off periods |
0.30% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
| Keeping your mobile number when changing supplier |
0.61% |
0.30% |
0.00% |
0.30% |
0.91% |
| Unsolicited contacts (e.g. sales and marketing calls, emails/spam, scams) |
2.13% |
0.91% |
0.30% |
0.00% |
0.91% |
| General issue with customer service |
2.13% |
2.74% |
2.44% |
2.44% |
1.22% |
| Buying your service |
0.91% |
0.30% |
0.30% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
| Changes to your package or service (upgrading or downgrading your service) |
7.01% |
5.49% |
1.83% |
0.91% |
1.52% |
| Technical enquiry about the service |
4.27% |
2.44% |
0.61% |
1.22% |
1.22% |
| Enquiring about usage levels (hours/amount downloaded) and quotas/caps on usage |
1.83% |
0.91% |
1.52% |
0.91% |
0.00% |
| Switching issues (e.g. problems trying to switch or switched without permission) |
2.44% |
0.30% |
0.30% |
0.30% |
0.30% |
| A different issue |
13.11% |
11.28% |
3.35% |
4.27% |
1.52% |
18. In contacting your Provider/Retailer about your most recent issue, in your opinion, was the reason for this contact with your Provider/Retailer a complaint or something else?
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Complaint |
18.07% |
10.18% |
4.07% |
5.09% |
4.83% |
| Something else |
20.87% |
17.56% |
10.43% |
5.85% |
3.05% |
19. In contacting your Provider/Retailer about your most recent issue, how did you contact them?
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Only on the phone |
16.75% |
12.25% |
6.00% |
4.50% |
2.50% |
| Mainly on the phone |
9.50% |
8.00% |
3.25% |
3.00% |
4.00% |
| Only via email |
4.00% |
2.25% |
1.00% |
1.00% |
0.50% |
| Personally by letter |
1.00% |
0.00% |
0.50% |
0.50% |
0.00% |
| Personally by visit |
7.75% |
5.75% |
3.50% |
1.75% |
0.75% |
20. If contact was by phone, how long were you waiting on hold before speaking with a customer service representative?
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Not at all long (under a minute) |
5.16% |
5.16% |
4.52% |
2.26% |
1.61% |
| Slightly Long (2 – 5 min) |
15.16% |
13.23% |
4.52% |
4.52% |
3.23% |
| Moderately Long (6 – 10 min) |
9.03% |
5.16% |
1.94% |
2.90% |
2.58% |
| Quite Long (10 – 15 min) |
4.19% |
2.58% |
1.61% |
0.65% |
0.00% |
| Extremely long (15 – 25 min) |
2.90% |
1.29% |
0.97% |
0.32% |
0.97% |
| Longer |
1.61% |
1.61% |
0.32% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
22. How many times have you been in contact with your Provider in relation to this particular issue so far?
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Once |
14.25% |
12.40% |
6.86% |
2.64% |
2.37% |
| Twice |
10.03% |
8.44% |
2.64% |
2.37% |
3.96% |
| Three times |
5.28% |
3.43% |
1.06% |
1.32% |
0.00% |
| Four times or more |
8.18% |
3.17% |
2.11% |
2.11% |
1.58% |
| Don’t Know |
2.64% |
0.53% |
0.79% |
1.32% |
0.53% |
23. How interested did the customer service representatives seem to be in resolving the issue?
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Extremely Interested |
6.54% |
7.33% |
4.19% |
1.05% |
1.57% |
| Quite Interested |
14.66% |
8.64% |
4.45% |
2.09% |
2.36% |
| Moderately Interested |
8.64% |
6.81% |
1.57% |
2.62% |
2.62% |
| Not Very Interested |
5.76% |
3.40% |
2.09% |
2.62% |
1.57% |
| Not Interested At All |
3.93% |
2.09% |
1.31% |
2.09% |
0.00% |
24. How clear was the information that the Customer Service Representative provided to you?
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Extremely Clear |
6.20% |
6.46% |
3.62% |
1.29% |
2.07% |
| Quite Clear |
14.47% |
11.89% |
4.13% |
2.07% |
1.29% |
| Moderately Clear |
11.89% |
6.20% |
2.84% |
2.84% |
2.07% |
| Not Very Clear |
4.13% |
2.58% |
1.03% |
3.10% |
2.07% |
| Not Clear At All |
3.10% |
1.03% |
1.81% |
1.29% |
0.52% |
25. How well did the customer service representative answer your question or resolve your problem?
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Completely Resolved |
14.51% |
14.51% |
5.70% |
3.63% |
2.33% |
| Partly Resolved |
10.62% |
7.51% |
2.33% |
2.33% |
2.33% |
| Not Resolved At All |
13.47% |
6.22% |
4.40% |
4.15% |
3.11% |
| Don’t Know |
1.30% |
0.26% |
1.04% |
0.26% |
0.00% |
26. Considering all factors, please select the response below that best describes your overall satisfaction level with your current provider
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Very Satisfied |
3.86% |
4.83% |
3.14% |
0.72% |
0.48% |
| Satisfied |
16.18% |
11.84% |
4.11% |
3.38% |
2.90% |
| Neutral |
10.87% |
7.00% |
2.42% |
2.66% |
2.17% |
| Dissatisfied |
5.31% |
3.86% |
1.93% |
2.17% |
1.45% |
| Angry |
3.86% |
0.97% |
1.45% |
1.45% |
0.97% |
27. Will you use this Mobile Provider again?
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Definitely Will |
9.07% |
6.98% |
3.02% |
1.63% |
0.93% |
| Probably Will |
16.28% |
13.72% |
5.12% |
3.49% |
3.26% |
| Might or Might Not |
10.23% |
5.81% |
3.72% |
3.26% |
2.79% |
| Definitely will Not |
4.42% |
1.86% |
1.16% |
2.09% |
1.16% |
28. How likely are you to recommend this Mobile Provider to others?
|
Vodafone |
o2 |
Meteor |
Three |
Other |
|
| Definitely Will Recommend |
6.02% |
4.17% |
2.31% |
1.85% |
1.39% |
| Probably Will Recommend |
14.35% |
11.57% |
3.47% |
3.01% |
3.24% |
| Not Sure |
12.27% |
9.72% |
5.32% |
2.55% |
2.31% |
| Definitely Will Not Recommend |
7.41% |
2.78% |
1.85% |
3.01% |
1.39% |
| Never Use |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
0.00% |
Mobile Phone Survey – Questionnaire.
Mobile phones are an integral and indispensable part of our everyday lives. From social interaction, and digital identity, to banking and e-commerce: they have become essential to the way we live, spend, connect and express ourselves. There are 4,449,580 mobile users in Ireland.
But what sort of service are we receiving? Are consumers being treated fairly?
Thank you for agreeing to take part in this important survey. This research is being conducted to assess the standards of customer service that Irish Mobile Providers and Retailers offer to their customers.
Survey
Gender
– Male
– Female
2. Please select your age group:
-12 – 18
-19 – 30
– 31 – 40
– 40 – 49
– 50 – 64
– 65+
3. Location
– City
– Town
– Rural
4. Which of the following Mobile Phone Providers do you currently use?
02
Vodafone
Three
Meteor
5. Define your current package
– Bill Pay
– Pay As you Go
– Don’t Know
6. What is the duration of your contract
– 12 months
– 18 months
– 24 months
– Don’t Know
7. How long are you with your current provider?
– 6 months or less
– 6 – 12 months
– 12 – 18 months
– 18 months to 24 months
– Longer
8. Overall how satisfied would you say you are with the Availability of Connection
– Extremely Satisfied
– Quite Satisfied
– Moderately Satisfied
– Slightly Satisfied
– Not Satisfied At All
9. Overall how satisfied would you say you are with the Reliability of Connection
– Extremely Satisfied
– Quite Satisfied
– Moderately Satisfied
– Slightly Satisfied
– Not Satisfied At All
10.Overall how satisfied would you say you are with Average Upload Speed
– Extremely Satisfied
– Quite Satisfied
– Slightly Satisfied
– Not Satisfied
–
11.Overall how satisfied would you say you are with Average Download Speed
– Extremely Satisfied
– Quite Satisfied
– Slightly Satisfied
– Not Satisfied At All
12.Overall how satisfied would you say you are with Performance Relative to Cost
– Extremely Satisfied
– Quite Satisfied
– Slightly Satisfied
– Not Satisfied at All
13.Have you contacted your Provider with an issue recently?
– Within the last three months
– Within the last six months
– Within the last twelve months
– Longer ago
– Not at all.
14.Thinking now of the most recent issues you had to contact your Provider about, which of the following categories did the issue fall into? Was it to do with…….
– A billing, pricing or payment issue
– A fault with the service you are buying from them, for example total or partial failure of service
– The service not performing as well as expected, for example issues with coverage, speed, picture quality
– Problems with the repair service, for example it didn’t happen or didn’t solve the problem
– A problem relating to the installation or set up of your service
– Or something else, a general issue
15.And more specifically, which of the following best describes what the issue with your Provider was concerning?
- A. Billing
– Bill was inaccurate
– Bill contained items that you should not have been charged for
– Pre-pay credit lost or not credited to card
– Need help to understand the bill
– Bill was a lot higher than expected
– The format of the Bill
– Payment Issues (including setting up/making a payment, non-direct debit charges)
– Account details (name, address, tariff, package etc)
– Getting a refund, credit note, or cashback
– Closing/Switching your account
– A different issue (please describe it briefly in your own words)_____________
–
- 16. Faults and Repairs
– Poor reception/coverage
– Text or voice mails delivered late
– Problems with calls being disconnected during a call or not connected at all
– Availability of coverage
– Reliability of Service
– Time taken to repair a fault
– A different issue (please describe it briefly in your own words)___________
- 17. General enquiries
– Contract, enquiring or complaining about the terms of your contract
– Mis-selling
– Cooling-off periods
– Keeping your mobile number when changing supplier
– Unsolicited contacts (e.g. sales and marketing calls, emails/spam, scams)
– General Issue with customer service
– Buying your service
– Changes to your package or service (upgrading or downgrading your service)
– Technical enquiry about the service
– Enquiring about usage levels (hours/amount downloaded) and quotas/caps on usage
– Switching issues (e.g. problems trying to switch or switched without permission
– A different issue (please describe it briefly in your own words)
Customer Services
18.In contacting your Provider/Retailer about your most recent issue, in your opinion, was the reason for this contact with your Provider/Retailer a complaint or something else?
– Complaint
– Something else
19.In contacting your Provider/Retailer about your most recent issue, did you contact them?
– Only on the phone
– Mainly on the phone
– Only via email
– Personally by letter
– Personally by visit
20.If contact was by phone, how long were you waiting on hold before speaking with a customer service representative?
– Not at all long (under a min)
– Slightly Long (2 – 5 min)
– Moderately Long (6 – 10 min)
– Quite Long (10 – 15 min)
– Extremely Long (15 – 25 min)
– Longer (Please Detail)
21When you did get to speak with a Customer Service Agent how much additional time did you spend on the call
Please advise__________________
22.How many times have you been in contact with your Provider in relation to this particular issue so far?
– Once
– Twice
– Three times
– Four times or more
– Don’t Know
23.How interested to help were the customer service representatives?
– Extremely Interested
– Quite Interested
– Moderately Interested
– Not very interested
– Not interested at all
24.How clear was the information that the Customer Service Representative provided to you?
– Extremely Clear
– Quite Clear
– Moderately Clear
– Not very clear
– Not at all Clear
25.How well did the customer service representative answer your question or solve your problem?
– Completely resolved
– Partly resolved
– Not resolved at all
– Don’t Know
26.Considering all factors, please select the response below that best describes your overall satisfaction level with your current provider?
– Very Satisfied
– Satisfied
– Neutral
– Dissatisfied
– Angry
27. Will you use this Mobile Provider again?
– Definitely Will
– Probably Will
– Might or Might Not
– Definitely will Not
28.How likely are you to recommend this Mobile Provider to others?
– Definitely Will Recommend
– Probably Will Recommend
– Not Sure
– Definitely Will Not Recommend
– Never use
Any other comment.
Name
Email address.
