PissedConsumer Survey: The Best and Worst Customer Service 

A business is nothing without its customers. But how well do US companies treat consumers after they have taken their money? 

Because you'll never honestly know how well a company values its customers until something goes wrong, an online review and consumer insights platform, PissedConsumer.com conducted a survey. This survey, shaped by the experiences and feedback of its website visitors, aims to highlight the very best and worst customer service levels experienced by consumers in 2024. 

Key Insights

• Direct-to-consumer (D2C) retail brands and digital subscription services top the list of companies providing the best customer service.
• Franchised restaurant companies and businesses working in the "gig economy" sector were among our survey's poorest performers.
• The best-performing companies deploy their customer service across numerous channels, including FAQs and troubleshooting content in online help centers, online chat, email, and telephone support.

What Do Consumers Want From Customer Support?

As well as highlighting the best brands offering top customer service, alongside the more lousy companies who make the worst customer service list according to consumers, the PissedConsumer survey report also reveals the answers genuine consumers gave to the following questions:

• Did the customer service representative resolve your issue?
• How would you rate your satisfaction with the customer service representative you spoke to?
• How likely would you recommend the company to a friend or colleague?

So, let's dive into the results and examine which brands made the best and worst customer service list.

Best and Worst Customer Service

We ranked the best and worst customer service experience based on consumer feedback from 32,106 engagements on the PissedConsumer website, highlighting whether their issues were resolved or not after speaking with the customer service team. 

The List of Best Customer Service

This is the list that every customer-focused brand should strive to be on. 

The bigger the brand, the more opportunities there are for the voices of dissatisfied customers to become amplified. So, it's refreshing to see some very big names on this list, emphasizing the business-critical need for offering top customer service.

Direct-to-consumer (D2C) retail brands, like The Farmer's Dog and Wayfair, and digital subscription services, like Netflix and Fitbit, top the list of companies highlighted for offering the best customer service. This indicates that their business models are highly focused on customer retention and recurring revenue. It also suggests that providing the best customer service may be easier when coordinated from a centrally located resource or team and not managed by individual branches.

The List of Worst Customer Service

Now we turn our attention to the list that no self-respecting company wants to be featured on - the Worst Customer Support List. Again, some huge brands are on this list, suggesting that size and status don't always translate into the best customer service. 

Franchised restaurant businesses, like Pizza Hut, Wingstop, and Mcdonald's, online marketplaces like Groupon and Booking.com, and companies built around the "gig economy," including Lyft and Ubereats, feature highly on the worst customer service list. This highlights the challenges these companies may have maintaining customer support across organizations with so many moving parts.

Considering the impact financial services companies can have on people's security and well-being, it is disappointing to see a company like Credit Karma topping the list with an 81.25% non-resolution percentage. It's also curious to see a brand like Venmo performing so poorly when its parent company, PayPal, is featured on the best customer support list.

The Satisfaction Rate of Consumers Who Spoke with Customer Service

Many companies featured on the best customer service list were rated highly by consumers who actively spoke with their customer service teams. It's interesting to see how "pure play" technology companies (selling 100% digital services) still understand the potential of real human engagement in providing exceptional customer support. 

This demonstrates the value of investing in accessible and well-trained customer support agents. The data below is drawn from 40,843 consumer responses to our post-call survey. 

Top Companies Providing Best Customer Service

So, which brands came out on top? 

We ranked the top five brands in relation to customer service levels based on 82,031 consumer responses to our survey. The ranking considers a combination of factors, including:

• How successful was the issue resolution (Issue Resolution Score)
• How satisfied the consumer was following the communication with support (Communication Satisfaction Score)
• How likely is a consumer to recommend this company to a friend and colleagues (Recommendation Score)

To calculate the rating of the company with the best customer service we multiply each of the above 3 factors to the given coefficient of 10. The formula:

Issue Resolution Score = % of Issue Resolution *10

Communication Satisfaction Score = % of Communication Satisfaction *10

Recommendation Score = % of Recommendation *10

Best Customer Service Rating = Issue Resolution Score + Communication Satisfaction Score + Recommendation Score

The top five brands highlighted by PissedConsumer's Customer Support Survey are The Farmer's Dog, Fitbit, Hulu, HBO Max, and Wayfair. Here's how they scored:

What lessons can other brands take from the strategies of these top-performing companies in delivering exceptional customer support? We analyzed how each firm in the top five effectively manages customer service to uncover key insights.

The Farmer’s Dog

As a subscription-based service that delivers fresh, human-grade dog food directly to consumers' doors, The Farmer's Dog prioritizes accessible and responsive customer support to enhance its customers' experience. They offer 24-hour customer service via email and also provide a contact number where consumers can speak directly to a customer service agent. This commitment to round-the-clock support reflects The Farmer's Dog's dedication to customer satisfaction, which can be seen in their highly rated issue resolution, communication satisfaction, and NPS scores. 

Considering that people only contact customer support when they have a problem, The Farmer's Dog resolution (84.62%) and communication satisfaction (74.24%) figures are outstanding. The company clearly understands that its customers are part of a passionate and vocal community of dog owners and how this support reflects positively on the company. 

The PissedConsumer survey recorded 2,061 calls and 105 emails to The Farmer’s Dog customer support team. The average call duration was three minutes and 22 seconds. Reasons for the calls included product quality, requests for additional information, delivery issues, cancellation requests and issues, and payment problems.

Consumers were impressed by The Farmer's Dog customer service team taking ownership of issues, even when they were not directly caused by the company, as highlighted by this comment:

“The two different customer service representatives I spoke with were wonderful. The problem was never yours, it was caused by FedEx. However, they took charge and resolved the matter for me on the first call, despite it being on the weekend in the case of the first call and early in the morning in the case of the second call. I highly recommend both people who did a fabulous job helping me.”

Fitbit

The wearable fitness and health-tracking company Fitbit provides a comprehensive customer support system to assist users with their devices and services. Support is available through the brand's Online Help Center, which offers detailed setup guides, troubleshooting solutions, and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs). Users can also access live chat for real-time communication with Fitbit support agents via the company's website. For direct assistance, US customers can contact Fitbit's dedicated telephone support line. 

Additionally, the company's Community Forums provide a platform for users to discuss issues, share experiences, and receive advice from fellow Fitbit users and forum moderators. By fostering trust in user-generated content, the company enhances its reputation through positive online reviews while optimizing customer support costs. 

The PissedConsumer survey saw 4,197 calls and 100 emails to Fitbit’s customer support team. The average call duration was nine minutes and 32 seconds. Reasons for the calls included product quality, payment issues, requests for additional information, and account issues.

Fitbit’s commitment to resolving customer issues as efficiently and effectively as possible was reflected in this survey response: 

“Direct instruction with what to do. My problem was resolved. Great experience! I appreciated the help!”

Hulu

Hulu, the second streaming company to feature among the top five brands, assists subscribers with their account issues through its online Help Center, which provides detailed articles on account management, billing, troubleshooting, and content discovery. Register users can also access 24/7 live for real-time assistance via the company’s website.

The PissedConsumer customer service survey referenced 31,852 calls and 642 emails sent to Hulu’s customer support team. The average call duration was seven minutes and 72seconds. Reasons for the calls included account issues, payment issues, cancellation inquiries, and product quality. 

Just because Hulu is a digital-first company doesn't mean that it doesn't offer a high level of personal service, as highlighted by this recent PissedConsumer review #6261888:

“The Customer rep was above and beyond helpful. She was patient and kind and tried to help me even when the website was giving her trouble.”

HBO Max

HBO Max offers customer support for its TV streaming services through the Max Help Center. The Help Center provides detailed articles on account management, billing, troubleshooting, and content discovery. The online resource also offers consumers access to live chat and other contact options for real-time assistance. Additionally, HBO Max monitors social media channels like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook to offer timely responses to inquiries and consumer issues.

The PissedConsumer survey reviewed 17,452 calls and 259 emails to HBO Max’s customer support team. The average call duration was seven minutes and 15 seconds. Reasons for the calls included account issues, payment issues, cancellation inquiries, and product quality.

This comment from a survey respondee, naming their customer service agent, highlights the importance of offering real human connections.

“Tashara was amazing. She was persistent in researching ALL avenues to resolve my issue. She was friendly, customer oriented, solution driven.”

Wayfair

Wayfair, the online furniture and home decor retailer, manages its customer support efforts across multiple channels. This includes the Wayfair Help Center, which provides detailed articles on ordering, tracking, returns, and refunds. Customers can also access Wayfair's Virtual Assistant for quick assistance or use the live chat feature for real-time support during business hours. Customers can contact Wayfair's customer service by phone or email for more direct aid, with contact information on the Help Center page. 

Customer trust is a significant consideration when selling large and potentially expensive items online. Wayfair's positive resolution (65.97%) and communication satisfaction (62.66%) suggest that the company is committed to resolving issues before they become more significant problems.

Survey data covered 11,686 calls and 257 emails sent to Wayfair’s customer support team.

Wayfair’s effective customer service was referenced in a recent PissedConsumer review #5659374 regarding a damaged product.

"The lamp I purchased has a cracked globe. I contacted Wayfair where I was listened to, asked to send a picture, and told that it would be replaced. All in less than 5 minutes. I wish every company listened to their customers and based each case individually. I love the lamps, and a replacement was sent within 3 business days."

Turning Customer Service Into a Competitive Advantage

The PissedConsumer Best and Worst Customer Service Survey reveals that excellent customer service is more than just a tool for resolving customer issues. Thanks to word-of-mouth marketing, amplified by online and social media, it's a powerful driver of profitable engagement. Customers who experience good customer service are far more likely to share their satisfaction with friends, family, and colleagues. 

Therefore, positive recommendations can carry significant weight and help influence future purchasing decisions. These organic endorsements enhance a brand's reputation and attract new customers, reducing customer acquisition costs. With this in mind, can any company ignore the potential to invest more in customer service activities? Our survey results suggest not.

Methodology 

The consumer advocacy website and review platform, PissedConsumer.com, conducted an online survey among its visitors, gathering 82,032 responses. The respondents were 54.23% female and 45.77% male. While the number of responses varied by question, the analysis focused on three key areas:

1. Did the customer service representative resolve your issue?
2. How would you rate your satisfaction with the customer service representative you spoke to?
3. How likely are you to recommend the company to a friend or colleague? (Net Promoter Score or NPS).

This report highlights insights drawn from these questions, based on a minimum of 50 responses per question for each company included in the analysis. All responses were collected throughout 2024.