Consumer Reports Best Cell Phone Service Provider for 2008

The best cell phone service provider for 2008 According to the Consumer Reports January 2008 Magazine is Verizon in most markets.

Consumer reports ranked cell phone service in 20 cities. In most cases, Verizon came out on top while Sprint ranked last.

For a full list of cities surveyed and more information, see "The Top Wireless Phone Service Providers for 2008 According to Consumer Reports."

Selected comments:

• Verizon Wireless Top rated in 16 of 20 cities: "among the better carriers this year and in our earlier surveys."
• T-Mobile, usually #2 or #3: "another solid performer that often offers more for your money."
• Alltel Wireless, scored #1 in Cleveland, Phoenix and Tampa: "One of the better providers in the three metro areas for which we had adequate survey data."
• AT&T, usually ranked next to last, "Home of iPhone, but trails the better carriers in almost all respects."
• Sprint, nearly last in all citiess: "bottom ranks of carriers we rate."

Consumer reports said poor cell-phone service has not improved:

• "Our largest-ever survey of cell-phone users found the reader score for cell carriers essentially unchanged from last year’s survey, at 67. That ranks cell carriers below services such as hotels, supermarkets, digital cable TV, and even HMOs in terms of how well they please the consumer. Only 47 percent of our respondents told us that they were either completely or very satisfied with their cell-phone service, a low showing for any type of service in the U.S."

Subscribe to Consumer Reports Magazine to read the full survey"2008 Ratings Cell-phone service" on page 34 of the January, 2008 issue.

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