Earthlink is the region’s favorite company for high-speed Internet service, according to a recent survey.
Users rated Earthlink highest among the high-speed Internet providers in the Eastern region of the U.S., which includes Maryland, Virginia and D.C., according a survey conducted by J.D. Power and Associates.
Verizon and Cablevision also received above-average ratings.
“We’ve always viewed ourselves as a company which offers superior customer service over our competitors,” Earthlink spokesman Jerry Gross said Wednesday, adding the company has been first to market with such features as advanced spam filters and spyware blockers. “We think that comes out of the way we’ve had to compete in the marketplace; we aren’t an incumbent that you have to use for service.”
The survey took into account such factors as cost of service offerings, promotions and company image, according to Frank Perazzini, director of telecommunications at J.D. Power. Customers this year were more concerned with performance and reliability than any other factor, Perazzini added.
Comcast was the only D.C.-area provider to be rated below average in customer satisfaction. Perazzini said the company may have been hurt by the fact that it was behind most other providers in terms of how quickly it brought “triple play” services — phone, voice and Internet — to market.
“Obviously we’re not pleased with the results,” Comcast spokeswoman Jaye Linnen said Wednesday. “We know we need to do a better job, and we’re trying to put measures in place which allow us to do that.”
Those measures include hiring additional technicians, network upgrades and increasing customer service staff, Linnen said.
