Trend: US mobile subscribers likely to switch carriers

According to a study by J.D. Power and Associates, dissatisfaction with recent retail wireless purchases has increased 46 percent since last year. One-fifth of those who said they were dissatisfied said they plan to switch carriers because of the experience, and nearly two-thirds said they would not recommend the carrier to friends. US carriers have fewer new customers available to them, which should make retention of subscribers a top priority.

T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless ranked highest for customer satisfaction with retail stores. Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA each claimed ratings of 100 in the study, compared to the industry average of 94. Nextel and Alltel tied at 93, followed closely by Cingular Wireless at 92 and Sprint at 90. The study surveyed 6,144 wireless subscribers who had made a retail transaction within the last six months.

For more on subscribers' satisfaction with retail service:
- take a look at this piece from InformationWeek