CABLE FIRMS FLOP IN POLL : NATIONAL SURVEY SHOWS MOST SUBSCRIBERS DISSATISFIED WITH LOCAL SERVICES.Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Daily News Staff Writer Unhappy with your cable guy? You're in good company. In its first study of the cable television industry, Agoura Hills-based consumer pollster poll·ster n. One that takes public-opinion surveys. Also called polltaker. Word History: The suffix -ster is nowadays most familiar in words like pollster, jokester, huckster, J.D. Power & Associates found more discontent than satisfaction. Respondents to the national survey ranked their cable companies behind long distance and local telephone providers. And if they could buy these services from the same supplier, only 3 percent would choose the cable company. ``In this new competitive environment, the cable TV companies are going to face an uphill battle Uphill Battle was an metalcore band with elements of grindcore and noisecore. The group was based out of Santa Barbara, California, USA. History Uphill Battle got some recognition releasing their self-titled record on Relapse Records. ,'' said Zaiba Nanji, Power's director of telecommunications services. ``The study reveals that cable TV providers have to overcome a strong negative image that consumers have of their services.'' Power, which gained fame measuring consumer satisfaction in the automobile industry automobile industry, the business of producing and selling self-powered vehicles, including passenger cars, trucks, farm equipment, and other commercial vehicles. , rated the nation's top seven cable companies. Results are based on responses from more than 4,500 cable customers. Six of the seven cable operators serve the San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. , Simi, Conejo, Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, and Antelope valleys. Cox Communications Cox Communications is a privately owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises providing digital cable television and telecommunications services in the United States. It is the third-largest[2] cable television provider in the United States, serving more than 6. , which does not operate in the area, topped the list with a satisfaction rating of 108. Time Warner Cable This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. , whose CVI CVI C (Language) Virtual Instrument CVI Clinical and Vaccine Immunology (journal) CVI Chronic Venous Insufficiency CVI Coastal Vulnerability Index CVI Canaan Valley Institute subsidiary serves 106,233 customers in the West Valley, finished last with a rating of 96. The industry standard was 100. Nanji said the results are unusual because only one company scored above the industry standard and the others were bunched just below it. Consumers said the six areas most important to them are cost, reception quality, programming, corporate image, customer service and billing. Service cost and reception are the two most important. Area cable firms said they could not comment on their rankings without analyzing the data. Power later will try to sell the findings to them. David Auger, CVI's vice president and general manager, said he understands consumers' frustration with prices but maintained that they are competitive. ``Any alternatives to cable that are on the horizon, or are already out there, are at the same cost or more expensive - and that includes direct TV,'' he said. ``But we'd all like to pay less.'' As for reception, that can vary from system to system but equipment upgrades are under way. For example, CVI is spending $37 million on a fiber optic system that will improve reception and reliability, Auger said. ``Most cable systems in the L.A. market are doing the same thing,'' he said. Susan Ritchie, spokeswoman for Continental Cablevision, which serves 61,000 households in the Northeast Valley and Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. , said the industry is addressing issues raised in Power's survey. But Erica Stull at Jones Intercable Jones Intercable was a Cable TV company founded by Glenn Jones. Jones, already a cable television veteran, bought his first cable system in Georgetown, Colorado after taking a $400 loan on his Volkswagen. In 1993 30% of the company was purchased by BCI Telecom Holdings, Ltd. , which has about 120,000 subscribers in the Antelope Valley, declined comment. ``We'd be nuts to say anything about this,'' she said. CABLE RANKING How cable companies rated in customer satisfaction. Industry average is 100. Cox Communications......108 Continental Cablevision.100 Comcast Cable........... 99 Tele-Communications Inc..98 Cablevision Systems Corp.98 Jones Intercable.........97 Time Warner Cable........96 CAPTION(S): Chart Chart: (Color) CABLE RANKING (See text) |
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