GAO Wireless Report

On the basis of its national survey of adult wireless phone users, GAO estimates that overall, 84 percent of users are very or somewhat satisfied with their wireless phone service. Stakeholders GAO interviewed cited billing, terms of the service contract, carriers' explanation of their service at the point of sale, call quality, and customer service as key aspects of service in which consumers have experienced problems with wireless phone service in recent years. GAO's survey results indicate that while most wireless phone users are very or somewhat satisfied with each of these key aspects of wireless phone service, the percentages of those very or somewhat dissatisfied with these specific aspects ranged from about 9 to 14 percent. GAO's survey results also indicate that some wireless phone service consumers have experienced problems with billing, certain contract terms, and customer service. For example, GAO estimates that about a third of users responsible for paying their bills had problems understanding their bills or had unexpected charges at least some of the time. Additionally, GAO estimates fees for the early termination of a contract were a problem for about 42 percent of users who wanted to switch services but did not, and that about 21 percent of users who contacted customer service with a specific problem were dissatisfied with their carriers' efforts to address the problem. In response to the types of consumer problems noted above, wireless carriers have taken some actions, such as prorating early termination fees, offering noncontract service options, and spending billions of dollars each year on wireless infrastructure, which can improve call quality.