A new J.D. Power report indicates Canadians prefer regional options for their internet and TV needs.
In the west, Saskatchewan-based SaskTel ranked highest in J.D. Power’s annual customer satisfaction survey for both TV and internet service, while in the east, Quebec-based Videotron ranks highest.
It’s the sixth consecutive year at the top for both telecoms.
J.D. Power classifies the western region as Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan and Yukon. The eastern region, meanwhile, is New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Quebec.
The study on internet service providers measures five factors (in order of importance): performance and reliability; cost; communication; billing; and customer service. Meanwhile, for TV (once again, in order of importance) there are six factors — all the ones mentioned above, plus programming.
Runners up in the east are Shaw for TV and Cogeco for internet, while Telus is the runner-up for TV satisfaction in the west, and Shaw takes second for internet service satisfaction.
More broadly, J.D. Power found that, overall, customers with smart home products are less price-sensitive and are willing to pay more for better service.
Sixty-three percent of customers with smart home products were willing to pay more internet, compared to only 50 percent of those with no smart home devices.
However, customers with connected devices are also less likely to be loyal to their internet service providers, and will switch for reasons such as more reliable service (22 percent) or just to try something different (21 percent).
The correlation makes sense given that smart home owners are still likely to be early adopters of tech, and thus more knowledgeable about what quality of service they should expect from their internet provider.
J.D. Power’s studies are based on responses from 7,286 internet customers and 7,342 TV customers in Canada. Both were fielded in March and April 2018.
Source: J.D. Power
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