Why we hate cell phone companies

For instance, a customer may call to report his phone isn't working. He uses the company's one-stop number and is routed to the phone desk. What the customer doesn't know is that the phone problem, in this case, is actually an Internet problem.

Making matters worse, the customer service agent also doesn't know. In many cases, agents' computers don't provide them the information needed to diagnose a problem. It is not until after a detailed conversation that the agent knows to send the customer to another department, where, faced with another agent with another inadequate computer, the customer starts all over again. With each transfer, the customer becomes more irritated.

"The service providers today are sort of working on this problem as best they can," Cohen said. "It is happening, but it is slow and, in some cases, piecemeal."

Great expectations

Customers subconsciously compare experiences. A good experience with Amazon.com subsequently alters expectations with the cable company, even though the latter's services are more complex.

"Some things are hard because they're hard," said Michael Maoz, a research vice president for Gartner, an information technology advisory company. But it's no excuse, he said. First, the complex technology of the products is not single-handedly overloading customer service agents.

"How often have you lost your cell phone coverage?" Maoz asked. "Does that really happen to you? When's the last time your cable TV blew out on you? Can you remember?"

Maoz said the companies hide behind the idea that the technology is difficult when the real problem is "their episodic approach to customer service." The technology does exist to improve customer service platforms in these complex arenas, Maoz said.

Fee fatigue

Then there's the bill.

When was the last time that Whole Foods, which scores well for customer service, charged customers a "transfer fee" at the checkout? By contrast, communications companies are notorious for "nickel-and-diming strategies," said Michael Shames, the executive director of the Utility Consumers' Action Network, a California nonprofit that monitors business practices.

Companies' efforts to slip in extra charges under the radar are a constant source of complaint, he said.

"They all incorporate these hidden fees in their bills, and what you finally end up paying is much higher than what you thought you were going to pay. It's a consistently irritating factor," said Praveen Kopalle, an associate professor of business administration at Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business.

The companies also tend to offer better deals to new customers and those who switch from competitors, which leaves existing customers feeling betrayed.

It's worth noting that not every company in these industries rankles customers. In the MSN Money-Zogby survey, wireless provider Verizon scored a 19% "poor" response, compared with Sprint Nextel's 39%.

DirecTV scored a 21% "poor" response, while Time Warner Cable received a 31% “poor” rating and Comcast garnered 42%.

"They like to blame the service, but when you give a customer ready access to a knowledgeable and empathetic employee, many times the customer will come out of it and say, 'Wow, things happen, and I feel better about it as a result,'" Shames said.

1. AOL's response. Post your experiences here.

2. Comcast's response. Post your experiences here.

3. Sprint Nextel's response. Post your experiences here.

4. Abercrombie & Fitch's response. Post your experiences here.

5. Qwest's response. Post your experiences here.

6. Capital One's response. Post your experiences here.

7. Bank of America's response. Post your experiences here.

8. Time Warner Cable's response. Post your experiences here.

9. HSBC Finance's response. Post your experiences here.

10. Cox Communications' response. Post your experiences here.

• Click here to see the full list of companies.

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