CustomerService

In many cases, bad customer service isn't caused by negligent or incompetent employees. The fault lies with their bosses, and the policies they put in place that undermine the employee-customer relationship.

Good communication is key in determining how pleased clients are with their brokers, and there has been a dip in satisfaction. But its not because advisers are communicating less with their clients than they did before the recession. Actually, it's quite the opposite.

If you've never invested directly in the market before, the process of getting started can seem daunting. But if you think you may be ready to give stock investing a shot, the first question you'll have is likely to be: How much money do I need to begin?

The USPS is still running in the red, and facing an $18.2 billion annual deficit as early as 2015, The Postal Service's solution in a nutshell: Give customers worse service, and charge them more for it. Where have we heard this before? (Hint: the airline industry.)

Forbes contributor Larry Downes predicts that Best Buy will eventually go out of business, based solely on one thing: lousy customer service. Ann Brenoff will take that prediction and raise him one: She thinks there are lots of retail companies on track to go bust for the same reason.

The whole concept of online commerce hinges on convenience, particularly during the frantic holiday shopping season. Unfortunately, some well-known Web merchants left consumers seriously dissatisfied in the past year.

The biggest bank in America isn't the one you might think: JPMorgan Chase recently knocked longtime rival Bank of America out of the top spot. But is bigger better? Not when it comes to customer service.

Millions of holiday shoppers aiming to avoid the crowds are headed online. But not all retailers do e-commerce with ease -- especially if you have questions and need help from a customer service representative. Which chains respond fast -- and which don't? We have the answers.

When it comes to how they treat their customers, some companies follow Santa-like policies. Others are more like the Grinch. But which is which? Consumer Reports offers the skinny on how a number of high-profile businesses behave with its Naughty & Nice Holiday List. Here's a rundown:

Consumer activists are pushing bank regulators to allow people to take their account numbers with them when they switch banks, just like cellphone numbers. Such account number portability might encourage banks to treat customers better because it would make it easier for them to leave.