customer service

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.

While thousands of Americans unleash their anger at big banks in protests around the country, many more are registering their dissatisfaction from their keyboards. In the wake of last week's news that Bank of America is adding a new $5 fee for debit card use, online-only banks saw waves of new customers coming through their virtual doors.

The power of customer satisfaction is on the rise, as sites like Angie's List and Yelp grow ever more popular. According to a recent survey, 70% of Americans are willing to spend an average of 13% more with companies that provide "excellent" customer service. That's up significantly from 2010.

Poor customer service is one of the primary reasons people tend to shun certain companies and even whole industries. 24/7 Wall St. identified the U.S. industries with the most complaints, as well as the troubles people have with them. If customer service is important to success, those we identified could be in trouble.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index's annual report on airlines showed Southwest still on top of the rankings, and far ahead of No. 2 Continental. Southwest even improved its score, a rare bright spot in an industry that came in last overall in customer satisfaction among those the ACSI rates.

Nobody will argue against good customer service, and any company looking to provide it knows that one of the biggest factors customers use to gauge it is speed: How quickly did someone pick up the customer's call or write them back? A new study out Monday reveals there are some fairly big...

"Your call is important to us ...," but how important? A study out Monday ranks the top 100 Internet retailers for customer service response speeds: How long they make us wait on hold, how fast they reply to emails. There's a wide disparity between the worst and the best -- and a couple of companies that are both.

As the competition between home improvement heavyweights Lowe's and Home Depot intensifies, customer service is emerging as one of the key features on which they will need to innovate. Lowe's latest attempt is a new incentive program for customers paying with the store's credit card.

The United-Continental merger was supposed to bring together the best of both carriers, but it doesn't always work that way. Continental is following United's lead and eliminating its free pretzels. But there are still a few options for flyers seeking free munchies -- and some of them are mighty tasty.

It's bad enough that air fares and extra fees have been rising as fast as a plane taking off -- now, travelers must wonder if aircraft have been properly inspected. Are the costs, pains and risks of flying reaching the point where frequent fliers should reconsider their transportation choices?