Apple dominates PC customer satisfaction, HP, Dell, Acer improve

Apple delivered its highest customer satisfaction score, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Windows PC makers also due to the success of Windows 7.

Among the PC leaders:

• Apple had a score of 86 on a 0 to 100 scale. That tally was Apple's highest ever.
• Dell, Acer and HP have a three way tie at 77.

Claes Fornell, director of the National Quality research Center at the University of Michigan, said in a commentary:

Apple continues its dominance, leading the PC category by a wide margin for the seventh straight year. Customer satisfaction with Apple’s computer products, including the iPad, rose 2% to an ACSI of 86—the highest score ever for Apple. The company now has a 9-point lead over its nearest competitor. No other company in the ACSI has as formidable a lead within its own industry. Innovation and product diversification, along with strong customer service, have long been at the center of Apple’s success.

And Fornell on PC scores:

Among Windows-based PC makers, satisfaction with Dell improved 3% to 77, while Acer (Gateway and eMachines) and the HP division of Hewlett-Packard both rose 4% to 77—creating a three-way tie. The aggregate of all smaller PC makers, such as Sony and Toshiba, joined the tie as well (+4%), placing the entire industry well behind leader Apple. Only the Compaq division of Hewlett-Packard was stagnant at the bottom of the industry with an unchanged score of 74.

PC makers overall have benefited from better customer service. Still, customer service for personal computers continues to lag far behind other durables. Owners who had reason to contact customer care or technical help lines were 8% less satisfied than those who had no post-purchase contact with the manufacturer or retailer.