Apple and Dell winning customer' 'happy vote'

Consumers are happier with their PC purchases than they have been in the past three years, with Apple and Dell pleasing them most, according to a report.

The 'satisfaction' score for PCs in the American Customer Satisfaction Index rose to 74 per cent from 72 per cent a year ago, according to ASCI figures released this week. The uptick was due to lower prices for home computers, upgrades in power and capabilities, and an increase in experience on the part of users.

The ACSI is a national economic indicator of how satisfied customers are with the quality of products and services available to households in the US. The evaluations were gathered in a report by the University of Michigan Business School and other organisations.

Apple led the list of PC makers in the ACSI with a score of 81 per cent, making a five per cent improvement for the second year in a row. Dell ranked second with a score of 79 per cent, a slight increase from last year. Gateway's mark jumped from 69 to 74 per cent.

Despite making slight gains, Hewlett-Packard's two computer brands scored below the industry average of 74 per cent, with HP at 71 per cent and Compaq at 69 per cent. Once a leader in customer satisfaction, HP dropped below the average for the first time a year ago. The merger of HP and Compaq Computer in 2002 did not have a significant positive impact on the brands' ACSI score, according to the report.

"HP remains competitive on price," Jack West, past president of the American Society for Quality, an ACSI co-sponsor, said in a statement. "But this is a reminder that there's more to satisfaction and loyalty than meets the eye. HP's problem is that the quality of both their products and service support has fallen off sharply since the mid-1990s, when HP was leading the industry."

Ed Frauenheim writes for News.com