Majority of Smartphone Users Upset with Service, Survey Finds

About 57% of smartphone users are disappointed with the performance of their devices, citing issues with streaming media, web browsers, and social networking apps, according to a new Fanfare survey.

In addition, 55% of respondents were unclear on whom to blame for device failures resulting in 53% of users instinctively blaming the manufacturer. 

Fanfare conducted the study of 155 users in January and February, also finding that 58% of respondents were likely to broadcast their dissatisfaction through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter while 57% were likely to complain to friends and family. This criticism can have a measurable impact, as 76% of potential buyers are influenced by friends and family while 64% take heed of opinions found on social networking sites, the study found.

Moreover, 29% of respondents claimed to encounter problems “all the time,” while 64% have relied on software patches to fix any bugs. Looking ahead, 74% believe devices will become less reliable in the future and 88% are happy to wait until handsets prove reliable before purchasing one.

The study’s results conclude by claiming that for smartphone device manufacturers, the honeymoon is over. A maturing market means that consumers are no longer willing to accept bugs and glitches at the cost of early adoption.

“The Apple App Store and Android Market have served up billions of app downloads, giving smartphone owners the ability to use their phones in new and exciting ways,” said David Gehringer, vice president of marketing at Fanfare in a press release. “But now that the novelty is wearing off, users want their applications to be more reliable. This research shows that the average smartphone user doesn't know the cause of technical problems, but half will instinctively blame their handset manufacturer -- most likely switching brand when the opportunity arises.”

Source: Fanfare