3 Cellphone Companies With the Best Customer Service

This post comes from partner site WhistleOut.com.

Whether we need to add data or don’t understand a charge on our cellphone bill, we want our concerns answered accurately and quickly by our wireless carriers. But so often that’s not the case. In fact, most of us have ended a call with our customer service representative even more confused and frustrated.

However, if you’re up for a change and are considering switching cellphone carriers, here are the carriers that were top-ranked for customer support by Consumer Reports’ 2017 Cell-Phone Service Survey. Based on responses from nearly 120,000 Consumer Reports subscribers, Ting, Consumer Cellular and Project Fi got top marks for customer service in 2017, their second year in a row!

According to customers, these smaller companies are making up for what they lack in size and fame. Here’s a little more about each.

Ting

Launched in February 2012, Ting started its new wireless service by providing an innovative “pay for what you use” approach. Customers don’t need to pick a plan but just use what they need, and Ting will charge them only for what use. Ting also offers flexible monthly rates with pricing in separate tiers for minutes, messages and data, which are adjusted month-to-month to match the actual usage. It’s also possible to add an unlimited number of phones on one Ting account, and each device contributes to the total of minutes, messages and data.

Ting runs on Sprint and T-Mobile’s nationwide networks so most unlocked phones are compatible. There is also the choice of buying a new or used device from Ting. Overall, Ting offers great rates and an even better customer service support. For more detailed information, check out our Ting Review.

Consumer Cellular

Consumer Cellular is a U.S.-based cellphone provider founded in 1995 in Tigard, Oregon. Since Consumer Cellular runs off the T-Mobile and AT&T 4G LTE network, which provides some of the fastest speeds on the market right now, you can count on being covered coast-to-coast. Their plans are designed to meet a wide range of needs: from minimal monthly usage to plans that offer 10GB of data each month. If you need to change your plan, you can do so at anytime. In addition to competitive pricing, they also offer AARP members a 5 percent discount on monthly service.

Project Fi

Project Fi, owned by Google, is an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) that provides cellular service through Wi-Fi and cellular tower coverage provided by Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular. Project Fi has created a SIM that can access and use these networks. The service will switch between the networks using whichever service is stronger and faster in a given area. Project Fi is also engineered to connect to any available Wi-Fi hotspot. When making a call through Wi-Fi, Project Fi will automatically switch users to a cell network if their Wi-Fi coverage isn’t strong enough to make a call. Basically, Project Fi connects its customers to the strongest available network between Wi-Fi and two 4G LTE networks.

Project Fi is only available for users who have a Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel, Pixel XL, Android One Moto X4, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, or Nexus 6P. You also have the option to purchase one of these devices through the carrier.

More from WhistleOut:

• Switching Cellphone Carriers? Here Are the 3 Biggest Mistakes to Avoid
• The Best Cheap Low-Data Cellphone Plans
• 3 Things on Your Cellphone Bill That You Pay For and Don’t Need

Are you in the market for a new cellphone or cellphone plan? Start comparing here to find the perfect deal for you.