News 2005
Virgin Mobile customers are the most satisfied in Britain
24/05/2005
- Virgin Mobile tops J.D. Power and Associates customer satisfaction survey for second year running
- Virgin Mobile scores top marks for its customer service, value for money and products
24.05.05: Virgin Mobile has the most-satisfied customers in Britain, outranking the consumer satisfaction scores of every other mobile operator covered in the study for the second year in a row, a major new survey reveals today.
In the annual poll, conducted by one of the world’s largest and most respected market research organisations, J.D. Power and Associates, Virgin Mobile was ranked top yet again. This is only the second year Virgin Mobile has featured in the survey, both times being the clear winner, with this year’s score even higher than last year. Virgin Mobile’s overall customer satisfaction score this year was 753, 16 points higher than the previous year.
The prestigious J.D. Power and Associates survey * gave Virgin Mobile top marks for having the most-satisfied customers of any mobile communications provider in the pre-pay sector beating 02, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone.
Virgin Mobile also beat its rivals in three sub-categories within the survey;
- Cost
The survey’s respondents voted Virgin Mobile great value-for-money proposition the best in the industry. - Offerings and Promotions
Virgin Mobile beat its rivals on the strength of its proposition, products and compelling offers. - Customer Service
Virgin Mobile achieved the best customer service scores by a significant margin over other providers, proving again the extent to which Virgin Mobile dominates the marketplace in this area. Virgin Mobile’s customer service score was 851, an increase on the previous year’s survey-topping score by 69 points, and placing it a huge 16% ahead of its nearest pre-pay rival. This win is the latest in a long line of accolades awarded to the company for its excellent customer service.
The consumer champion ethos at Virgin Mobile means its passionate employees strive to treat every one of their customers as extra-special. The company’s ambition is to offer consistently exceptional service.
Virgin Mobile’s commitment to delighting customers ensures that its products offer consumers something special, something they can’t get elsewhere:
- Virgin Mobile Pay Monthly
Virgin Mobile’s revolutionary new contract, launched in May 2005, offers consumers great value for money, ease of use, and a guarantee of up to 50% off monthly fees at the end of the contract term, or a new phone if they sign another contract. No other network does this.
- Virgin Mobile Bundles
Buy a Bundle and get cheaper calls and texts. And with Virgin Mobile you can roll over unused texts and voice minutes for one more month. No other network lets you keep unspent bundled minutes or texts to the next month. - Virgin Mobile Red
Loyal to us; we’re loyal to you. Get a whopping £10 off the cost of a new phone for every £100 spent on airtime and texts. That means a free phone upgrade or up to a maximum of £100 off the price of a new handset, depending on the airtime used.
Tom Alexander, chief executive of Virgin Mobile, said: “Can’t get no satisfaction elsewhere? Then switch to Virgin Mobile and join our millions of satisfied customers – the most contented in Britain.
“We’re thrilled to have come out on top of this prestigious survey for the second year running – thanks to the ongoing dedication of our team. Virgin Mobile is continuing to grow rapidly, and I’m convinced this is largely due to the strength of our increasing consumer-delighting reputation.
“We’ve always taken huge pride in offering our customers great products combined with very best customer service, all at great value. And we work hard to make sure that our people at Virgin Mobile are satisfied, as happy staff means happy customers.”
Notes to Editors:
* The J.D Power & Associates survey compared the views of 2262 people – customers of O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone. The survey also looked at the contract market in which Virgin Mobile did not feature because it did not have a contract offering at the time. Since then, Virgin Mobile launched `Virgin Mobile Pay Monthly’ in The Carphone Warehouse on 1st May 2005.
For further information please contact:
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile Press Office: 0845 600 6272 or press.office@virginmobile.com
Alison Bonny: 07802 430276 or alison.bonny@virginmobile.com
Joanne Baker: 07941 233 300 or joanne.baker@virginmobile.com
Lansons Communications
Shellie Wells 020 7294 3627 or shelliew@lansons.com
Liz Willder 020 7294 3677 or lizw@lansons.com
Helen Ainsworth 020 7294 3656 or helena@lansons.com
About Virgin Mobile:
Virgin Mobile Holdings (UK) plc, the UK's largest mobile virtual network operator, is majority owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and uses T-Mobile's network. Since its launch in November 1999, Virgin Mobile has attracted more than 5 million customers.
In the UK, Virgin Mobile phones are available direct on 0845 6000 600; on the web at www.virginmobile.com or on the High Street at approximately 5,000 outlets including Virgin Mobile Stores within Virgin Megastores, The Carphone Warehouse, The Link, Dixons, Phones 4 U, Curry's, Comet, Tesco, Asda, John Lewis, Argos, TOMO, Woolworths, Toys R Us and Ryman plus hundreds of independents mobile phones dealers and available via Shop Direct, Littlewoods, Grattan and Empire home shopping channels.
Virgin Mobile employs approximately 1,400 staff at three sites, Trowbridge, London and Daventry, and has an outsourced customer service centre operated by approximately 200 staff in Middlesbrough.
Virgin Mobile is in `The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For’ 2005 list and is part of the FTSE4Good Index.
