Many people don’t like their cell service, according to Consumer Reports

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Can you hear me now? Consumer Reports polled more than 50,000 readers and found that only 54% of its participants said they were completely or very satisfied with their cellphone service. I know you hear me now.

Almost two-thirds of respondents had at least one major complaint. The top gripe? About 1 in 5 readers cited high prices. As a result, relatively cheaper prepaid service contracts are becoming increasingly popular, the study reported.

Verizon received the nod for offering the best cellphone service, it received higher marks for voice connectivity, customer service, messaging and Web/e-mail service than T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T. But it’s expensive.

T-Mobile ranked as the second-best overall service carrier. It offers some plans that are less expensive than Verizon’s, which pleases many customers, but it received lower basic scores than its competitor.

Sprint and AT&T came in at the bottom. Sprint got a low score for customer service, while AT&T received complaints for its voice connectivity -- or lack thereof.

Ironically, even though AT&T is the Apple iPhone’s exclusive service provider, the iPhone won top smart phone honors, with 98% of users saying they’d buy the phone again. Hmmm...a cellphone won top honors even though its voice connectivity is considered among the worst. My oh my, how the cellphone’s purpose has changed.

-- Melissa Rohlin