Mobile Phone Plans

You are viewing the 2015 ratings for Mobile Phone Plan providers. Compare phone plan service providers using our latest ratings. Getting one of the best mobile phone plans for your needs could be as simple as using our customer satisfaction ratings to compare New Zealand phone plan providers.

2degrees is our mobile phone plan award winner for 2015

Quality mobile phone service has gone from being a pleasant surprise to nothing less than an expectation in recent years, and carriers now provide a wider variety of options to cater to all sorts of needs.

For example, if you use a fair bit of data and credit, or are looking for the predictability of a monthly fee and a bunch of included extras, there’s no better option than a post-paid phone plan. Many plans offer monthly data and credit far in excess of what you actually pay, as well as bundling in a high-end handset for little extra cost.

That’s a saving grace, because – according to some of the New Zealanders who responded to our recent survey – these smartphones aren’t expected to last very long.

In fact, more than a quarter of these phone customers didn’t expect their phone to last more than two years. This percentage nearly doubled when we asked Generation Y phone owners.

This being said, it presents users with an opportunity every few years to stay up to date with the latest and greatest tech. But when that time comes, how do you know you’re getting the best deal possible?

At Canstar Blue, we’ve commissioned research into the opinions of everyday New Zealanders to find out which products they’re most satisfied with, and we then rate products from different companies based on just this: the opinions of everyday customers.

We’re happy to announce that we’ve found a winner for mobile phone plans in 2015; 2degrees has achieved our Most Satisfied Customers Award – Mobile Phone Service Providers, Plans, and managed to tally five star ratings in all the rated criteria.

Spark also did well in these results with a four star rating for overall satisfaction, and was followed by Vodafone with three stars. Check out how each brand fared in these results in the table above.

Value for money

Value for money is a big consideration for any buyer, and with multiple inclusions in current plans, there’s a lot to consider. 2degrees scored five stars to top the satisfaction ratings for value, suggesting it’s a great choice for the budget conscious. This brand was followed by Spark on four stars and Vodafone on three.

Customer service

Remember the bad ol’ days of waiting on hold with customer service for ages, only to find out your problem couldn’t be solved? It seems that telcos have really upped their game in recent years when it comes to customer care, and this is reflected in our satisfaction ratings: 2degrees scored the maximum five stars for customer service satisfaction, Spark received four stars and Vodafone achieved three – it seems customer service is nothing to be especially worried about.

Accessibility of the plan provider

Similarly to customer service, mobile phone customers want a provider that’s easy to contact and provides information in a clear, accessible manner – we’re talking clear email, phone and online contacts, and a website that’s easy to use. 2degrees was the company that respondents were most satisfied with, scoring five stars for the accessibility of its service, and was followed by Spark with a four star rating and Vodafone with three.

Billing

Billing can be a bit of a hassle with some service providers, but it seems the stereotypical confusion when it comes to extra charges and usage is now a thing of the past. The most billing-friendly mobile plan provider was 2degrees, scoring five stars, and it was followed closely by Vodafone and Spark, each with a four star rating.

Network coverage

Network coverage is fortunately quite consistent across the major networks these days, but nevertheless, some stand out from the rest. If you’re looking for the network coverage that customers are most satisfied with, you’ve got to go with five star winner Spark. 2degrees and Vodafone also scored well for their respective network’s coverage, netting four star ratings.