Consumers crave Macs and LG appliances, says American Customer Satisfaction Index

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI) affirms Apple's stronghold on the PC market, introduces Amazon as a serious contender in the tablet market, and highlights LG's firm grasp on the household appliance market.

The 2021-2022 ASCI Household Appliance and Electronics study details how American customers generally feel about several personal electronics and household appliances.

Apple takes the lead for PCs with an ACSI score of 82 (out of 100), the same score as last year. Close behind is Samsung at 81, a 3% increase from last year. Amazon jumped to 79 in this category, a 7% increase from 2021. HP falls under the industry average to 78, a 3% decrease from last year.

People are more satisfied with desktops (80), laptops (79), and tablets (79) in 2022 than they were in 2021, the study found, as tablets saw a 4% increase in satisfaction between 2021 and 2022. 

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User satisfaction with PCs is split into eight benchmarks: design, graphics and sound quality, processor speed, minimal crashes, availability of accessories, ease of operation, features, and software and app availability. In every category, desktops scored higher than laptops and tablets.

Desktop and laptop software scored 78, a 1% increase from 2021. Other software providers are responsible for this growth, as Microsoft saw a 4% decrease from last year to 73. Other providers in the industry increased 3% from last year to 79, widening the gap between Microsoft and smaller software vendors.

Overall, customer satisfaction with household appliances increased 1%, from 78 in 2021 to 79 this year. Customers preferred LG over any other household appliance manufacturer, as the company saw a 3% increase to 81 compared to last year's 79.

Tied for second place are Electrolux (1% increase), Haier (1% increase), Samsung (1% decrease), and Whirlpool (3% increase), leaving Bosch at the bottom with a 75 (1% increase).

Customers were most satisfied with LG appliances; the manufacturer scored highest for dryers (84), ovens (82), refrigerators (80), and dishwashers (79).

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Ten categories determine a household appliance score: durability, exterior design, mobile app quality, mobile app reliability, website satisfaction, quality of service technicians, warranty coverage, service repair outcome, timeliness of service repair, and ease of arranging service. 

Customer satisfaction increased in every category except warranty coverage, which received a 78 in 2021 and 2022.

Customers placed Samsung first in satisfaction, giving the company a score of 83, a 3% lead over LG (80) and TCL (80). Overall, customers rated satisfaction with televisions at 80 in 2022. 

TV benchmarks people were most satisfied with were screen size (85), image quality (84), ease of setup (83), connectivity (82), and durability (82).

Overall, people were satisfied with household appliances, electronics, and computer software this year, as all categories scored over 75. Televisions scored 80, tied at the top of the Index with food manufacturing and full-service restaurants. PCs and household appliances tied at 79, and computer software 1% below at 78.