Are your preferences in step with other consumers?
By ROBERT TRIGAUX
Published May 23, 2003
Among big-name companies in the Tampa Bay and Florida markets, which ones most satisfy consumers? Which big-name businesses leave something to be desired?
It's quiz time. Answers appear at the end of this item. They are based on the latest quarterly findings, announced this week, and the preceding quarterly data of the American Customer Satisfaction Index. The index is based on surveys produced in conjunction with the American Society for Quality in Milwaukee and CFI Group, a consulting firm in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Let's get started.
1. Among bigger airlines, the most and least satisfying, in that order, are:
A. Continental and USAir.
B. Southwest and Northwest.
C. American and United.
D. Southwest and United.
2. By level of satisfaction, consumers ranked long-distance telephone service providers in what order (best to worst)?
A. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, MCI.
B. MCI, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon.
C. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, MCI.
D. Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, MCI.
3. Among department/discount stores and specialty retailers, which ranked highest in each category?
A. Target and Costco.
B. Wal-Mart and Sam's Club.
C. Dillard's and Lowe's.
D. Kmart and Home Depot.
4. Papa John's was voted highest and McDonald's lowest by consumers. But which fast-food provider had the greatest percentage gain in satisfaction within the past year?
A. Taco Bell.
B. KFC.
C. Wendy's.
D. Domino's.
5. After hitting a low in consumer satisfaction in 1999, which of the big banks is making a strong comeback
A. Wachovia.
B. SunTrust.
C. AmSouth.
D. Bank of America.
The answers: 1(D); 2(C); 3(A); 4(B); 5(D). Overall in the latest quarterly survey, customer satisfaction increased, suggesting more confidence in the economy.
Short takes
WHO IS THAT "OTHER" GOLFER? Sure, Annika Sorenstam's getting all the attention as the first woman in 58 years to play in a PGA Tour event. But who did she high-five Wednesday during the Colonial pro-am in Fort Worth, Texas? His face may be hidden in a photo that ran on the front page of this newspaper's Sports section, but he is banker David Darnell. Darnell moved to Florida in 1989 as a banker for NCNB. That bank later became known as NationsBank and Darnell rose to become a senior manager in the state. He was named executive vice president for NationsBank Florida and, in 1996, was poised to become chairman of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce. Instead, Darnell was transferred to St. Louis as president of NationsBank Midwest. NationsBank, of course, later became Bank of America. And Bank of America is the name sponsor of the Colonial, a tournament in which Sorenstam is making history, and which Darnell is witnessing firsthand.
ANNUAL MEETING SHENANIGANS: A week never goes by without some odd tales emerging from this season of annual shareholder meetings. We begin in Minneapolis, where Target Corp. chief executive Bob Ulrich raced through the retailer's 2002 accomplishments and 2003 plans. Then - before the customary time for shareholder questions - Ulrich abruptly adjourned the meeting. An inventive Target executive said the company had concluded that fielding shareholders' concerns at annual meetings isn't the best forum for addressing them. Really? Maybe the quick end to the shareholder meeting was influenced by Ulrich's reluctance to explain his $19-million compensation package last year.
Meanwhile, at the annual meeting of Atlanta's Post Properties, a proxy war was under way between company founder John Williams and the apartment building giant's current managers. Williams officially launched his fight to take back control of Post Properties, a prominent apartment developer in the Tampa Bay area, via a proxy initiative on April 7. He lost in a proxy vote after the company said it got more than 65 percent of the votes cast.
WHERE WILL THE NEW JOBS COME FROM? Only seven cities across the country, and none in Florida, added more people in 2001 than the Tampa Bay metropolitan area. So say new census data. The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area averaged 444 new residents each day in 2001, followed in Florida by the Orlando metro area (347), Fort Lauderdale (332), Miami (282), West Palm Beach (221) and Jacksonville (172). In the South, Atlanta dominated by adding 502 residents per day in 2001. Nationally, the Los Angeles-Long Beach area was No. 1 with 782 new residents daily.
