Despite a very vocal group of detractors, the vast majority of iPhone users love AT&T.
That’s the key finding in a survey released this week by Yankee Group, which reports that 73% of iPhone users are very satisfied with AT&T’s service. That rating compares favorably to how non-iPhone smartphone users feel about AT&T, and even to how non-iPhone users feel about other wireless providers.
The satisfaction rate of AT&T subscribers as a whole is 68%, and only 69% of smartphone users say they are satisfied with their mobile provider, Yankee Group found.
The results are surprising, given the pounding AT&T has taken in the media and on the blogosphere about its service-related issues with the iPhone. On CNNMoney’s recent stories "AT&T and Apple’s marriage made in hell," and "AT&T: The most hated company in iPhone land," reader comments were overwhelmingly negative toward the wireless network.
AT&T’s recent iPad-related security glitch and mishandling of the iPhone 4 launch likely didn’t do much to help its reputation. Plus, iPhone owners pay AT&T nearly $12 a month more for service than the average smartphone user.
Tech analysts like to point out the ways in which AT&T is a drag on the iPhone. Gartner Research Director Carolina Milanesi said last month that AT&T’s network has "limited the iPhone experience." And Drake Johnstone, an analyst with Davenport & Co., forecasted that poor experiences with AT&T would drive as many as 40% of iPhone customers to Verizon once that network gets the iPhone.
So what explains Yankee Group’s conclusion that iPhone users’ love AT&T?
"Consumers transfer the high gloss of their Apple iPhone experience to AT&T," says Carl Howe, Yankee Group analyst and author of the study. "The iPhone creates a halo effect that rubs off."
In other words, iPhone customers’ praise for their network may be a result of the famous "reality distortion field" that surrounds Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) CEO Steve Jobs and his company’s products.
But AT&T says its network really isn’t as bad as many people think Online payday loans. It’s a perception problem, not a service problem, in the company’s eyes.
"There’s a gap between what people hear about us and what their experience is with us. We think that gap is beginning to close," says Mark Siegel, an AT&T spokesman. "It doesn’t mean we’re perfect; we still have work to do. But that’s no surprise to us, because we have a great network."
AT&T’s ‘problem’ that everyone wants
Meanwhile, AT&T (T, Fortune 500) continues to reap the rewards of being the country’s exclusive iPhone provider.
Despite heavy data demands that drive up AT&T’s cost of servicing each customer, users still make the wireless company $50 more per customer each year than other providers get from their smartphone subscribers, according to Yankee Group. That’s because a higher percentage of iPhone customers buy pricey, top-tier service plans to satisfy their mobile download demands.
The iPhone will be worth $1.8 billion in sales to AT&T this year, and will generate $9 billion in revenue for the provider over the next five years, the study estimates. Yankee Group says that’s $750 million more each year than AT&T would be taking in if it had a different flagship smartphone.
The iPhone is also the gift that keeps on giving: 77% of iPhone owners say they’ll buy another iPhone, compared to 20% of smartphone customers who say they’ll buy an Android phone. (See correction below)
"Our analysis explains why AT&T has bent over backward to keep its exclusive distribution deal with Apple as long as possible," Howe says. "Verizon has been regretting turning away Apple for the last three years."
James H. Batmasian, one of Boca Raton’s largest landowners, is filing multiple foreclosures against another of the city’s largest property owners.
In May, Batmasian bought four problem loans that Boca Raton-based Paradise Bank made to developer Gregory Talbott. He also secured a $4.5 million mortgage from the bank to support that purchase.
It didn’t take Batmasian long to decide what to do with those loans.
On July 15, Batmasian filed three foreclosure suits against Talbott – bringing the troubled developer’s foreclosure tally up to 14 properties.
The largest case was against Talbott personally, and his wife, over a $3.2 million mortgage. Batmasian wants to take over their 3,000-square-foot, waterfront home at 541 Kay Terrace.
Another case was against Talbott and his 400 East Palmetto Park Road LLC over a $3 million mortgage granted in 2007 no faxing payday loan. If Batmasian succeeds, he would seize the 7,425-square-foot retail building at the same address. The tenant is clothing store Maus & Hoffman.
In the third lawsuit, Batmasian is suing Talbott and his 400 East Royal Palm Road LLC concerning a $975,000 mortgage covering the 1,455-square-foot house at the same address.
The fourth mortgage sold by Paradise Bank, which Batmasian has not foreclosed on so far, is a $202,500 loan to Talbott Aviation over a hanger condo unit at Boca Raton Airport.
Something tells me that Talbott has been grounded.
The outlook for the job market has improved, according to a survey of leading economists released Monday, even as the economic recovery hit a speed bump in the second quarter.
In its second-quarter industry survey, the National Association for Business Economics said employers grew payrolls for a second consecutive quarter this year. The percentage of firms increasing staff levels grew to 31% in the quarter, versus only 6% in the same period a year ago.
At the same time, the percentage of employers cutting jobs continued to move lower.
Looking ahead, the survey showed that 39% of companies expect to add employees over the next six months, the highest level of planned hiring since January 2008.
"The labor market continued to improve, with increases in current hiring and a rise in the percentage of firms planning to add workers over the next six months," William Strauss, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, said in a statement.
The jobs outlook is encouraging news for American workers. The U.S. unemployment rate stands at 9.5% as of June. The jobless rate has averaged 9.7% over the first half of the year, and many economists expect it to remain elevated into 2011.
But the survey, based on responses from 84 NABE economists who work for private-sector firms and industry trade associations, also indicated that the pace of the economic recovery slowed in the second-quarter.
Industry demand grew at a slower pace in the quarter, the survey said. Corporate profits grew as price and cost pressures remained tame. About one out of four firms increased capital spending versus the previous quarter, and a growing number expect to continue investing over the next 12 months, according to NABE.
While economic activity is expected to remain positive this year, more economists lowered their expectations for 2010 gross domestic product. Only 20% of prognosticators expect GDP will grow more than 3% this year. That’s down from May, when 24% expected such growth.
Still, the majority of economists in the survey expect GDP will top 2% for the year.
In the first quarter, GDP grew at an annual rate of 2.7%, according to government estimates.
Meanwhile, the economists warned that the debt crisis in Europe could hurt U.S. businesses in the months ahead.
Concerns about the fiscal health of several members of the European Union have roiled financial markets this year as countries such as Greece, Spain and Portugal have been hit with downgrades of their sovereign debt ratings. The turmoil has raised concerns that a slowdown of the European economy could hurt the U.S. recovery.
"Credit and debt issues in Europe will likely negatively impact just over a third of the surveyed firms over the next three months," said Strauss.
A recent spate of dour reports on the job market, weakness in housing and consumer spending have stoked worries that the U.S. economy could sip back into recession later this year. Some economists have expressed concerns that the U.S. could be in for a prolonged period of slow economic growth.
Last week, the Federal Reserve released minutes from its June policy meeting that showed the central bank has developed a more pessimistic view for economic growth. The Fed expects GDP to grow between 3% and 3.5% this year, down from its earlier expectation of growth as high as 3.7%.
The World Cup might be over, but for the Los Angeles Galaxy, potential roster moves, or non-moves, are making headlines.
One report from the Associated Press has Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber saying the league will not entertain transfer offers from overseas clubs for Galaxy captain Landon Donovan.
Donovan has recently gone out on loan to German club Bayern Munich and English club Everton. Donovan's time in Everton, along with his performance at the World Cup have made him a more attractive asset for international clubs.
However, it is the World Cup performance, which included a game-winning goal against Algeria that helped the United States win its group, that makes MLS want to keep Donovan stateside.
"MLS needs soccer heroes, and we have a great American soccer hero playing for us in L.A., holding the torch for the sport in our country, and that's very important," Garber said in the AP report payday loans with no fax.
Another potential roster move for the Galaxy could be the signing of Brazlian superstar Ronaldinho, according to an ESPN report. The report cites a radio interview of Real Salt Lake Owner Dave Checketts on KALL, where he hinted that on the heels of New York's signing of Thierry Henry, another club might be looking to lure an well-known player stateside.
“I would imagine this guy is coming to L.A., and you'll all recognize who he is," Checketts said. The interviewer asked if he was Brazilian, and the response was, "I think he might."
The rumors of Ronaldinho signing with the Galaxy have been off-and-on in recent times.
The Galaxy is owned by Los Angeles' AEG.
Polymer Group Inc. has started a major expansion of its Waynesboro, Va., plant, with the project representing a $65 million investment.
The Charlotte-based nonwovens manufacturer is installing production equipment at the site through a lease agreement provided by a joint venture between GE Capital and ING Capital.
“This expansion continues to build upon PGI’s ability to employ industry-leading technologies, combined with recent proprietary technological development,” says Daniel Guerrero, Polymer Group vice president and general manager of the U.S. region. “The installation of this advanced equipment enables PGI to deliver differentiated products to customers that will achieve enhanced and improved barrier, softness and opacity compared to the current marketplace capabilities for use in such products as diapers, and surgical gowns and drapes.”
The project will add 41 jobs to the Waynesboro operation paydayloans. The expansion is slated for completion in the second half of 2011.
Polymer Group chose the Virginia site for the project earlier this year, selecting it over the company’s Mooresville plant. Incentives may have been the key to the deal. Virginia promised $1.5 million in two grants, as well as job-training assistance for the new employees. The two operations competed for the project for at least six months.
The addition would have nearly doubled the size of the company’s 210,000-square-foot plant in Mooresville Business Park. The facility employs 115 workers.
The company (OTCBB:POLGA) is based in Harris Corners Business Park in north Charlotte. Polymer Group has 14 manufacturing and converting facilities in nine countries.
The Internal Revenue Service is too busy trying to punish taxpayers instead of helping them navigate the complex tax system, according to a government official who watches out for taxpayers.
The report to Congress by Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson said that taxpayers looking for help from the IRS only get through on the phone 70% of the time, and have to wait 11 minutes for a response when they actually do get through.
"The IRS is failing to address the needs of taxpayers who are experiencing economic difficulties and has not revised collection policies that harm taxpayers, thereby undermining its goal of increasing voluntary compliance," Olson wrote.
Olson said the IRS has ramped up spending on "hard core" enforcement and handing out levies in recent years, while spending has declined on the type of services that help Americans understand how to pay their taxes. She said that seems misguided, because in many cases the IRS is punishing Americans who had a good tax history before falling into hard times because of the recession.
She said the real problem with compliance is the difficulty in negotiating an increasingly complex tax system. This is because payments from new programs — including the stimulus, Making Work Pay, First-Time Homebuyer Credit and hybrid car credit — have put added pressure on the IRS by creating a backlog of additional work cash advance loan no fax.
"Many of these provisions have created taxpayer confusion, generated considerable telephone and correspondence volumes, … caused IRS processing delays and programming problems, produced several refund fraud schemes and resulted in several spikes in the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s caseload," wrote Olson.
She said the 70% response rate to taxpayer calls was actually an improvement, up from 53% in the prior year. That compared to an 87% response rate to calls five years ago.
The advocate acknowledged that the job of the IRS has gotten more difficult in recent years, causing the under-funded agency to strain under the added responsibilities of administering new services. She suggested that the IRS develop a strategic plan acknowledging its "dual role as part tax collector and part benefits administrator" in its effort to seek more funding.
IRS officials were not immediately available for comment.
Brown & Brown Inc. bought the Meridian Group of New York Inc. and Eberhart & Co. Insurors Inc. late Friday for undisclosed terms.
Meridian Group, with annual revenue of $1.3 million, provides life, health and other employee benefits products and services to individuals, businesses, public entities, nonprofit organizations, unions and associations throughout New York state.
Meridian Group’s staff will combine its operations into Brown & Brown of New York’s Rome, N.Y., office.
Eberhart & Co. Insurors — doing business as Eberhart Co. of Roswell, Ga payday loans., with revenue of $1 million — will join Brown & Brown Insurance of Georgia’s existing office in Duluth. Eberhart Co. has served business and individual insurance needs in the Atlanta metropolitan area since 1969.
Daytona Beach-based Brown & Brown Inc. (NYSE: BRO) and its subsidiaries offer insurance and re-insurance products and services, as well as risk management, third party administration, managed health care, and Medicare set-aside services and programs.
The Temple University Health System said Friday that its president and CEO, Edmond F. Notebaert, will step down.
In a press release, the North Philadelphia-based health system said Notebaert will continue at Temple during a transition period and help select future leaders for the system. The release did not say exactly when Notebaert will leave Temple, where he arrived in 2008 after working as president and CEO at the University of Maryland Medical System. Before that he was president and CEO at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
"When I accepted this position in September 2008, I came with clear objectives and priorities to stabilize the health system and position it for success moving forward,” Notebaert said cash advance today. “We have made tremendous progress and the time is right to now look towards long-term executive leadership.”
During his tenure, Temple addressed operating deficits and declining reimbursements, and converted struggling Northeastern Hospital from an inpatient facility to an ambulatory care center, among other efforts.
Dr. Ann Weaver Hart, president of Temple University, said, “Ed has many accomplishments during his tenure and raised the expectations of Temple’s health enterprise. I appreciate his commitment to Temple Health, our employees and patients.”
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