In order to identify these companies, the outlet looked at customer surveys, which include those from the American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) and Zogby Analytics, as well as employee satisfaction metrics derived from Glassdoor. Finally, 24/7 Wall Street analyzed companies’ management decisions and company policies that impose a negative perception.
Based on these metrics, Sony, Uber, and Sprint were listed at number 2, 6, and 7, respectively. Sony is pretty high up on the list, in large part due to the recent hack of its film division, Sony Pictures Entertainment. Sony’s problems weren’t limited to the hack, however, as the company’s mobile division is likely to report a loss of around $1.7 billion by March. As a result, Sony will likely scale back its mobile and TV businesses in order to stay profitable as we head into 2015.
Meanwhile, public perception of Uber’s car sharing service was tarnished this past year. The service has faced protests from traditional taxi firms around the world, due to accusations that the company ignores local regulations, including the failure to follow adequate safety procedures, such as vehicle and background checks. On another side, multiple European countries, such as France, Germany, and Spain, have issued court injunctions against the San Francisco-based firm.
And finally, during 2015, Sprint replaced its CEO, lost the top spot in prepaid phone service in the U.S. to T-Mobile, and lost close to 2.6 million postpaid subscribers in the six quarters through September 2014. Having its merger talks with T-Mobile break down a few months back certainly didn’t help, though the lone bright spot arguably came in the form of nearly 1 million new subscribers during the carrier’s third fiscal quarter.
You can check out the full list of America’s most hated companies below:
- General Motors
- Sony
- Dish Network
- McDonald’s
- Bank of America
- Uber
- Sprint
- Spirit Airlines
- Walmart
- Comcast
Let’s hope that, for these companies’ sakes, the year 2015 improves their fortunes.
