2 Texas Companies Tie for Top Spot in 2014 ‘Forgiveness’ Ratings

Two San Antonio-based companies – H.E.B., which operates grocery stores, and financial services company USAA – tied for the top spot in the 2014 Temkin Forgiveness Ratings, which rates 268 companies across 19 industries. USAA’s banking business tied for the top spot, while its credit card and insurance businesses were the next two highest rated organizations.

In its fourth year of publication, the Temkin Forgiveness Ratings is based on a study of 10,000 U.S consumers. It examines consumer forgiveness levels for 268 companies across 19 industries: airlines, appliance makers, auto dealers, banks, car rental agencies, computer makers, credit card issuers, fast food chains, grocery chains, health plans, hotel chains, insurance carriers, internet service providers, investment firms, parcel delivery services, retailers, software firms, TV service providers and wireless carriers.

There is a nine-point gap between the leaders and the next highest companies on the list, which include Amazon.com, BMW dealers, Chick-fil-A, Apple (software and retail), QVC, Costco, Lexus, Trader Joe’s, Fujitsu and Publix.

Ten of the bottom 12 organizations in the Temkin Forgiveness Ratings belong to firms that show up twice. Charter Communications, Comcast, and Time Warner Cable are in the bottom group for their Internet service and TV service businesses. HSBC and Citibank are in the bottom group with their banking and credit card businesses. The remaining two companies at the low end of the ratings are Highmark and US Cellular.

The industries with the highest average ratings are grocery chains, retailers, parcel delivery services and auto dealers. TV service providers and internet service providers are significantly lower than any other industry.

Led by retailers and banks, 16 of the 19 industries earned higher ratings in 2014 than they did in 2013. Rental cars and hotels are the only industries to decline.

Five companies improved their ratings by at least 20 points between 2013 and 2014: Apple Store, TD Bank, Cox Communications, ING Direct and Best Buy.

Six companies earned ratings that declined by more than 12 points: Scottrade, Blackboard, Advantage RAC, Coventry Health Care, Avis and Crowne Plaza.