Comcast Is Crowned Consumerist.Com's 2010 'Worst Company in America'

Beating out 32 Companies Comcast Takes Home the Prestigious Golden Poo Award

NEW YORK, April 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The fifth annual Consumerist.com's "Worst Company in America" tournament came to a close late last night and crowned Comcast as the Grand Champion, joining the likes of AIG, Countrywide and others.  The final death match round which ran from Friday, April 23 through Sunday, April 25 was heated and pinned Comcast against top-seeded Ticketmaster.  

The merge with NBC and consistent track record of inept customer service, created the perfect storm in Comcast's journey to seek redemption after placing runner-up in 2008 and 2009.  With more than 9,000 votes being cast overall in the final match-up, Comcast is taking home the elegant golden poo trophy.

This year's runner-up, Ticketmaster, is no stranger to the final rounds of 'Worst Company in America,' having made it to the Final Four in 2009.  Their impending merge with LiveNation to produce an uber monopoly on live events was sure to have pushed them into the final rounds this year.

"The match-ups witnessed in this year's tournament were intense," said Ben Popken, Co-Managing Editor of Consumerist.com.  "Never did we think we would see certain companies, like Apple go as far as they did, and others like last year's winner AIG, drop out in the first round. We are honored to provide Comcast with the Golden Poo Award."

For six weeks the bracket-style, single elimination tournament, similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, plowed through 32 nominees in head-to-head match-ups, scaled down by Consumerist.com visitors' votes until the final round on Friday, April 23.  Consumers were able to log on to Consumerist.com and participate in each round of the 'Worst Company in America' and chime in through comments on the site.  

"This tournament is a vehicle for us to get a pulse on what companies did wrong throughout the year to consumers," said Meghann Marco, Co-Managing Editor of Consumerist.com.  "This year it is clear that poor customer service, among other issues by Comcast really rubbed consumers the wrong way."

Be sure to check out Consumerist.com throughout the year for consumer-driven advice about dealing with everything from non-existent customer service to onerous cell-phone contracts to ever-shrinking (and ever-more-expensive) grocery products.

About Consumerist.com

The Consumerist is a subsidiary of Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, and ConsumerReports.org, and the nation's leading not-for-profit consumer advocacy organization. Since its founding in 1936, Consumers Union has fought for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves. To maintain independence and impartiality, CU accepts neither outside advertising nor free samples. It employs a staff of "mystery shoppers" who buy products in retail stores around the country, just as any other buyer would, and then ship them to the Consumers Union labs, where technical experts test some 3,000 products yearly.

To further advance its mission, CU employs a dedicated team of grassroots organizers, advocates and outreach specialists who work with the organization's more than 600,000 online activists to change legislation and the marketplace in favor of the consumer interest. Consumers Union is also the leading publisher of information to help consumers choose the right products, stay safe, and protect themselves against unfair business practices. In addition to The Consumerist and Consumer Reports, CU's publications include ConsumerReportsHealth.org, ConsumerReportsEnEspanol.org, ShopSmart magazine, Consumer Reports on Health and Consumer Reports Money Adviser. CU's publications have received many major awards, including multiple National Magazine Awards, several Webby Awards and numerous awards for public-interest and health-care reporting.

SOURCE Consumer Reports