UK likes O2 shops best

Browsing for a new mobile? If you've been into an O2 store, chances are you'll come out the happiest, according to new research.

A report by research firm JD Power and Associates looked into customer satisfaction among the top mobile operators' retail stores and found O2 to be the best rated among mobile buyers and browsers.

T-Mobile came second in customer satisfaction, while Orange and Vodafone were joint third.

Of the independent retailers, Phones4U scored the most love. According to the research, staffing may well have contributed to both Phones4U's and O2's favourable ratings among shoppers.

According to consumers queried by JD Power, the most important factor in customer satisfaction was staff, followed by deals and special offers, and the store itself - both top-rated retailers have recently increased their staffing levels.

The study also found that happy buyers and browsers are more likely to recommend shops to others – 55 per cent of Phones4U visitors would recommend the store, 58 per cent of O2 users would do the same.

However, in JD Power's research into customer satisfaction for mobile operators overall performance, Orange and Virgin Mobile were found to be the best-loved.