America's Most Hated Companies

Source: JT Occhialini / Wikimedia Commons

7. Spirit (NASDAQ: SAVE)

Poor customer service is typically not a point of pride for any company. However, for many years, it was a part of Spirit Airlines’ marketing strategy. The company famously offers cut rate airfare and little in the way of comfort or customer service. By charging additional fees for such amenities as assigned seats and in-flight refreshments, Spirit was able to undercut what its competitors were charging for airfare.

While the business model led to tremendous growth, it has also become something of a liability for Spirit. Many of the company’s competitors are now cutting into Spirit’s business, offering similarly low airfare without the stigma of poor customer service and irksome fees that former CEO Ben Baldanza championed. In a likely attempt to revamp the company’s image, the board announced the end of Baldanza’s decade-long tenure as CEO last January. Currently, Spirit has the lowest customer satisfaction rating of any airline reviewed by ACSI.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

8. DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH)

Like many other companies on this list, much of the negative sentiment towards DISH Network comes from its customers. In a Zogby survey commissioned by 24/7 Wall St., nearly 47% of those polled reported a negative service experience with the company. Bad customer service is common in the subscription television service industry. Internet service is the only industry with a worse overall customer service rating, according to the ACSI.

Few companies are disliked by their own employees as much as DISH. The satellite television service provider has one of the lowest employee satisfaction ratings of any major company reviewed on Glassdoor, and only 38% of DISH employees would recommend a job at the company to a friend.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

9. Sears (NASDAQ: SHLD)

Sears department stores are disliked by both customers and employees. Sears has nearly the lowest customer satisfaction rating of any department store reviewed in the ACSI. Additionally, Sears employees give the company far lower than average marks on workplace review site Glassdoor, and fewer than one in three Sears employees would recommend a job with the company to a friend. Multiple reviews cite low wages and unprofessional upper management as major drawbacks of working at the company.

The department store’s parent company, Sears Holdings, has also been disappointing for shareholders. Once trading at over $170 a share, the company’s stock price has plummeted by 95% in the last decade and is now trading at just over $10 a share. Sears Holdings is also the parent company of another troubled retailer, Kmart. In an attempt to raise capital, the company announced in early 2017 plans to shutter a combined 150 Sears and Kmart locations.