Canadian customer satisfaction with their credit card issuers appears to have been unaffected either negatively or positively by the pandemic or the economic crisis created by restrictions related to COVID-19.

Though 73% of Canadian credit card users have reported financial difficulties since the pandemic began and 24% are having trouble just making monthly payments, J.D. Power and Associates recently reported that customer satisfaction with the card issuers has remained flat, according to a news release posted to Business Wire. The current overall consumer satisfaction rating for the credit card industry has remained relatively flat at 764 out of 1,000 points, based on the J.D. Power 2020 Canada Credit Card Satisfaction Study(SM).

Yet, simply staying flat is not necessarily enough, as J.D. Power found customer support and other areas have received negative marks as individuals struggle to regain financial solvency, according to the release.

“While credit card issuers in Canada are faring somewhat better than their U.S. counterparts in averting the negative effects of COVID-19 on customer satisfaction, they are not out of the woods,” John Cabell, director of Banking and Payments Intelligence at J.D. Power, said in the release. “Credit card companies are falling behind in key areas related to the customer experience, especially in factors linked to financial sensitivity and customer support channels, which are crucial during the pandemic.”

One key area the survey revealed problems in was customer interactions with company call centers, according to the release. Even as wait times have increased, customer satisfaction with how they are treated by call center staff when they finally get a hold of them has decreased.

Additionally, J.D. Power found that lower customer satisfaction correlates to lower household income, with customers who have lost income during the pandemic reporting they are unsatisfied with rewards, benefits and services, communication and customer interaction.