Ever-increasing numbers of consumers may be shopping online, but the service they're receiving is getting worse, according to Jupiter Media Metrix. Of the 250 automotive, business-to-business, financial, health, music, packaged-goods, retail, and travel Web sites Jupiter surveyed between Nov. 23 and Dec. 10, only 30% responded to and resolved customer inquiries within the six-hour window in which a majority of shoppers say they expect a reply.

And although 90% of shoppers say they'd be satisfied with a response within two days, one-third of the 75 retailers surveyed, including Staples Inc., couldn't respond that quickly. "It's surprising, in the scope of the holiday season, that they're still as bad as they are in the rest of the year because so much is at stake," says Jupiter analyst David Daniels. In fact, they're worse during the holidays: The overall response rates--even among non-retail sites--slipped 10% from a survey conducted in August 2001.

Daniels says 90% of the sites have phone-routing software for handling customer calls, but only 43% have E-mail automation technology. "When people set up a call center, they view phone routing as a cost of doing business, but the same doesn't hold true to support E-mail communications," he says. "Yet nearly all accept E-mail." Daniels says it's clear many sites aren't prepared to handle customer inquiries during peak holiday periods. "There are definitely folks out there operating without a net."

Among the retailers that responded within six hours: Lands End, 1-800 Flowers, 800.com, and Cooking.com.