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By Mel Duvall

For the second year in a row, Internet service provider AOL has received top honors – for providing the worst customer service.

In its third annual Customer Service Hall of Shame and Hall of Fame survey, conducted by polling firm Zogby International and MSN Money, AOL retained its crown for the second year as the consumer's top pick for worst customer service.

It received poor marks for customer service from 45% of respondents, beating out the next best "worst" company, Comcast, which was second with 41% of consumers rating the cable company's service poor.

The survey was taken in late April and ranked 145 companies based on customer experiences. Not surprising given the financial meltdown of the past year, banks and financial services companies fared noticeably worse. Bank of America, Capital One and HSBC all made repeat appearances on the Hall of Shame list. They were joined by a new entrant, Citibank, which replaced Cox Communications.

"Interestingly, in this economic climate, people praised companies that deliver great value, whether it’s low-cost entertainment or bulk food, while panning financial institutions," said Lisa Gurry, director of the MSN division of Microsoft.

Behind the banks, telecommunications companies fared the next worst with Sprint, Time Warner Cable and Qwest joining AOL and Comcast in the bad books.

On the flip side, USAA, which provides military families with financial services and insurance, came out on top for providing the best customer service. Grocers also fared well with Trader Joe's, Publix, Whole Foods and Costco all making the Customer Service Hall of Fame list.

Here are the full rankings.

Customer Service Hall of Shame

1. AOL
2. Comcast
3. Sprint
4. Capital One
5. Time Warner Cable
6. HSBC
7. Qwest
8. Abercrombie & Fitch
9. Bank of America
10. Citigroup

Customer Service Hall of Fame

1. USAA
2. Trader Joe's
3. Netflix
4. Amazon
5. Nordstrom
6. Publix
7. Whole Foods
8. Apple Computer
9. Costco
10. Southwest Airlines

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