The J.D. Power Canadian Consumer Centre currently offers information from its home builder research. In the future, the Centre will provide information from other industry sectors.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys actual consumers by mail, telephone, and e-mail. The firm goes to great lengths to make sure that these consumers are chosen at random and that they actually own the product or have received service from the company they are rating. For example, ratings for Tribute Communities come from people who actually own a newly constructed home built by Tribute Communities. As a result, J.D. Power and Associate ratings are based entirely on consumer opinions and in no way reflect the opinions or preferences of the firm.

On the J.D. Power Canadian Consumer Centre Web site, consumers can access Power Circle ratings for builders included in the Canadian New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Study.SM The purpose of Power Circle Ratings is to provide consumers with useful information about the relative performance of builders.

The following legend is used to quickly and easily communicate the relative performance of builders in different categories that are important to consumers:

The results of the firm’s studies are based on feedback from many consumers, not the opinion of J.D. Power and Associates. However, even top performers can receive less than stellar ratings from some customers. However, when the responses from many consumers are combined, industry leaders have higher overall ratings than their competitors.

J.D. Power and Associates awards help companies, industries, and consumers focus on positive performance. The firm’s awards serve as reinforcement to top industry performers and sets benchmarks for other industry participants. The end result is improved products and services for consumers. The firm’s awards program has inspired many companies to improve quality and customer satisfaction by trying to improve as quickly as possible.

In the late 1980s, automotive manufacturers started using J.D. Power and Associates syndicated study results as promotional claims in advertising. At that time, the firm did not have an advertising claim policy. Even marginal performers began to advertise selected syndicated study results that showed them in a favourable light. At that time, J.D. Power and Associates established guidelines for advertising claims. Since that time, every advertisement related to a study or award is carefully reviewed to ensure accuracy. Today, only top-ranked performers in pre-defined categories are allowed to license the use of J.D. Power and Associates awards in advertising. Advertising claim categories are predetermined and pre-announced to the industry at the beginning of the year before each study is conducted.

J.D. Power and Associates does not send out surveys upon request. Instead, surveys are mailed to scientifically selected groups of consumers whose names are pulled randomly from data maintained by public sources. The goal is to provide industries with accurate, unbiased information that will ultimately increase customer satisfaction through the "voice of the customer" Information.