Three out of every four homeowners who purchase air conditioners talk about their experience with friends, relatives and neighbors, according to a study by Decision Analyst, a market research and consulting firm.

Although dissatisfied customers are not more or less likely to tell people about their experience than satisfied customers, the ones who do speak about their experience tell about 50% more people than satisfied customers, the American Comfort Survey found. Dissatisfied homeowners tell an average of 9.9 people about their purchases while satisfied homeowners tell only 6.7, the study said.

Also, purchasers of "super high-efficiency" equipment were nearly five times more likely than "standard-efficiency" purchasers to be "extremely satisfied," the study said.

Decision Analyst surveyed more than 10,000 households with owner-occupied homes.