Whether you are a PC person or a Mac person, reliable customer service is critical when buying a new computer. Perhaps that’s why so many knowledgeable consumers seek out customer experience surveys and reviews by other users before purchasing. To help facilitate this research, Forrester Research has conducted an extensive “customer experience survey” of all the major American companies, from Apple and Dell, to American airlines and Citibank. The results of the survey are surprising in some ways, but one result in particular wasn’t a great shock: Apple continues to trounce PCs when it comes to so-called “customer experience.”

Significantly, Apple received an 80% positive score on questions of customer experience and satisfaction. PC computer manufacturers, on the other hand, did not fair nearly as well. Dell scored and a dismal 58% rating in the survey, while rival Gateway scored only 63%.

Overall, PC manufacturer’s received a D to F grade in customer satisfaction and overall experience, according to the Forrester survey. But experts believe that many of the complaints lodged against PC manufacturers are actually the fault of their software — Microsoft Windows. Research shows that many consumers do not distinguish between the computer’s operating system and the company who designed the hardware, which potentially accounts for the dismal ratings for PC manufacturers when one considers the number of complaints about Microsoft Vista, to name one example.

While Apple certainly scored much higher than any major PC manufacturer, they shouldn’t pat themselves on the back just yet. According to the customer experience survey, many companies received far better satisfaction scores than Apple, including Barnes & Noble (which ranked highest in the survey), Amazon.com, JCPenney, Target, and eBay.

In fact, even though Apple scored relatively well compared to other computer manufacturers, it’s still only managed to tie for 23rd Place in the survey alongside Macy’s, Staples and Walgreens in perceived customer satisfaction.

Meanwhile, one of the biggest PC manufacturers in the world, Dell, could only manage to rank 93rd in the survey, tied with Cox communications and United Airlines.

Overall, the survey shows that computer manufacturers have a long way to go when it comes to customer experience and satisfaction. A lot of huge companies, including many Web-based businesses like eBay and Amazon.com, are doing a far better job in customer support. And computer manufacturers are lagging well behind many other industries when it comes to customer satisfaction, including many banks and hotel chains.

So whether you’re a PC or a Mac, one thing is clear: you’re probably not terribly happy with the customer service you’re getting.