May 11--Online shopping isn't getting a pass during this recession.

An annual consumer survey measuring e-commerce satisfaction shows that Netflix and Amazon.com continue to score favorably with customers, but Apple slipped behind Dell and Hewlett Packard. Williams-Sonoma and Neiman Marcus fell several points.

Overall satisfaction with the online retail experience is down almost 3 percent from last year, according to ForeSee Results's annual Top 100 Online Retail Satisfaction Index.

"Online retailers picked a bad time to drop the ball, and if they don't shore up customer satisfaction, things could get even more bleak," said Larry Freed, chief executive officer of ForeSee, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based firm that measure e-commerce customer satisfaction.

Customer service levels today could affect "future sales online and offline, loyalty, retention and return visits," he said.

J.C. Penney Co.'s online score was flat from a year ago. Blockbuster Inc.'s fell short of rival Netflix, and Neiman Marcus' score fell almost 7 percent from a year ago.

Not surprisingly, in the latest survey, shoppers said they were more price-sensitive than in previous years.

"This doesn't mean companies should start slashing prices, but it does reflect the current mood of the consumer," Freed said.

"Online shoppers are a savvy group, able to compare price and merchandise at the click of a mouse. In an economy where rising unemployment, plummeting home values and tight credit continue to make headlines, consumers are punishing retailers if they feel prices aren't fair or competitive."

Price was a priority for shoppers of Newegg.com, JCPenney.com, Zappos.com, Staples.com, Overstock.com, Macys.com and PCMall.com.

Last week, comScore Inc. said that first-quarter U.S. e-commerce sales were flat vs. a year ago after falling 3 percent in the fourth quarter.

The U.S. Commerce Department will report first-quarter e-commerce sales Friday.

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