Towards a Comprehensive Taxonomy and Model of Consumer Complaining Behaviour

Abstract

The most widely used taxonomy of consumer complaining behaviour (Singh 1988) is limited in two respects: (1) it oversimplifies the key types of complaining behaviour - for example negative word-of-mouth need not just be a private action; and (2) it fails to appreciate that complaining behaviour often has two stages as certain CCB types (such as third party action) may only be entered into once ocher CCB types have failed to generate a satisfactory level of perceived justice. This paper offers a two-factor taxonomy of CCB which takes into account these issues. Complaint types are classified in terms of whether they are primary or secondary, and in terms of whether they are involved or uninvolved. This paper also offers a comprehensive model of CCB, which builds on the conceptual approach of Blodgett and Granbois (1992) by considering the whole CCB process as having four stages: (1) cognitive reasoning; (2) affective response; (3) triggers of consumer dissatisfaction responses; and (4) affective action. It is argued that there are eight major triggers of which lead to a certain dissatisfaction response (or a set of responses); each trigger being made up of a number of dimensions. The paper concludes by discussing possible directions for future research.