Getting Good Complaining without Bad Complaining

Abstract

This article investigates the similarities and differences between public and private complaining drivers. The purpose of this analysis is to provide organizations with a set of characteristics that drive value-added public complaining behaviors, while simultaneously avoiding detrimental private complaining behaviors. A sample of 235 consumers who experienced actual service failures in a variety of industries is used to assess these differences. The results suggest that age, attitude toward complaining, and perceived consumer effectiveness are all positively related to public complaining behaviors, but not private complaining behaviors. Income is also negatively related to private complaining behaviors, but not public complaining behaviors. Failure severity is positively related to both forms of complaining behavior. Implications for practitioners are discussed.