Customer (Dis)satisfaction and Delays: The Robust Negative Effects of Service Delays

Abstract

The effects of service delays were investigated using a national sample of consumers who had a piece of consumer electronics repaired under warranty. It was predicted and found that dissatisfaction with the repair process, the repaired product, and the manufacturer of the product resulted both from the absolute length of service time and the relationship between the service time and the expectation concerning that time. Service times that were greater than what was expected led to dissatisfaction. These effects were independent of each other. The robustness and impact of the effects of delay suggest that all channel operators must work to reduce all delays and manage the consumer expectation concerning service times.