An Analysis of the Social Aspects of Complain Reporting: A Survey of VCR Owners

Abstract

Previous research on complaining behavior has identified a number of factors that can mfluence whether the expression of dissatisfaction is voiced publicly or privately. Few studies, however, take into account the potential social consequences of complaining and their impact on complaining behaviors. This paper probes the role of the social environment in both the act of complaining and reports given to researchers regarding product dissatisfaction and complaint behavior. The purpose of the study is to examine the responses to a consumer survey regarding VCR ownership. Four hundred and twenty-four usable responses were obtained from a purposive sample of adults in the tri-state area (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey). About half of the returns were gathered via a drop-off survey, and half via personal interviews. This methodology permits comparisons between face-to-face reports of product dissatisfaction and complaining actions, and more impersonal reporting. Further, each respondent completed a fear of negative evaluation scale which measures people's concerns about being unfavorably evaluated by others. The inclusion of this scale permits assessment of the impact of a respondent's fear of negative evaluation on the frequency of and reasons for dissatisfaction. On the other hand, Nantel (1985) has suggested a "minor" modification of Day's basic model (Figure 2). This author argues that including the possibility of social constraints or inhibitions based on social pressures as a mediating variable in the model "will prevent it from the disappointing result traditionally obtained for models which have used the attitude construct and thus might allow it to lead itself to an accurate representation of the actual complaining/noncomplaining behavior" (1985:57). Although Nantel suggests using the self-monitoring concept as a surrogate for these social constraints, the 25-item scale he suggests using to operationalize it may well place undue data demands on some respondents. In addition, a prior attempt to use this construct in CCB research produced marginal results at best (Beardon, Crockett and Graham, 1979).