The DOI matches its Crossref record; 50 of the 51 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Consumer responses to compensation, speed of recovery and apology after a service failure
Abstract
This experimental study examined how the three dimensions of fairness (distributive, procedural and interactional) influence consumers' attributional processes, their post‐recovery satisfaction and behavioral responses (repatronage intent and negative word‐of‐mouth) in a service failure context that does not involve monetary costs to the consumer. Our results indicate that recovery outcomes (e.g. compensation), procedures (e.g. speed of recovery) and interactional treatment (e.g. apology) have a joint effect on post‐recovery satisfaction. Specifically, our findings suggest that compensation may not enhance satisfaction when the recovery process is well‐executed (an immediate response combined with an apology). Similarly, compensation failed to lessen dissatisfaction with a poor recovery process (a delayed response without apology). It thus seems that compensation is a poor substitute for a good recovery process. However, offering compensation was effective in increasing satisfaction in mixed‐bag recovery situations (delayed recovery with an apology, or immediate recovery without apology). Furthermore, we found that service recovery satisfaction acted as a full mediator between service recovery attributes (compensation, recovery speed and apology) and behavioral intentions (repurchase intent and negative WOM). Finally, our findings suggest that consumer attributions for stability and controllability for the failure vary across recovery efforts. Managerial implications for these findings are discussed.
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“It is also demonstrated that post-complaint satisfaction partly mediates the relationship between justice perceptions and customer behavioral intentions (Maxham III and Netemeyer 2002) and completely mediates the relationship between organizational responses and customer behavioral intentions (Wirtz and Mattila 2004).”
From A Meta-Analysis of Organizational Complaint Handling and Customer Responses (2011) · cites this paper as Wirtz and Mattila 2004
In the citing paper
“It is also demonstrated that post-complaint satisfaction partly mediates the relationship between justice perceptions and customer behavioral intentions (Maxham III and Netemeyer 2002) and completely mediates the relationship between organizational responses and customer behavioral intentions (Wirtz and Mattila 2004).”
From A Meta-Analysis of Organizational Complaint Handling and Customer Responses (2011) · cites this paper as Wirtz and Mattila 2004
In the citing paper
“and satisfaction (Mattila, Cho, and Ro 2009; Wirtz and Mattila 2004)”
From A Meta-Analysis of Organizational Complaint Handling and Customer Responses (2011) · cites this paper as Wirtz and Mattila 2004
Citations
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Research works printed but not linked: 4
- Brockner, J. and Wisenfeld, B. (1993), “Living on the edge: the effects of layoffs on those who remain”, in Murnighan, J.K. (Ed.), Social Psychology in Organizations: Advances in Theory and Research, Prentice‐Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, pp. 119‐40.
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- Cropanzano, R. and Folger, R. (1991), “Procedural justice and worker motivation”, in Steers, R. and Porter, L. (Eds), Motivation and Work Behavior, McGraw‐Hill, New York, NY.
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Kim, T. T., Kim, W. G., & Kim, H.-B. (2008) · Tourism Management · doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2008.04.003 · Cited by 649
To Err Is Human(-oid): How Do Consumers React to Robot Service Failure and Recovery?
Choi, S., Mattila, A. S., & Bolton, L. E. (2021) · Journal of Service Research · doi:10.1177/1094670520978798 · Cited by 502
Self-citationSparks, B., So, K. K. F., & Bradley, G. L. (2015) · Tourism Management · doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2015.09.011 · Cited by 541
A Meta-Analysis of Organizational Complaint Handling and Customer Responses
Gelbrich, K., & Roschk, H. (2011) · Journal of Service Research · doi:10.1177/1094670510387914 · Cited by 481
Liao, H. (2007) · Journal of Applied Psychology · doi:10.1037/0021-9010.92.2.475 · Cited by 550
Metadata
- Authors
- Wirtz, J., & Mattila, A. S.
- Affiliations
- National University of Singapore (SG)
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Venue
- International Journal of Service Industry Management
- Publisher
- Emerald
- Published
- 2004-04-01
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 150-166
- ISSN
- 0956-4233 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2062193161
- Cited by
- 725
- References
- 51
- Citations by year
- 2026: 26 · 2025: 32 · 2024: 36 · 2023: 41 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 47 · 2020: 58 · 2019: 54 · 2018: 35 · 2017: 37 · 2016: 33 · 2015: 40 · 2014: 41 · 2013: 36 · 2012: 39
- FWCI
- 21.64
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Service Industry Management (publishedVersion)
- National University of Singapore (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Customer Service Quality and Loyalty
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Service and Product Innovation
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › AI in Service Interactions
- Keywords
- service failure, service recovery, compensation, recovery speed, apology, distributive fairness, procedural justice, interactional justice, consumer attributions, post-recovery satisfaction, repurchase intention, negative word-of-mouth, consumer behavior
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