Consumer Grudgeholding: Does Age Make a Difference?

David Aron, Kimberly Judson, Timothy Aurand and Geoffrey Gordon
Additional contact information
David Aron: Dominican University
Kimberly Judson: Northern Illinois University
Timothy Aurand: Northern Illinois University
Geoffrey Gordon: Northern Illinois University

American Journal of Business, 2007, vol. 22, issue 1, pages 45-58

Abstract: Bad service experiences potentially leading to long-standing grudges can be quite costly for an organization. In many cases, corporate actions and policies cause grudges as consumers grow more and more frustrated about their interactions with large, impersonal companies. The primary objectives of this study were to examine through empirical research the causes of consumer grudgeholding, the behaviors undertaken by grudgeholders in response to their outcome, the impact of grudges against businesses, and whether differences exist depending on the grudgeholder’s age. The findings suggest that older consumers are more likely to discuss their concerns with store, company or organization employees, and in addition, they can be expected to tell more people outside of the firm than younger consumers. While neither younger nor older consumers appear highly inclined to purchase products or services from the firm following a bad experience, older respondents displayed a stronger aversion to the company, store or firm in question.

Keywords: grudge; Age; business; consumer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: R00 Z0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007

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Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:maj:ancoec:v:22:y:2007:i:1:p:45-58

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