Consumer complaint behaviour in telecommunications: The case of mobile phone users in Spain

Teresa Garín-Muñoz, Teodosio Pérez-Amaral, Covadonga Gijón and Rafael Lopez

Telecommunications Policy, 2016, vol. 40, issue 8, 804-820

Abstract: This work analyses the post-purchase behaviour of mobile phone users once they have experienced a service failure. Taking into account the existing literature on Consumer Complaint Behaviour (CCB), a survey for 4249 individuals in Spain is used for specifying econometric equations that explain the determinants of the complaining decision and the impact that a proper complaint management may have on overall satisfaction. The results suggest that dissatisfaction is not a necessary condition for complaining and that the propensity to complain is different depending on the type of problem experienced by the customer. Another finding is that a proper handling of complaints by the company may constitute a source of improvement in the overall user satisfaction and profitability of the firm. This result is of interest for its implications when designing a company׳s marketing strategy. Accordingly it seems reasonable to use complaint management as a powerful tool to retain customers.

Keywords: Consumer complaint behaviour; Mobile phones; Consumer retention; Consumer satisfaction; Consumer loyalty; Voice; Exit; Service failure; Complainers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Working Paper: Consumer complaint behavior in telecommunications: The case of mobile phone users in Spain (2014)
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DOI: 10.1016/j.telpol.2015.05.002

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