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Dissatisfied consumers who complain to the Better Business Bureau

James E. Fisher (Associate Professor of Marketing, St Louis University, St Louis, Missouri, USA)
Dennis E. Garrett (Associate Professor of Marketing, College of Business Administration, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA)
Mark J. Arnold (Assistant Professor of Marketing, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA)
Mark E. Ferris (Associate Professor of Decision Sciences, St Louis University, St Louis, Missouri, USA)

Journal of Consumer Marketing

ISSN: 0736-3761

Publication date: 1 December 1999

Abstract

Very little prior research has analyzed the behavior of dissatisfied consumers who complain to the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Therefore, interviews were conducted with dissatisfied consumers who filed complaints with the BBB against companies in three industries – auto dealers, dry cleaners, and home construction. The results reveal significant gaps between dissatisfied consumers’ resolution preferences and companies’ resolution offers. Further, the results highlight the highly negative word‐of‐mouth communication activity and repeat purchase intentions of dissatisfied consumers who complain to the BBB. Based on these data, complaint resolution recommendations are provided to improve customer service managers’ handling of dissatisfied consumers.

Keywords

Citation

Fisher, J.E., Garrett, D.E., Arnold, M.J. and Ferris, M.E. (1999), "Dissatisfied consumers who complain to the Better Business Bureau", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 16 No. 6, pp. 576-589. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363769910297515

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Publisher

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MCB UP Ltd

Copyright © 1999, MCB UP Limited

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