How can firms stop customer revenge? The effects of direct and indirect revenge on post-complaint responses

Yany Grégoire, Fateme Ghadami, Sandra Laporte, Sylvain Sénécal, Denis Larocque

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science · 2018 · Volume 46 · Issue 6

Abstract

Do customers feel better or worse after enacting revenge? Using a multimethod approach, we show that customers’ post-complaint desire for revenge depends on whether they initially usedirectorindirectrevenge behaviors (RBs). Specifically, the current research makes three contributions. First, we find that the more customers use direct RBs,the more pronounced is the decrease in their post desire for revenge over time, whereas a strong engagement in indirect RBs is associated with higher post desire for revenge over time. A series of experiments also indicate that direct RBs lead to less post desire for revenge and more positive affect, compared to the indirect RBs condition. Second, we document the process underlying each effect. The beneficial effect of direct RBs is explained byjustice restoration, while the deleterious effect of indirect RBs is mainly explained bypublic exposure. Third, on the basis of our findings, we test different managerial tactics to reduce avengers’ post desire for revenge. Fordirect avengers, recoveries with full or overcompensation substantially reduce their negative responses because these customers are primarily driven by justice restoration. Forindirect avengers, our prescription involves taking initiatives to change their focus from public exposure to justice restoration by using proactive social media tools. This switch makes these latter customers more amenable to most recoveries, even poor ones.

Keywords

Customer revenge, Public exposure, Justice theory, Negative affect, Brand transgression, Service failure, Service recovery, Post-complaint responses

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