In efforts to keep ill-behaving consumers in check, managers are increasingly implementing the practice of rating consumers. We develop and test an account of when and why the practice of rating consumers backfires. Study 1 shows that consumers are more likely to misbehave toward service providers after receiving a low rating (versus those who receive a high rating or those who are merely aware that they are being rated). These findings are robust to consumer inexperience. The negative impact of low ratings on subsequent behavior is especially likely to emerge when directed toward consumers (versus service providers; Study 2). Study 3 situates our findings in a real-world context through a survey of Uber customers. Taken together, we offer insight into how firms can realize the benefits of the practice of rating consumers while mitigating its risks.

为了努力控制行为不端的消费者，管理人员越来越多地实施对消费者进行评级的做法。我们开发并测试了何时以及为什么对消费者进行评级适得其反的做法。研究1显示，消费者在获得低评分后，更容易对服务提供商产生不当行为（相对于获得高评分或仅意识到自己正在获得评分的消费者而言）。这些发现对消费者缺乏经验是有力的。当针对消费者时（相对于服务提供商，研究2），低评级对后续行为的负面影响尤其可能出现。研究3通过对Uber客户的调查将我们的发现置于现实环境中。在一起