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Dysfunctional customer behavior: conceptualization and empirical validation

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Abstract

Dysfunctional customer behavior is endemic and prevalent across multiple service sectors. However, despite significant interest from practitioners and scholars, understanding of the concept of dysfunctional customer behavior and its measurement has been limited to date. Moreover, studies have not systematically explored the exact dimensionality of dysfunctional customer behavior, leaving its precise composition unclear. Across five studies, this investigation identifies a three-dimensional dysfunctional customer behavior construct comprising verbal abuse, disproportionate demand, and illegitimate complaint. The authors develop and validate a multi-dimensional scale to measure dysfunctional customer behavior.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the research fund of Hanyang University (HY-2018-G).

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  1. Department of Business Administration, Mokpo National University, 1666 Yeongsan-ro, Cheonggye-myeon, Muan-gun, Mokpo, Jeonnam, 58554, South Korea

    Minjeong Kang

  2. College of Business and Economics, Hanyang University ERICA, 55 Hanyangdaehak-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, 15588, South Korea

    Taeshik Gong

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Kang, M., Gong, T. Dysfunctional customer behavior: conceptualization and empirical validation. Serv Bus 13, 625–646 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11628-019-00398-1

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