The Role of Future-Oriented Cognitions and Anticipated Emotions In Consumers’ Decisions To Voice Their Complaints After Service Failures

Abstract

This dissertation examines individuals’ decision-making process when debating whether to complain or not after a service failure. Given the same potential anger-provoking situation, individuals may or may not voice a complaint to the service company. This dissertation examined the role of prefactual thinking and anticipated emotions in complaint decision-making in two main studies: A qualitative study looking at prefactual thoughts before the act of complaining and a quantitative study examining the mediating role of anticipated emotions in complaint behavior. Prospective emotions and cognitions in decision making have increasingly been shown to play a critical role in decision making and have, thus far, received no attention in the realm of complaint decision-making. This study demonstrated the important predictive role of both prefactual thinking and anticipated emotions in voice intentions.