Engaging in complaint behaviour An Indonesian perspective

• Published in: Marketing intelligence & planning Vol. 22; no. 4; pp. 407 - 426
• Main Authors: Phau, Ian, Sari, Riana Puspita
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford Emerald Group Publishing Limited 01.06.2004
• Subjects: Attitudes; Complaints; Consumer attitudes; Consumer behavior; Consumer organizations; Consumer protection; Consumers; Developing countries; Education; LDCs; Statistical analysis; Statistical data; Indonesia
• ISSN: 0263-4503; 1758-8049
• DOI: 10.1108/02634500410542770

This paper investigates the various factors affecting consumer complaint behaviour in Indonesia. The main objective is to determine the various demographic variables and to profile complainers and non-complainers with regard to psychographic variables, attitudes towards businesses in general, product attributes and attribution of blame. It provides a comprehensive comparison with the other studies in the literature which were mainly conducted in Northern America and Europe. The research suggests that complainers in Indonesia had a higher level of income and education. Complainers tended to exhibit greater self-confidence and individualistic characters. They were more willing to take risk and had a positive attitude toward complaining. Consumers were more likely to complain when the unsatisfactory product was expensive, and used frequently and over a long time. In addition, complainers were more inclined to make a complaint when they blamed sellers and manufacturers for their bad purchase experiences. It was also noted that both complainers and non-complainers possessed poor attitudes towards businesses in general. Managerial implications are discussed.