Consumer Grudgeholding: Does Age Make a Difference?

David Aron; Kimberly Judson; Timothy Aurand; Geoffrey Gordon

doi:10.1108/19355181200700004

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American Journal of Business

ISSN: 1935-5181

Online from: 1986

Subject Area: Management Science/Management Studies

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Consumer Grudgeholding: Does Age Make a Difference?

Document Information:
Title:	Consumer Grudgeholding: Does Age Make a Difference?
Author(s):	David Aron, (Dominican University), Kimberly Judson, (Northern Illinois University), Timothy Aurand, (Northern Illinois University), Geoffrey Gordon, (Northern Illinois University)
Citation:	David Aron, Kimberly Judson, Timothy Aurand, Geoffrey Gordon, (2007) "Consumer Grudgeholding: Does Age Make a Difference?", American Journal of Business, Vol. 22 Iss: 1, pp.45 - 58
Keywords:	Age, Consumer grudgeholding, Consumers, Customer service
Article type:	General review
DOI:	10.1108/19355181200700004 (Permanent URL)
Publisher:	Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Abstract:	Bad service experiences potentially leading to long-standing grudges can be quite costly for an organization. In many cases, corporate actions and policies cause grudges as consumers grow more and more frustrated about their interactions with large, impersonal companies. The primary objectives of this study were to examine through empirical research the causes of consumer grudgeholding, the behaviors undertaken by grudgeholders in response to their outcome, the impact of grudges against businesses, and whether differences exist depending on the grudgeholder’s age. The findings suggest that older consumers are more likely to discuss their concerns with store, company or organization employees, and in addition, they can be expected to tell more people outside of the firm than younger consumers. While neither younger nor older consumers appear highly inclined to purchase products or services from the firm following a bad experience, older respondents displayed a stronger aversion to the company, store or firm in question.