Prior relationships and consumer responses to service failures : a cross-cultural study

The authors examine the mitigating effect of an established trusting relationship between service providers and consumers on the consequences of service failures as a function of interdependent-independent self-construal. Two studies reveal that the effect of prior relationship, defined as the length of past patronage of a service provider, on consumer behavioral responses to service failure tends to be more pronounced among consumers with interdependent (vs. independent) self-construal. This variation in the mitigating effect of prior relationship can be attributed to the differential impact of trust in the service provider on the two groups of consumers. The authors conclude with a discussion of managerial implications.