Consumer complaint behaviour of Asians and non‐Asians about hotel services

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to test the differences in the consumer complaint behaviour of Asian and non‐Asian hotel guests in terms of culture dimensions. It also aims to examine the relationship between demographic factors (age, gender and education level) and complaint behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThe paper adopts the Hofstede's typology of culture as a framework to investigate cultural differences and demographic characteristics in the complaint behaviour of hotel guests. A face‐to‐face interview survey is conducted to collect data in this research. Data are then analyzed by various statistical methods such as two‐way contingency table analysis, non‐parametric Mann‐Whitney U and Chi‐square tests.FindingsThe survey reveals that older complainants tend to resort to “public actions,” but people with a higher level of education tend not to complain publicly. In addition, Asian guests are less likely to complain to the hotel for fear of “losing face” and are less familiar with the channels for complaint than non‐Asian guests. They are more likely than non‐Asian guests to take private complaint action, such as making negative word‐of‐mouth comments. The findings also indicate that there is a significant relationship between “complaint encouraging factor” and respondents' nationality and between “effective complaint handling method” and respondents' nationality.Originality/valueFew studies have focused on the cultural differences in complaint behaviour of Asians and non‐Asian hotel guests in the hotel industry. The result will be most valuable in assisting hotel managers and marketers to better understand the customer complaint behaviour and intentions both from the Asian and non‐Asian contexts, and help formulate strategies and tactics to effectively manage the customer complaint.

Exploration of Customer Compliant Behavior toward Asain Full-Service Restaurants

“…However, this result contradicts the findings of previous studies claiming that Asian, specifically Chinese, are less likely to complain and are only inclined to take private action instead of public action (Ngai et al, 2007;Fitzpatrick, Davey, & Dai, 2012).…”

“…Despite the degree of dissatisfaction, 98% of the respondents stated that they prefer not to proceed with any public action. However, the reason behind such decision is inconsistent with the findings of previous scholars who posited that Asians fear of losing face (Ngai et al, 2007); rather, customers will not take public action mostly because it is not worth their time and effort (Day et al, 1981). Some respondents claimed that they will share the complaint with the Consumer Council in Hong Kong as part of taking public action.…”

“…DeFranco et al (2005) investigated CCB toward cultural difference in Hong Kong and Houston. Ngai et al (2007) studied CCB toward hotel enterprise in Hong Kong among Asian and non-Asian tourists. Kim & Lynn (2007) classified Asian tourism in terms of restaurant services.…”

An Exploration of Consumer Complaint Behavior towards the Hotel Industry: Case Study in Macao

“…Although customer complaints are inevitable, customer satisfaction plays a vital role in sustaining the existence of hotel enterprises in the current highly competitive environment (Ngai et al, 2007). Barlow (1996) indicated that customer complaints are important for the improvement of hotel operators because complaints make operators aware of the problems, and thus, they are able to rectify them in a timely and spontaneous manner.…”

“…Previous studies have investigated customer complaints and complaint behavior (Heung & Lam, 2003). Ngai et al (2007) studied the Consumer Complaint Behavior (CCB) of Asians and non-Asians toward hotel services. Hui & Au (2001) studied the complaint behavior of Chinese and Canadian tourists toward hotel services.…”