Why Do Customers Complain Online?

Online complaining is said to be an efficient and convenient way of handling complaints for both customers and companies. But up to now, complaint channel choice and online complaining behaviour have received only limited attention from both scholars and practitioners. Why consumers use a particular channel for expressing their dissatisfaction has to be found out yet.

Based on the determinants of the propensity to complain and the determinants of the propensity to use the e-channel, a conceptual framework identifying the determinants of the propensity to complain online is developed in this paper. It will contribute to explaining online consumer complaining behaviour as well as developing an adequate complaint channel design, which enables customer care managers to influence complaint channel choice.