Consumers’ perception of the functional and symbolic performance failure of major electrical household appliances

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe consumers’ perception of the performance failure of selected major electrical household appliances. The expectancy disconfirmation paradigm (Bearden & Teel, 1983) served as theoretical background to this study. A convenience sampling technique was employed. A total of 216 self-administered questionnaires were collected. Respondents had to select an appliance item from a list of appliances provided, that had caused them the most dissatisfaction within the last four years. Respondents had to indicate the type of product failure they had experienced. The results of the exploratory factor analysis show that respondents did not differentiate between the functional and symbolic performance failures of appliances. Therefore, from a theoretical point of view, consumers’ dissatisfaction with their appliances is determined by a combination of functional as well as symbolic performance results. Marketing analysts, manufacturers and retailers should keep in mind the fact that consumers do not differentiate between the functional and the symbolic performance dimensions of product performance when evaluating the actual performance of appliances. This has implications for the effective handling of complaints. Complaint handling personnel should see complaints through the eyes of customers (i.e. as a combination of functional and symbolic performance failures) to improve their understanding of the customers' dissatisfaction. Significantly more respondents were very dissatisfied to extremely dissatisfied (76%) with the performance of their major electrical household appliances, compared to the respondents who were slightly to moderately dissatisfied (24%). Future research on the disparities between the different gender groups and the different cultural groupings concerning consumers’ interpretation of product failures (i.e. cognition) and their dissatisfaction (i.e. emotion), can improve manufacturers’, retailers’ and consumer organisations’ comprehension of consumers’ complaint behaviour. Hence, it is recommended that conceptions of attribution theory be integrated (aligned) with the expectancy disconfirmation paradigm to develop a theoretical basis for studying consumers’ complaint behaviour concerning appliance performance failures.

AFRIKAANS: In hierdie studie word verbruikers se persepsies van die onklaarraak of defekte werkverrigting (produkmislukking, product failure) van bepaalde groot elektriese huishoudelike toerusting verken en beskryf. Die konfirmasie/diskonfirmasie-paradigma (Bearden & Teel, 1983) dien as teoretiese agtergrond vir die studie. ’n Gerieflikheidsteekproef is gebruik om vraelyste, wat respondente self voltooi het, in te samel. Respondente moes uit ’n lys elektriese huishoudelike produkte ’n item kies wat die meeste ontevredenheid oor ’n tydperk van vier jaar veroorsaak het. Respondente moes die tipe produkmislukking aandui. Die resultate van die verkennende faktorontleding toon dat die respondente nie onderskei tussen die funksionele en simboliese werksverrigtingdimensies van toerusting wat faal nie. Verbruikers se ondevredenheid met hulle toerusting word dus, vanuit ’n teoretiese oopgunt, deur ’n kombi-nasie van beide funksionele en simboliese werksverrigtingdimensies bepaal. Bemarkers, vervaardigers en kleinhandelaars moet in gedagte hou dat verbruikers nie tussen die funksionele en simboliese werksverrigtingdimensies onderskei wanneer hulle die werksverrigting van hulle toerusting evalueer nie. Dit het implikasie vir die suksesvolle hantering van verbruikers se klagtes. Personeel wat klagtes hanteer, moet deur die oë van hulle verbruikers na klagtes kyk (dws die mislukking van die werksverrigting van toerusting manifesteer in ‘n kombinasie van funksionele en simboliese dimensies) om groter begrip van verbruikers se ontevredenheid te verseker. Beduidend meer respondente was baie ontevrede tot uiters ontevrede (76%) met die werksverrigting van hulle groot elektriese huishoudelike toerusting teenoor die respondente wat effens tot matig ontevrede was (24%). Toekomstige navorsing oor die verskille tussen die onderskeie geslagsgroepe en verskillende kulturele groeperings se interpretasie van produkmislukkings (d.i. kognisie) en hulle gepaardgaande ontevredeheid (d.i. emosie), kan vervaardigers, kleinhandelaars en verbruikersorganisasies se begrip van verbruikers se klagtegedrag verbeter. Dit word gevolglik aanbeveel dat konsepsies van attribusieteorie geïntegreer (in lyn gebring) word met dié van die paradigma van die diskonfirmasie van verwagtinge om ’n teoretiese grondslag daar te stel vir die bestudering van verbruikers se klagtegedrag oor die mislukking van die werksverrigting van elektriese toerusting.