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.