Abstract:
This paper measures the attitude of banking customers towards complaining and their likelihood to
complain when a service failure is experienced at their current and another bank. Insight is also
provided into the service recovery responses customers consider appropriate when a service failure is
experienced. The target population included individuals in the Gauteng Province of South Africa who
hold a bank account in their personal capacity. An interviewer-administered survey was used to collect
data using non-probability quota sampling based upon population group and gender. A demographic
profile of respondents, as well as the findings in terms of the aforementioned constructs and related
hypotheses is provided. The study found that respondents have a positive attitude towards
complaining, and that they are significantly more likely to voice a complaint when experiencing a
service failure at their current bank than at another bank. Significant differences also exist with regard
to the individual responses respondents consider appropriate when confronted with a hypothetical
service failure experienced at their current bank and another bank.
