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The role of customer forgiveness and perceived justice in restoring relationships with customers

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Abstract

This research explored whether customer forgiveness mediated the relationships between service failure severity (SFS) and customers’ co** behaviors and examined the moderating role of perceived justice in the proposed model. The results indicated that customer forgiveness played a crucial role in restoring relationships and reducing customers’ avoidance. Higher perceptions of justice for service providers’ recovery efforts weakened the negative effect of SFS on customer forgiveness. Additionally, the results showed that perceived high distributive justice attenuated the negative effect of SFS on customer forgiveness when perceived interactional justice was low. Such an attenuating effect decreased when perceived interactional justice increased.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy/ethical restrictions.

Notes

  1. The strong correlation between customer forgiveness and reconciliation may suggest a degree of similarity between these constructs. Prior research by Palanski (2012) has affirmed a strong association between these concepts, indicating potential confusion in their interpretation. However, it is essential to recognize them as distinct constructs, as individuals may extend forgiveness without engaging in reconciliation, or vice versa (Palanski 2012). Considering both the conceptual delineation and statistical results, it can be inferred that while forgiveness and reconciliation share similarities, they remain distinct constructs.

  2. The conditional indirect effects of SFS on reconciliation and avoidance were generated using Hayes’s PROCESS model 7 to provide more detailed information on such effects in different levels of perceived justice. The indexes of moderated mediation in the relationship between SFS and reconciliation (index = 0.035, SE = 0.017, 95% CI 0.002, 0.067) and SFS and avoidance (index = −0.027, SE = 0.014, 95% CI −0.054, −0.001) was found to be similar to the results of the moderated mediation effects generated by SmartPLS.

  3. We also ran a three-way ANOVA and its results were the same as the results of Hayes PROCESS Model 3, indicating a significant interaction effect of SFS, distributive justice, and interactional justice on customer forgiveness.

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Acknowledgements

This work is based on the first author’s dissertation at National Dong Hwa University, completed under the direction of the third author, and co-supervised by the second author. Special thanks are extended to the author’s dissertation committee. The authors also sincerely appreciate and thank the editor and the two reviewers for their insightful guidance at every stage of the review process.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marketing, UWA Business School, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia

    Andreawan Honora

  2. Department of Marketing, International Business and Strategy, Goodman School of Business, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, L2S3A1, Canada

    Kai-Yu Wang

  3. Department of Business Administration, National Dong Hwa University, No. 1, Sec. 2, Da Hsueh Rd., Shoufeng, Hualien, 97401, Taiwan, R.O.C.

    Wen-Hai Chih

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Appendix

Appendix

1.1 Scale items of Study 1

1.1.1 Service Failure Severity (adapted from Wang et al. 2011 )

  1. 1.

    In my past experience, the service failure caused by a service provider was severe.

  2. 2.

    In my past experience, I worried about the service failure caused by the service provider.

  3. 3.

    In my past experience, I felt uneasy about the service failure caused by the service provider.

1.1.2 Forgiveness (adapted from Schnebelen and Bruhn 2018 )

  1. 1.

    I am willing to forgive this service provider for her/his failure.

  2. 2.

    I am willing to be patient toward the failure of this service provider.

  3. 3.

    Even though this service provider makes mistakes, I am willing to give her/him an opportunity to make it up for me.

1.1.3 Reconciliation (adapted from Joireman et al. 2013 )

  1. 1.

    I grant this service provider the opportunity to have a new start and a renewed relationship.

  2. 2.

    I accept the flaws, failures, and mistakes of this service provider.

  3. 3.

    I accept this service provider despite what happened.

  4. 4.

    I make an effort to be more friendly and concerned toward this service provider.

1.1.4 Avoidance (adapted from McCullough et al. 1998 )

  1. 1.

    I keep as much distance between this service provider and myself as possible.

  2. 2.

    I live my life as if this service provider does not exist or is not around.

  3. 3.

    I do not trust this service provider.

  4. 4.

    I find it difficult to act warmly toward this service provider.

  5. 5.

    I cut of my relationship with this service provider.

  6. 6.

    I withdraw from this service provider.

1.1.5 Perceived Justice (adapted from de Matos et al. 2012 )

  1. 1.

    Overall, this service provider’s action toward my problem was fair.

  2. 2.

    The outcome I received was fair.

  3. 3.

    This service provider showed adequate flexibility in dealing with my problem.

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Honora, A., Wang, KY. & Chih, WH. The role of customer forgiveness and perceived justice in restoring relationships with customers. Serv Bus (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11628-024-00563-1

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