Anger at the Service Provider

What it measures

A three-item measure assessing how angry a customer feels toward a service organisation or its employees following a service failure. Items contain a blank to be completed with the name of the relevant service provider or incident, enabling targeted attribution of anger to the specific entity responsible. The scale distinguishes consumer anger as a directed emotional response to a specific organisation rather than as a diffuse negative affective state.

Response format

6-point scale (not at all / strongly)

Scale items

• I would feel angry with the [service provider].
• I would feel mad with the [service provider].
• I would feel furious about the [service provider].

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

FILL-IN-THE-BLANK FORMAT: Blanks should be replaced with the name of the focal service provider or relevant incident descriptor. Two reliability estimates across two studies: α = .942 (Study 1) and α = .911 (Study 2) — Gelbrich (2010). VALIDITY: CFA in both studies supported convergent and discriminant validity; AVEs were .90 (Study 1) and .86 (Study 2). Items were phrased hypothetically in Study 1 (scenario-based) and retrospectively in Study 2 (recalled real experience) — both formats produced strong reliability. Response scale uses 6 points with verbal anchors 'not at all' and 'strongly'; researchers using 7-point formats should revalidate. Companion to the broader Anger scale (ID 1908) by the same author.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Gelbrich, Katja (2010). Anger, frustration, and helplessness after service failure: Coping strategies and effective informational support. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 38(5), 567–585.

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