Complaint Likelihood (General)

What it measures

A seven-item scale measuring a consumer's general propensity to complain when dissatisfied with a product or service. Items capture active complaining intentions, willingness to complain without hesitation, likelihood of complaining based on past experience, and inclination toward service provider complaint — alongside two reverse-scored items reflecting reluctance to complain. The scale provides a comprehensive assessment of complaint propensity as a stable consumer disposition.

Response format

7-point Likert

Scale items

• If there is a service failure, I will complain to the company.
• If I am dissatisfied with the things I buy, I will complain about them to the shop (or other suppliers) that sold them to me.
• I do not hesitate to complain if I think it is warranted to do so.
• Based on my past purchasing experiences, I am likely to complain in the event of dissatisfaction or service failure.
• I am inclined to complain to the service provider if I am unhappy with a service.
• I am usually reluctant to complain about service regardless of how bad it is. (r)
• I am less likely than most people to complain about unsatisfactory service. (r)

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

Usage notes & scoring

Single alpha: α = .85 — Borah, Prakhya & Sharma (2020, n = 1,025 airline Twitter users). VALIDITY: Not reported in the consumer marketing application. Original scale: Bodey & Grace (2007) developed the scale and provided evidence of internal consistency and unidimensionality. Two items are reverse-scored (items 6 and 7). Items 1–5 are positively keyed toward complaint propensity; items 6–7 reflect reluctance to complain.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Bodey, Kelli and Debra Grace (2007). Contrasting 'complainers' with 'non-complainers' on attitude toward complaining, propensity to complain, and key personality characteristics. European Journal of Marketing, 41(11/12), 1214–1240. [Applied by: Borah, Abhishek, Shrihari Prakhya, and Alok Sharma (2020). Leveraging the power of user-generated content to resolve airline service failures. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48(5), 858–876.]

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