Preferential Treatment Expectation from Provider

What it measures

Four Likert-type items measure the degree to which a customer expects a service provider to extend special favours, search for good deals, provide help when problems arise, and accommodate the customer's preferences. The scale was developed and refined through a rigorous two-country, multi-stage process covering Australia and Thailand across multiple service provider types.

Response format

5- or 7-point Likert (anchors not specified)

Scale items

• __________ will go out of their way to search for a special deal for me.
• __________ will always search for the most reasonably priced solution.
• __________ will more likely help me if something goes wrong.
• __________ will be more likely to do what I want.

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

Usage notes & scoring

Alphas ranged from .85 to .94 in Australia and from .86 to .93 in Thailand across three service provider types. CFA supported unidimensionality, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Response format details were not specified; a five- or seven-point Likert scale is likely. Provider type should be placed in the blanks.

Citation

Patterson, P. G., & Smith, T. (2003). A cross-cultural study of switching barriers and propensity to stay with service providers. Journal of Retailing, 79(2), 107–120.

Keywords