Conservation of Resources Theory Interpretation of Co-Destructed After-sales Service Encounters

Abstract

The current study investigates the consumers’ co-destructed experiences with after-sales services (AS) through the lens of Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and Service Dominant Logic. The research is carried out in two phases. First, a qualitative study is conducted by analyzing consumer stories about co-destructed AS experiences with data collected from a public complaint website and three focus group interviews. Second, the proposed model is empirically tested on 207 consumer responses collected through a survey. The results reveal different paths on which consumers’ secondary losses either lead to low AS satisfaction or punitive behaviors after experiencing a co-destructed AS interaction.