Developing a typology of customer misbehaviours (case study: hotel industry, Iran five stars' hotels, Homa, Parsian Azadi, Esteghlal, Evin)

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore and identify the different types of customer misbehaviours from service providers' side (hotel employees) in hotel industry. Data were collected by semi structured in-depth interviews and narratives of service employees of five starts hotels in Iran using critical incident technique (CIT) (n = 60) and then analysed through ATLAS software. Thematic coding was used to identify emergent themes and patterns of consumer misbehaviour. Thematic coding resulted in a comprehensive typology of customers' misbehaviour and identified two main categories of consumer misbehaviour (interpersonally directed and property directed) which interpersonally directed divided into five subcategories: verbal aggression, physical aggression, refusal to participate, illegitimate complaints and needless engagement and property directed misbehaviour classify into theft, vandalism and sabotage and fraudulence behaviour. The results of the findings contribute to identify the most common types of misbehaviour during the interactions.