Must Service Recovery Justice Lead to Customer Satisfaction? The Moderating Effects of Cultural Variables

Abstract

Providing zero-defect service should be the desired objective of all service marketers, but service failure is common and inevitable due to the unique characteristics of services. The present study advances the literature by examining the moderating roles of concern for face (CFF) and belief in fate (BIF) in the relationships linking distributive and interactional justice, and post-recovery satisfaction. The relationship between post-recovery satisfaction and service quality is also explored. The model is empirically tested using survey data collected from 600 telecommunications service customers in Hong Kong, and analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) technique. The findings indicate that CFF strengthens the relationship between interactional justice and post-recovery satisfaction, while BIF strengthens the effect of distributive justice on post-recovery satisfaction. Results signal the importance of employee training and self-service for face protection and free-of-charge services for fate control. Besides, post-recovery satisfaction is positively related to perceived service quality. It is the first study to explore cultural variables (CFF and BIF) as moderators in the relationship between service recovery justice and post-recovery satisfaction.