Romanians' Perception of Public Services – A Comparative Perspective

Abstract

Unlike many markets where a fierce competition exists between hundreds or, some-times, thousands of competitors, the public services sector (waste management, pro-vision of water, district heating, gas, electricity or public transportation etc) often face quasi-monopoly situations when very few companies (sometimes a single company) “control” the market and dictate the prices. Although operating on highly-regulated markets, companies should exhibit a proper customer orientation and adapt their services to meet the customers’ preferences and expectations. The public’s discontent over the prices charged by the company and its performance or communication generates heated controversy as well as complaints filed with the regulatory and control authorities. The goal of the current empirical research is to investigate how the Romanian customers manage to create a proper image of the four utility providers and to assess their performance. The recorded findings reveal a number of significant conclusions the purpose of which is to facilitate the suppliers’ efforts to better know the markets where they operate and to adjust their performance to the demand realities.