Empirical Testing of a Consumer Misbehavior Model in Automotive After-Sales Services: Examining Antecedents, Response Strategies, and Consequences Using Structural Equation Modeling

Tahereh  Khatamidoost; Behrouz Ghasemi; Seyyed Mehdi  Jalali

Authors

Tahereh Khatamidoost Department of Business Administration, CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5634-0156
Behrouz Ghasemi Department of Business Administration, CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6185-5035
Seyyed Mehdi Jalali Department of Business Administration, CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9194-7934

Keywords:

consumer misbehavior, after-sales services, automotive industry, trust rebuilding, service disruption, organizational accountability, structural equation modeling

Abstract

The present study aimed to empirically test a model of consumer misbehavior in automotive after-sales services, with emphasis on its antecedents, response strategies, consequences, and contextual and moderating factors. This study constituted the quantitative phase of a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design, in which the model had previously been developed during the qualitative phase using grounded theory. Data were collected from 350 customers of authorized Iran Khodro and SAIPA after-sales service centers in Tehran through multistage cluster sampling and a researcher-developed questionnaire. After confirming the validity and reliability of the instrument, the model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4. The results showed that sanctions (β = 0.462) and service disruption (β = 0.289) had positive and significant effects on consumer misbehavior, whereas the effect of pressure norms was not significant. Consumer misbehavior had significant negative effects on rebuilding trust and dialogue (β = −0.207) and returning to values and cultural identity (β = −0.209). Fear of imagined consequences also weakened both strategies, with coefficients of β = −0.441 and β = −0.365, respectively. Social distrust, organizational structure and accountability, and social erosion had significant effects on rebuilding trust and dialogue, whereas their relationships with returning to values, as well as the effects of initial interaction quality, were largely nonsignificant. Rebuilding trust and dialogue reduced damage to brand and cultural capital (β = −0.303) and the reproduction of the cycle of anger and dissatisfaction (β = −0.118). Returning to values also reduced damage to brand and cultural capital (β = −0.210), although its effect on the cycle of anger and dissatisfaction was not significant. Among the moderating effects, only the moderating role of organizational structure and accountability in the relationship between consumer misbehavior and returning to values was significant (β = 0.091). The findings demonstrate the multidimensional nature of consumer misbehavior and highlight the importance of organizational accountability and relationship repair.

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