Saturday, March 17, 2012

Buying and Post Purchase dissatisfaction


                                  
     After a long day of working I began to realize that a biological need[1] had become aroused[2], hunger. When deciding where to get something to eat, a determining factor was time. These temporal influences[3] ultimately pushed me towards a to go order from Chili's Bar and Grill. I quickly found the company’s number on my phone, called, placed my order, and within ten minutes I had my lunch and was headed back to my house. As I got home and sat at my kitchen table ready to finally eat my lunch, I noticed the order was wrong, in fact it was missing half of the food. I was really surprised by this because I had ordered various to go orders from this location and they have always been exceptional. So based on my expectancy disconfirmation model[4] I was really disappointed. After a twenty minute drive from the restaurant to my home, I really did not want to drive all the way back, so I decided to act on my dissatisfaction[5] through a voice response[6] to the restaurant.
            During my voice response to the restaurant I remained calm and simply explained the situation, asking if there was a way to credit my card for the amount of food missing. They referred my call to their store manager, Steve who was very nice and understanding. I re described the situation to him, and he gave me a few options. The first option was that I could come back to Chiles and pick up the food they forgot to add to my order, or  he could send me coupons in the mail. I was happy with his helpfulness and compliance, and I decided that the coupons sounded great to me. Steve asked my name and address and I received the coupons in my mailbox, within a week. By the time I received them I had actually forgotten all about the mishap, but was pleasantly surprised as to what I found inside. Steve had written me a letter apologizing for the mistake and enclosed fifteen dollars worth of coupons (with no expiration or usage policies), which was actually more than what I paid originally. In their response to my complaint, they far exceeded my expectations, and increased their store image[7] in my perspective.
            To conclude, my overall satisfaction (on a scale of 1 to 7 where 1 is extremely dissatisfied and 7 is extremely satisfied) is a 7. The likelihood of me going back to this firm on the same scale as stated above is a 7, and the likelihood of me recommending this firm is a 7. Chili's far exceeded my expectations with their response to my dissatisfaction with my order. This exemplifies a company with great customer service that truly values their patrons.


[1] A need that is fundamental, like food, water, or shelter.
[2]  This is when a consumer first recognizes a need.
[3]  These are time factors that affect purchasing decisions.
[4]  We form beliefs about product performance based on prior experience with the product or communications about the product that imply a certain level of quality.
[5]  When quality satisfactions are not met, consumers act on their dissatisfaction through Voice, Private, and Third-Party responses.
[6]  This is when a consumer appeals to a retailer directly.
[7] The personality of the store.

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