VENDOR RELATIONSHIPS AS PREDICTORS OF ORGANIZATIONAL BUYER COMPLAINT RESPONSE STYLES

Understanding how industrial buyers complain when dissatisfied with a supplier is an increasingly important topic. Complaints from buyers ca n be expressed in a variety of behaviors, such as contracting the vend or about the problem, switching suppliers, and warning other buyers ab out poor vendor performance. The development of appropriate policies a nd procedures is essential in reducing buyer complaints that damage th e seller's reputation. This article develops a typology of organizatio nal buyer complaint response styles and identifies a set of variables useful in predicting these styles. Managerial implications drawn from the empirical results can help marketers develop programs to promote m ore favorable forms of buyer complaint behavior. (C) 1997 Elsevier Sci ence Inc.