Rethinking Service Sabotage: Identifying Service Sabotage Dimensions and Negative Emotions Through the Customer’s Perception

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Customers’ perception of service sabotage in the food service industry still needs to be determined. This study investigates customers’ experiences of service sabotage using a mixed-method approach. Study 1 employs qualitative methods to identify common forms of service sabotage encountered by customers. Study 2 utilizes a quantitative framework to examine the negative outcomes of these experiences, including their emotional and behavioral responses, through the lens of cognitive appraisal theory. The findings reveal that customers recognize service sabotage as comprising employees’ adverse attitudes, dishonest practices, and deliberate acts of harm. Notably, adverse attitudes and intentional actions elicit significant negative emotional responses, which subsequently diminish behavioral intentions such as positive word of mouth and revisit intention.. The discussion highlights theoretical contributions, managerial implications, and avenues for future research.