Managing Consumer Satisfaction Amid Sustainability Policy-Induced Service Failures: The Role of Replacement Quality and Communication Strategies

Abstract

This study investigates how consumers respond to service failures caused by mandatory government sustainability policies, which differ from conventional failures in their persistence, uncontrollability, and foreseeability. Across two experimental studies, we examine how consumers respond to sustainability policy-induced service failures, focusing on the role of perceived replacement quality and the impact of hope-based message framing on consumer satisfaction. Findings reveal that while high-perceived-quality replacements effectively maintain satisfaction, even low-perceived-quality replacements are preferred over having no replacement at all. Additionally, message framing moderates the influence of replacement quality on satisfaction. Specifically, promotion hope messages help improve satisfaction when the replacement is of low quality, while prevention hope messages mitigate dissatisfaction when no replacement is offered. These results highlight the importance of aligning tangible service strategies with communication strategies to manage consumer satisfaction. The study extends the regulatory focus theory and attribution theory to explain consumer responses under sustainability policy-induced service disruptions and offers practical insights for companies facing regulatory service constraints.