Instant MBA: Spare no grease on squeaky wheels

Hell hath no fury like a customer scorned. Just ask any entrepreneur who’s had a once-happy patron go postal on Facebook or Twitter about a bad experience with their brand. A new study conducted by London, Ont.-based Ivey School of Business researchers Matthew Thomson, Allison Johnson and Jodie Whelan probed just what, exactly, triggers such a vociferous response.

They found that it has to do with the consumers’ attachment style—that is, how they behave in relationships. People who are timid and anxious in interpersonal relationships are far more likely to retaliate publicly against companies when something goes wrong, largely because these people tend to invest in and depend more on consumption relationships and therefore have more to lose when things sour.

Moreover, despite accounting for only 10% of the population, these so-called “fearful” consumers perpetuate about two-thirds of retaliatory behaviour against brands. The lesson? Even though it can be maddening to hold needy customers’ hands, the consequences of ticking them off are much worse.