ABSTRACT
Recent research indicates that dysfunctional customer behaviour is becoming a major issue, damaging the firm and negatively influencing other customers, as well as eroding the firm's opportunity to earn higher profits by increasing the firm's expenses in dealing with such behaviour. Dysfunctional customer behaviour can be classified by the target against which it is directed. It may be directed against marketer employees, marketer merchandise, other customers, marketer's financial assets, or marketer's physical or electronic premises. Researchers have also investigated the consequences of dysfunctional customer behaviour. The consequences of dysfunctional customer behaviour includes reduction in customer loyalty, which they express by exiting, lower usage and switching, spreading negative word-of-mouth, and retaliating through sabotage and non-verbal attacks. In addition, the firm needs to use early warning technology so that if a signal of customer dysfunctional behaviour becomes clear, the system automatically alerts police or a private security company.
