Breaking the chain of contagion: Governing customer-to-customer misbehavior in tourism services

Abstract

Customer-to-customer (C2C) misbehavior is prevalent in tourism services, undermining tourists’ experiences and posing a significant management challenge due to its contagious nature. While frontline employee (FLE) intervention is critical for service recovery, the efficacy of different strategies remains underexplored. This study examines two types of normative appeals: descriptive appeals (emphasizing behavioral prevalence) and injunctive appeals (emphasizing rule enforcement). Across four experiments, the findings show that injunctive appeals such as enforcing rules or issuing warnings significantly increase bystanders compliance. Furthermore, individual differences in perceptions of organizational motives moderate these effects, as consumers with high levels of cynicism respond more positively to injunctive appeals. These findings refine the “customer-first” doctrine by demonstrating that rule-based interventions more effectively restore order and achieve genuine customer-centricity than undue accommodation. Over, this study advances theoretical understanding of bystander cognition and behavior in service encounters and provides actionable guidance for FLEs dealing with C2C misbehavior.