12

This research aims to assess the effects of critical incidents on customer infidelity. An empirical study was conducted in the banking sector using a convenience sample of 1,999 consumers. This leads us 1) to classify forty critical incidents identified by exploratory factor analysis, 2) to estimate the effects of each type of incident on the propensity of consumers to switch banks, i.e., to migrate all or part of their resources to service competitors, and 3) to observe the differential impact of critical incidents according to the degrees of seniority and exclusivity of the relationship. The results show that incidents related to encounters with contact personnel, poor claims management, service pricing, and problems with central service delivery are, in order, the strongest triggers for switching service providers. However, product offerings by competitors have a more moderate effect on infidelity, and this is true for both old and new customers.