A few weeks ago, I visited a pizza restaurant in Edinburgh. It was close to the hotel I was staying in. I was lured in by an offer on their website that indicated kids eat for £1.
The meal was fine, we enjoyed it, and the service was good. The kid was entertained, and I polished off what he couldn’t finish. Obviously, this didn’t include the ice cream, which he finished off with space to spare.
When I came to pay, the waiter told me that the offer did not apply to all restaurants in the chain, so I had to pay full whack.
Despite my good experience, I felt cheated. I paid the bill and stepped away, but the sour taste has been bugging me.
I was keen to understand this more. Was I acting rationally to have these feelings?
I went looking to behavioural insights for some answers:
- Expectation and Reality Mismatch: I had an expectation based on the advertised offer, and when the reality didn’t match, it led to disappointment and a sense of being misled.
- Perceived Injustice: Being charged full price when I expected a discount felt unfair, particularly as I believed the offer was misrepresented.
- Impact on Trust: The incident eroded trust in the restaurant’s advertising, perhaps stretching to the brand as a whole.
- Cognitive Dissonance: Fancy term. My positive experience with the food and service conflicted with the negative experience of the payment issue.
- Emotional Response: Emotions like anger and feeling cheated are responses to situations where we feel we have been treated unfairly, deceived or put on the spot.
So, my reaction was rationally irrational. Expectations set by the restaurant’s advertisement were not met. This triggered feelings of injustice and a breach of trust. The old Amygdala kicks in, and emotions are heightened.
So I am good; I didn’t make a scene, and I haven’t left a negative TrustPilot review. But I am still not going back, so I win.