Between 50% and 80% of dissatisfied customers typically do not complain directly to the company, but instead share any negative experiences directly with friends and acquaintances. This ultimately deprives companies of the opportunity to influence the situation. However, the question of which factors lead to a direct complaint to the company, or which factors may support the sharing of negative information with friends and acquaintances, has remained unanswered. Patrick Lentz examines the conceptualization of the environment surrounding individual exchange processes. Using the market climate construct, he hypothesizes its influence on individual complaint behavior. An extended model with integrated influence from the market climate is empirically tested in the financial services industry.