Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe and test a construct of perceived justice and its DIP-dimensions (i.e. distributive, interactional, and procedural) in the context of both the consumers' initial negative service experiences' and the following processes of complaint handling. The objective is also to investigate similarities and differences of perceived justice in negative service experiences and complaint handling, and the validity of the constructs over time.

Design/methodology/approach: A triangular approach is used, based upon interviews and a survey in the Norwegian tourism industry. This paper reports on the results from a survey consisting of 3,104 customers. Comparative and confirmatory testing of perceived justice during the initial service encounter and subsequent complaint-handling process has been performed.

Findings: The DIP-dimensions of the construct of perceived justice in the service encounters tested have indicated a satisfactory fit, validity, and reliability.

Research limitations/implications: The empirical findings provide a seed for future research to refine and extend corporate endeavors in managing critical incidents of both service encounters and service recovery.

Practical implications: Strategies to manage the perceived justice in negative service encounters and complaint handling should aim at managing the DIP-dimensions of negative incidents in service encounters.

Originality/value: The DIP-construct brings together, complements and fortifies existing theory and previous research in the context of justice in service encounters and complaint handling. Addressing both pre- and post-complaint processes provides a complementary contribution to the field in focus. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.