Evaluation of the service generally occurs after it has been purchased. Some services are more difficult to purchase than others. For example, one recent survey found that credit and medical services were the two most difficult services to shop for. Problems and strategies for buying services differ somewhat from those for purchasing goods, although the general decision-making process is similar. From a consumer's viewpoint, it is the degree of difference on these five points which complicates the purchasing of services.
Many human factors are important in the purchasing of services.
The producer and the service provider are often the same person. For example, the piano teacher teaches the music lesson at the same time that the student is learning or the hair dresser provides the haircut at the same time that the customer receives it. With other services, the provider acts as a broker, sales representative, information provider, or repair person. This text was extracted from the publication, MF934.