Andrea Arena is the owner of 2 Places at 1 Time, a concierge company. She and her staff of 60 perform everyday services such as walking the dog, picking up cleaning, waiting for the repairman, and going to the post office for people who are too busy to perform these simple acts themselves. She is such a caring person and so well liked that her customers recommend her instead of her business to people who are looking for someone to perform similar services. Their inability to see the distinction between Arena and her services is an example of which unique characteristic of services?

A. intangibility
B. impressionability
C. incongruity
D. inseparability
E. inflexibility

Inseparability of services refers to fact that consumers always associate the service with the deliverer of the service, and they cannot separate them. The service provider is considered a part of the service being provided.

For example, a doctor provides health care, but it is impossible to separate the service being provided, health care, from the doctor himself. When we are sick we do not say "I must go get a health care service", we say "I need to see a doctor".