The effect of D-policy on the strategic customer behavior in M∕G∕1 queues

Abstract We consider an unobservable M ∕ G ∕ 1 queue with D-policy for customer’s cost, which can be seen as a stochastic due date and a fixed cost is incurred only when a customer begins (or completes) after its due date. We derive the equilibrium queueing strategy, and analyze an entry fee mechanism for regulating the queueing system. A lower bound is established for the entry fee policy, which is shown to be not monotone with respect to the expected due date.