Final answer:
When a service provider cannot honor an original request, the alternatives offered are known as service recoveries. These involve substitution of goods or services, which could provide equal or superior solutions to the original offering.
Step-by-step explanation:
The alternatives offered by service providers when an original request by a customer cannot be honored are called service recoveries. Service recovery refers to the actions a company takes in response to a service failure. When the service initially expected is not available, customers are provided with substitutes, which could potentially be superior to the original request. The concept of substitution is important here, as it refers to the interchangeability between goods and services, so that an unavailable or inferior resource can be replaced by an alternative.