Angela Natividad's Live & Uncensored!

08 July 2009

United Breaks Guitars.



En route to Nebraska, musician Dave Carroll witnessed baggage caddies at United Airlines manhandle his $3500 guitar, resulting in some serious damage.

He pursued the usual channels of complaint, but United didn't cough up any compensation -- so Carrol decided to disseminate a YouTube music video of his experience. It's circulating internets as we speak. (Via et via.)

Fun fact from Ben Kunz of ThoughtGadgets: "The 'United Breaks Guitars' video has spawned 950 additional complaints/comments in 1 day since posting. Yikes."

Reason #4302984302843908 why brands need to closely monitor social media channels -- and, on top of that, pay attention to the customer service experiences clients get on the ground floor. Otherwise, you get a big taste of what social media "gurus" call "the cost of not participating."

2 comments:

Erin said...

Personally I'd like to see United come back with a music video of their own (and replace Dave Carrol's guitar!

Or another airline should step in and replace his guitar, free flights, something. That would create some great social buzz for a competitor.

Bing Futch said...

I'm hoping Northwest will get wind of THIS video, involving my prized mountain dulcimer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x50pJe_QvQQ - in general, I hope more and more people make videos of this nature; just another way of policing the airlines!