United Breaks Guitars

I was thoroughly amused with Dave Carroll’s song about his unfortunate experience with United Airlines. United Airlines’ baggage handlers damaged Carroll’s guitar and after 9 months of trying to receive compensation for his loss, he turned to a more effective way of voicing his complaint. I am a PR major and a pilot with a future flying in the airline industry so this song hit home especially with me. Unlike most people I love the experience of flying commercially but am not blind to their many imperfections. I know better than most the financial predicament the airlines are in and the lengths they go through just to survive but a story such as this should not have gone unheard by their employees. Well, in the end it was definitely heard and in a very unlikely fashion.

There are few negative things I can say about this music video if any at all. Not only has his video opened up new opportunities beyond those of a typical music career, but has changed customer service in many corporations. He has demonstrated the enormous influence social media can have, evidence of this are the millions lost by United after this song’s release. Universities around the country are doing case studies and lectures about Carroll’s use of social media. I do not think that the size of the financial blow Untied Airlines took because of this video was necessarily deserved. Yes, they should have fixed Carroll’s guitar, but because of rules and different employees “passing the buck” as the jingle went, it never happened. Carroll went so far as to warn United that he was an upcoming Canadian musician and was planning on releasing a song about his experience if nothing was done. His plea went unheard and I’m sure it will go down in United Airlines’ history as one of the biggest mistakes they ever made.

Since the emergence of facebook and youtube, social media has changed how news is reported, products are advertised, and in Carroll’s case how complaints are made and a musician makes a name for himself. These forms of social media make it easier for anyone and everyone to voice their opinions and complaints and actually be heard. I do not believe Carroll made the video to make money or receive compensation from United. He was merely making a statement about the importance of treating customers with the respect they deserve. PR agencies worldwide can learn from this nightmare stopping these problems before they go public.