Don't know if you've seen this yet, but a musician witnessed his guitar being mishandled by United Airlines handlers and got no satisfaction from their complaint process. So the artist promised to produce and publish three songs and videos having to do with his experience, the first is out and it's going viral.

5YGc4zOqozo

Sure it's amusing, but I think companies should take this sort of action very very seriously.

If the airline passenger Bill of Rights needed and anthem, Dave Carroll wrote it.

Full explanation of the incident from the artist: http://www.davecarrollmusic.com/story/united-breaks-guitars

I saw the video yesterday and it's an excellent idea...anyway the video is going viral and I bet that UA are in a state of frustration over this matter

I saw the video yesterday and it's an excellent idea...anyway the video is going viral and I bet that UA are in a state of frustration over this matter

I would think so. Especially since he promised two more.

The airline appears to have rubbed the wrong guy the wrong way... Catchy tune too. Carroll & Co may end up selling more records as a result :notme:

If all poorly treated customers were able to strike back with such flair, companies all over the place would pay a lot more attention to their complaints.

/Claes

Claes said it best:

Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

That said, its about time the attitude of many in the airline industry (security included and squared) had an adjustment. Ridicule might be just the ticket. So to speak...

I saw the video yesterday and it's an excellent idea...anyway the video is going viral and I bet that UA are in a state of frustration over this matter
I was watching the news this morning while getting ready for work; UA has issued a statement to the effect that they are taking this seriously and will be using this incident and the video as a "training aid".

When I read this post I recall an article found on HBR. The title was "The Customers' Revenge" by Dan Ariely. The conclusion of this was that many company think more about containing negative spin than about fairness, forgetting the real value of customer.
If you are not subscriber of Harward Business Review you can read the executive summary at http://hbr.harvardbusiness.org/2007/12/the-customers-revenge/es

It is really too bad that people have to go to such lengths to seek remedies for poor service. The worst of it though is that people who may not really have such a valid claim see things like this become headlines and then start scamming the systems, and fraudulently defaming companies all in the name of grabbing headlines and possibly settlements. Something like some of the food claims we've seen in the past few years...one person going so far as to put a severed finger of a family member in food purchased at a fast food place.:nope:

UA's poor service could end up hurting a whole bunch of businesses not even related to them. (maybe when false claims are made, the businesses that are hurt should file suit agains UA for starting the mess?)

I think I might get my sons to do one for me about GMAC and their non-existent 'Customer Service'.....I wonder if anyone at GMAC can define what that even means.......:mad::frust:

I recently had to fly to Kanas to do some training. I did fly UA. Although I did not see my luggage mishandled (but it did arrive late to Kansas, and late back to Detroit), I did see what I thought to be some very careless handling of baggage. They tossed everything as if it were old pillows. In one case they tossed it half way up the conveyor, only to miss! I hope that bad didn't have anything breakable in it. :uhoh:

This discussion reminded me about this old gem (http://elsmar.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=18800), which genuine or not must be in the contention for the most devastating customer complaint ever written (Please note: It is riddled with really coarse language).

/Claes

This discussion reminded me about this old gem (http://elsmar.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=18800), which genuine or not must be in the contention for the most devastating customer complaint ever written (Please note: It is riddled with really coarse language).

/Claes
Claes
I always believe that a complain must be built on solid bases and be free of abuses.
If we want to get a refund we must be within the law and ask what is right with loud voice withoud offending.
Work in the front line is not easy and many time we deal with call center where peolple repling us don't even know the products/ services we are talking about. Many time I listen to answers like "It's not my guilt", "You should tell this to my chiefs". Probably they are underpaid, not trained for their job and miserable.

Claes
I always believe that a complain must be built on solid bases and be free of abuses.
If we want to get a refund we must be within the law and ask what is right with loud voice withoud offending.
Work in the front line is not easy and many time we deal with call center where peolple repling us don't even know the products/ services we are talking about. Many time I listen to answers like "It's not my guilt", "You should tell this to my chiefs". Probably they are underpaid, not trained for their job and miserable.

I disagree. Sure, at first give the folks a chance to do the right thing, but if, after repeated attempts, there is no attempt to satisfy, the rules go out the window and commando tactics are perfectly acceptable.

I hope we see songs 2 and 3...

Sure, at first give the folks a chance to do the right thing, but if, after repeated attempts, there is no attempt to satisfy, the rules go out the window and commando tactics are perfectly acceptable.

I hope we see songs 2 and 3...

I agree entirely. This song (great song! ) wasn't a 'kneejerk' reaction - the company obviously managed to seriously annoy him over a lengthy period of time. He tried a heck of anumber of times to get some satisfaction (the link posted under the Youtube one gives the history) - eg, at least 3 different customer servicer reps, all of who were obviously entirely uninterested. He spent nearly a year (I'm taking this from the song lyrics) trying to get compensation. None of those are kneejerk actions - they're all the actions of a man trying all the reasonable channels. And being told No.

I think United deserves what they're getting, and applaud the artist for using his talent to highlight the problem and the company. People on the 'frontline' don't get uninterested by accident. And baggage handlers do what they do under a company that sets standards and should be checking they're stuck to, and enforcing them. Clearly they either don't or didn't in this case. Top Management Reponsibility.

Go Dave for 'sticking it to them'. And a great warning lesson to other companies in service businesses, I hope.

I always believe that a complain must be built on solid bases and be free of abuses.
If we want to get a refund we must be within the law and ask what is right with loud voice withoud offending.
Work in the front line is not easy and many time we deal with call center where peolple repling us don't even know the products/ services we are talking about. Many time I listen to answers like "It's not my guilt", "You should tell this to my chiefs". Probably they are underpaid, not trained for their job and miserable.

Piero, you may well be right that some call center people are 'underpaid, not trained for their job and miserable' - but they're at work, doing a job, and the company must train them appropriately and ensure certain standards are met. That's the company's responsibility, full stop.

I agree that a complaint has to be on a reasonable basis... But I don't agree about the 'without offending'. I don't actually care if my complaint 'gives offence' to the company, because I'm offended already or I wouldn't be making a (reasonable) complaint!

But if by that you mean, without being rude and unpleasant - yes. One can complain firmly without being unpleasant or rude or swearing, etc etc. In fact, I think this song and video is a quite beautiful example of how to do that :lol:

Dave Carroll now has a statement on Youtube saying that United offered him compensation, which he turned down for himself but said they could donate it to a charity.
Song 2 is still coming...

Apparenlty United also asked him for permission to use song 1 as an internal training aid.

People on the 'frontline' don't get uninterested by accident. And baggage handlers do what they do under a company that sets standards and should be checking they're stuck to, and enforcing them. Clearly they either don't or didn't in this case. Top Management Reponsibility.:applause:Well put, Jane. The way people approach their jobs and perform their "standards of work" reflect on how top management is serious about deploying their commitment to customers (http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,1505,00.html?navSource=aboutunited&linkTitle=7customercommitment). This case exemplifies how employees fail to be faithful to something such as a "quality policy". UA commitment to customers include:
#4 Provide a fair baggage liability limit (http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,1509,00.html)
#12 Respond quickly, appropriately and courteously to customer questions and complaints (http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,1517,00.html)

http://content.united.com/ual/asset/commitmentsButtonNew_070907.jpg (http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,1506,00.html)

It's an example of how a company can put up all those words in a policy... but fail to follow through. And they failed via a whole range of personnel and on many occasions - this incident was something he pursued over a period of NINE months! (I applaud his persistence) and got brushed off, fobbed off, etc, etc...

Go Dave, I say. Might make other companies sit up and take notice. Hope it does. And meanwhile, fun song #1 down, #2 on the way. Can't wait :lol: I'll bet whoever made the final decision to say No to compensation now regrets it.