UPDATED: 'United Breaks Guitars' Singer Gets Cash Offer From Airline (VIDEO)

UPDATED, Jul. 10, 3:00 p.m:

After his song made its way across the Internet, Carroll received a call from United offering to pay for his beloved guitar. As you'll see below, Carroll politely declined:

Check back for Vol. 2 of Carroll's United trilogy.

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Hell hath no fury like a customer scorned. The LA Times reports that one United Airlines passenger was so dismayed over a guitar broken by United staffers that he has writ his anger across the web.

While Dave Carroll was flying from Nova Scotia to Nebraska he had his Taylor guitar ruined. After a protracted attempt to get United to pay for the damage, Carroll struck back. Here's Carroll's saga in his own words (from his personal website):

"In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didn't deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say "no" to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world."

Here's the first of Carroll's songs:

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Comments

[RedStateCenterLeft]

Can't wait to see the next two!!!

I've already dumped my Mileage Plus miles, since they won't honor anyone who isn't a 100k a year flyer.

[JUSTME]

Perfect, sweet revenge. Brilliant!

[SouthernYankeeBelle]

Wonder, did you send the clip to United? That would be great.

[DeliLeftOvers]

As long as one is factual the use of very public shaming of companies seems to be one of the few ways consumers have of really being heard. Many, like United, figure that the loss of a customer isn't a big thing until that customer starts influencing others to also not use their product.

[HekmabaJuzimax]

That's the American Way!

[Furby]

Ironic isn't it, that it's a Canadian who decides to write, perform and publish this song about United. That's the Canadian way, eh. :)

[kendraro]

Awesome! Dave is pretty hot too.

[GMG]

Seems like kind of a minor complaint. If the guitar is both very valuable and fragile, perhaps the thing to do is buy a ticket for it, as cellists do.

[Congzilla]

Why should you have to?

[Tyler-Durden]

what are you a jerk? perhaps the thing to do is NOTHING, when your brain conjures thoughts that serve no purpose

[TheIndependenceParty]

It's not just guitars, ... some airline sent my grandmother's casket to Denver instead of Tulsa. She was late for her own funeral!

She never complained, but it seems to me a little attention to detail on the Tarmac could go a long way toward retaining customers, ... or do you work as a baggage handler?

[Happyexpat]

I thought I'd already heard the worst, but.......

Not that it's any comparison, but an airline once sent my dog to completely different destination from mine. It took two days to get him back.

[plzchuteme]

If the guitar was in a hardshell case, and I'm sure it was, they are also padded and fit well. (the instrument does not rattle around inside) Plus, guitars are surprisingly tough, so to have done damage to it during normal handling means that they almost had to try and wreck it. I dropped my 55 year old Gibson steel string acoustic guitar (un-cased) down a flight of stairs and though it complained bitterly all the way down (it seemed like it took forever to reach the bottom) it came through pretty much unscathed. It pained me more than it, and I realize that the gods were on my side that day, but it showed that a guitar is more durable than one might imagine. You shouldn't have to buy a ticket to protect something that should be treated with reasonable care and respect.

[Levi Martin]

Saw this on Consumerist.com yesterday. Totally awesome!

[kapalabhati]

Awesome! This guy needs a recording contract pronto! I've looked out the window and have witnessed similar mistreatment of non-musical luggage.