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.

*****

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

[Woodn88s]

I don't care how much they compensated him after being forced by this guys cleverness, I will never fly United again.....­..........­..

[levee]

I've always thought that airlines should make exceptions for the carry-on of a guitar. The mass is less than an official carry-on but because of the length they won't allow it. Apparently, you know, everybody would then bring their guitars as carry-ons and it would just be chaos.... and a big ol' mile high ho-down...

[montemalone]

My Gard, think of the...banj­oes!

[julia23]

You can buy a seat for your instrument. That is the airlines option.

[JBS]

It's been years since I've flown commercially, but after the incident where United LOST my guitar, I was advised to have my guitar "gate checked" and request the flight attendants put it in the closet with the hanging bags.

I did; they did; and that seemed to work just fine the next few times I had to fly commercially and took a guitar along.

It was never a problem flying on C-130s; just asked the load-master to make sure it got put on the top of the baggage pallet.

[drblack]

Martin would have fixed this for free. Martin makes superior guitars. Taylor guitars are overpriced and are made of Inferior woods and use a bolt on neck. Martin has a true lifetime guarantee.
That said, united and most airlines suck .
ALWAYS buy a case by Anvil,don't use the case your guitar came on when shipping it around or it will get damaged.

[1logicalthinker]

While Martins are excellent guitars, they don't fix them for free. My father paid over $600 to The Martin Company to repair a 1943 0-18 Guitar. Their repair work was excellent, but it was not free.

[benchy]

There was a customer so wronged by United many years ago that he started a website called untied.com, I think it is still out there. This company has been getting it wrong for so long, and after bankruptcy they just kept digging the whole deeper. I used to fly them many years ago for business and stopped once I changed jobs. They used to be all right at the time. Their executives don't seem to understand the importance of reputation for a business that is struggling with cuts and nickle and diming its customers. This one video should be a clear signal to those executives to stop treating their customers and employees in this fashion.

[nomadrdw]

greed often overrides common sense

[lizr]

United deserves all this and more.

[Fergie1]

You are so right.

Appaling top management style and minimum know-how. They only care about how big their pay - out will be while they've sunk the company into the ground. Then the CEOs go on and ruin another company.

[JohnUllmann]

UNITED: Pay your ramp rats, and airline employees, not your CEO's and glorified executives. It's time for a change in values and ethics.

[fizzwizz]

Better listen up, United. This is going to hurt you more than you think. Even if you make it up to this particular guy, the word is spreading on you like the virus you are. I suggest that you do SOMETHING (I don't know what) to become the musician's airline of choice. That's the only way you'll ever recover.

Meanwhile, can any of you fellow musicians out there recommend an airline with a GOOD reputation regarding instruments?

[lizr]

dont know about instruments but

AMERICAN AIRLINES did a fabulous job flying my precious ANIMALS last month.

check with them?

[Olampean]

It's a fun world.

[Jim07]

This is HOT! Dave is HOT! ...... and I bet he's great in bed! Which you could never say about United.

[Fergie1]

Quelle surprise! I said to my husband the minute I saw Dave's video: " I bet he hears from United now with an offer of compensation!"

My guitar also means a lot to me, but when United shafted me after 24 years of loyal service, I can't help but transpose those video images of guitars being slung around the tarmac and hit with a mallett to images of lives ruined by United's lack of conscience. Meataphorically speaking, wouldn't it be a moral victory if United paid restitution for the lives they have ruined?

Hey Dave, any chance of composing a song called "United Breaks Workers"? I wish I had the musical talent to "put it out there."

Don't go soft on them now. That's just what they want.

[lizr]

this is what it takes to get treated well by United?

[Fergie1]

Sadly the answer to this is a resounding yes!

[Donns]

Way to go Dave; when is this song going to be available for purchase, I want a copy.

[Tahut]

Wait for the other two song about the incident he's promised.

[mlaiuppa]

You go, Dave.

Don't cave.

Finish those three songs no matter how much money United offers you. They had their chance. Now it's time for them to pay. Not in money. In reputation. Because that is ultimately what is of value to a company. It is service and reputation. And obviously, United has neither.

I'll sure keep United in mind when I'm choosing an airline in the future.

And let this be a lesson to corporations. Word of mouth has now gone global. This isn't your Grand Daddy's internet anymore.

[breakingpoint]

Better Link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_X-Qoh__mw

[feuille0d0erable]

What a wonderful story, so sweet, so Canadian - the real good guys.

[TennMando]

good thing it was only a Taylor :o) A Martin would've been a different story!

[dessertsfirst]

Way to go, Dave,
I hope United is paying you royalties for using your video(s) for their training purposes!