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:

Get HuffPost Business On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[Bodryn]

The airlines are gradually being taken over - I think this misery has to be a result of deregulation. The airlines that can cut the most corners tend to get a better profit. Meanwhile passengers suffer. I first flew back in the mid 1960's and I felt like a privileged person when it came to food and general treatment. In 1995 I got fed up with all the hassles and have driven where I need to go ever since. I found it is SO much more relaxing that I've never looked back. When I did fly I put my luggage in the overhead. Now that is much more limited, too. United is in trouble financially but so are others. Welcome to America?!?!?

[pce4all]

My husband Roy Rivers ( http://www.royrivers.com ) also had a guitar broken by United a few years back. It was in a heavy duty case yet was smashed. They denied any wrong doing and refused to pay for it. Pretty sad business practice.

[ricmarc]

this guy is wonderful. he is a great singer. great song writer. he is just good. i hope they get their break from this. i'd buy.

[Gudrun]

I love the images of the guitars and baggage flying around behind him in the video.

[ricmarc]

good lord this song should be released as a single. it is so good!

[ricmarc]

video did kill the radio star. i love this day and age, i really really do. this was unimaginable when i was born 51 years ago. it was unimaginable 10 years ago too, also.

[BluebirdofUnhappiness]

Hey midwesterners:
Milwaukee Irish Festival
Host: Sons of Maxwell
Start Time: Friday, August 14, 2009 at 10:30pm
End Time: Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 10:30pm
Location: Aer Lingus Stage - Milwaukee Irish Festival
City/Town: Milwaukee, WI
Email: http://www.irishfest.com/

[Imago]

I note that they're playing on the Aer Lingus stage...

Who are, I'm sure, nervously reviewing policy on instrument breakage in transit...

[davidray]

well said imago well said. very observant.

[JBS]

United never broke any of my guitars, that was UPS's job.

But United managed to lose a 1965 Martin 20-12 in 1999 during a layover at O'hare.

Fortunately for me, this happened pre-2001. The T.S.A. wouldn't have approved what I had to do get my guitar back.

[ie]

OMG. SO glad you got it back.

[banker67]

It's odd but this seems to be the only way to get through to big corporations. I'd guess that this will embarrass a few United employees, but it is sure to cost the company many times that rejected $3500 claim in sympathetic lost bookings.
And don't forget the cumulative cost of all those employees who spent all those hours over all those months meditating on this complaint and keeping this customer at bay. Add to that all the billable legal hours ahead as the Retainer Set ponders some dastardly legal revenge.
And for what? To keep their insurance company from raising their rates? To prop up a short-sighted decree by some fast-track airline VP?
Finally, contemplate the dollar-value of positive publicity forgone.
How much prestige and new revenue might the airline have harvested if it had apologized, paid for a new guitar and used the incident to announce a new handling system for instruments so all professional musicians could fly with confidence on United?

[impatient]

They don't see it this way. The way they see it is if they satisfy even one customer, then they develop a reputation of being customer service oriented. Suddenly EVERYONE whose quitars they've broken begin to expect recompense.

If they behave badly, they discourage others from experiencing their bad treatment. If that were not the case, they would stop being such jerks.

By the way, I LOVE the song, and am going to look for their albums!

[newtom]

I just read a post from a former UA "lost baggage" person on another site. He points out that airline policy excludes musical instruments from liability for damage or loss. REALLY? So what are you supposed to do if you're traveling with an instrument? You can't carry a guitar or tuba (or most instruments) on board because they're too big. And if you check them, you get charged a handling fee in most cases.

Shouldn't that fee "buy" the traveler SOME sense of assurance that the item they're checking will be handled and arrive safely?

No wonder the airline industry is in such dire straights.

[Emerald1943]

Good for you, Dave! I wish you all continued success!

Customer service IS the face of the company. When I hire for my small business, I insist that customer service comes first! As a result of my insistence, my little business grew 38% last year!! And we have a tremendous number of "repeat" customers.

My little business is certainly not "too big to fail". The airlines should take notes from my employees who are the best in the world! They might be doing better instead of losing billions every year and counting on the government/taxpayer to bail them out!

[BluebirdofUnhappiness]

Great song. Great response. I fly United about half the time, no worse, no better than most of the other airlines. I have a particular experience-based grudge against AA. And aside from the individuals that still practice common courtesy, there's no such thing as customer service in any industry anymore. It's not overtly, directly, immediately profitable.

[VivaZapata]

excellent. mine was a guild and it was on continental.

[hemnebob]

wonderful!

fate brings us strange packages and maybe this one will sell
some albums for him!!

plus he was very good!

[Musiker]

Haven't flown that hapless airline in years! Good for you, Dave! Great video. I hope it achieves the desired result.

[VivaZapata]

i'd like to put Northworst Airlines in there as a real stinker.

[vinny]

american airlines is by far the worse

[cityprof]

Well, Northwest is no more.....

[TopDog]

Here's a story... We were flying back from Taipei to Honolulu through Narita, Japan. After a short stop in Japan we re-boarded the plane for the flight to Hawaii, as the plane was being pushed out and the tow was unhooked I looked out the window and saw all the ramp servicemen that had worked on our flight lined up across the tarmac, standing at attention, waving with their right hands to us as we taxied off. Moreover, the remained there waving until we were out of sight. Talk about feeling served and appreciated.

When we got to Honolulu, we got off the plane and were herded to a locked gate in the hot sun. After waiting there 5 to 10 minutes, someone finally came to unlock it so we could continue on our way to customs.

Wake up America, the customer rules....remember that....because they always remember. It is not that hard.