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Yet another video from Dave Carroll of United Breaks Guitars
Elliott.org, Chris Elliotts excellent travel blog, posted the third United Airline's bashing video from Dave Carroll, the man behind United Breaks Guitars. That's right, a third song and video. Did you even know that there had been a second? Look, we get it, United broke this dude's guitar. And the airline has a pretty dodgy customer service record. Most American legacy carriers do. And people love ripping on airlines, the TSA, airports, airplanes, airplane food, rolling luggage, the weather and virtually anything else that you can think of that may or may not be travel related. There are a lot of easy (and often deserving) targets for scorn, mockery and bitterness out there. But at what point does a campaign become less about the cause and more about shameless self-promotion?
Dave Carroll may have wandered away from advocacy and towards fame-grabbing somewhere along the way. His second video garnered nearly 1/8 the viewers of the original. Could he be desperate to remain in the limelight? You probably didn't even know who Dave Carroll was until you read the first sentence of this post. We know the song but not the person. Why? Probably because we don't care that much.
So, while his songs are catchy and his message is still accurate, we're left wondering what the endgame is here. United has responded to both of his previous videos. So, at this point, it all seems kind of selfish. But maybe we're just cynical.
What do you think of Dave Carroll's motivations for producing a third United Airlines-related song and video? Vote below and share in the comments.
| a vigilant consumer advocate. | |
|---|---|
| an opportunist who is using United for his own personal gain. |
Filed under: Airlines, Video, Consumer Activism
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Emme Mar 3rd 2010 11:44AM
Hi there. I wanted to point out that, while you may have a certain opinion about Dave Carroll, with the third United Breaks Guitars video, he is just doing what he promised to do from the very beginning which was to produce 3 videos about his experience. He made that promise long before the first video was filmed and before the first video went viral. You have to give him credit for keeping his promise as well as his efforts in advocating to consumers. You would do well to visit his Right Side of Right website and understand why he chose to do what he did.
verdegrrl Mar 3rd 2010 12:04PM
I agree. He did what he said he would do at the start. As bad as any airline might be, singing about a broken guitar for 3 whole songs has got to be challenging if not a bit tedious.
Mike Barish Mar 3rd 2010 12:05PM
Fulfilling a promise makes it no less tired a premise.
Dean Mar 4th 2010 10:33AM
Brilliant!! Just Brilliant!!.....I recently had a horrible experience with United at Sky Harbor in Phoenix. Did you know that when you fly United and pay for your tickets, you actually have to ASK for a seat assignment? You show up to the airport, family of 5 and they dont have seats for you. Thats right. You dont have a seat assignment because when you make your reservation and some agent in Sri Lanka answers the friggin phone, they don't ask you if you want a seat assignment.
I am disgusted with united and will never fly with them again. GO DAVE!!!
fellownovascotian Mar 4th 2010 11:49AM
Dave is great - he said there'd be a trilogy of songs and he is a man of his word. He wasn't doing the 3 to 'get' United - he'd given up on them after many months of fruitlessly pursuing reparations. He isn't asking anyone to do anything else, he is just voicing his frustrations through an artistic outlet. I appluad him. I liked him in Sons of Maxwell years ago and I respect him as a solo artist and even moreso now as a person who has integrity and a sense of humour (yes humour, not humor - that's how we spell it here in Canada). Good on you Dave!
Janelle Mar 3rd 2010 12:26PM
I personally think that the United Breaks guitar guy should do a duet with the SkyMall Kitties woman. And they should tour with Jefferson Airplane.
But yeah, promise or no, it's kind of beating a dead horse... with a broken guitar.
Mike Barish Mar 3rd 2010 12:27PM
Finally, someone with ORIGINAL ideas!
Jose T. Mar 3rd 2010 1:51PM
This is too bad to hear that United breaks guitars. I flew Southwest and they would not allow my Peruvian Cajon (A percussion Instrument that emmulates the body of a guitar, only with some extra sounds) as Carry-On. They placed it in the luggage compartment and lost it. Within 12 hours I had at least five SWA employees doing a nationwide search for it. They found it two days later sitting in a warehouse on the other side of the country. Not knowing it was a musical instrument they still acted quickly and had it delivered to me without a scratch a few days later. The gal in charge was really interested and wanted to come out and catch a show.
Mike Barish Mar 3rd 2010 1:55PM
Thanks for sharing such a positive customer service story!
David Mar 4th 2010 7:11AM
How is it positive when he had to wait two days to get his instrument back because they list it in the first place. How hard is it really to bring all of the luggage together to the terminal and to keep it together for the passengers?
What if he'd had a show in that two days and was unable to perform? Would United have paid him for lost wages -- and lost reputation?
James Mar 4th 2010 2:04PM
I play Flamenco guitar and the Cajon is used to accompany this style of guitar often. Don't know what the difference is with a Peruvian. Awesome instrument that often looks like nothing more than a box with Bass strings on the inside of it. Good you got it back. You lucked out man!!! Jet Blue always let me put my classical guitar in the front of the plane (I think it is the employee storage). They are great.
Ally Mar 13th 2010 3:00AM
After having been given the runaround for however many months by UA I would definitely keep a promise made in an attempt to expose their inadequate baggage handling and customer service. Say the first video wouldn't have gone viral, should/would he have just stopped there? Hell no! A promise for three videos is a promise, not a tired premise.
And on that note, poor service in general is far too rampant. If you can't smile at a customer and wish them a good day as an employee or follow company policy as a corporation then what is the point? Maybe I have lived in Japan too long...
I like Dave's policy; do what you say you will. We need more people like Dave in this world.
Mar Mar 10th 2010 4:40PM
All Airline companies are brutal on guitars.
pierre Mar 4th 2010 8:19AM
United is worse to their employees and retirees. They terminated all their pension plans, gave their active pilots $550 million if they would not object to the terminating of the retirees pensions. Then, the bankruptcy court awarded the CEO, Tilton, and 400 of his top management $287 million bonuses just for hanging around thru the bankruptcy. Same AIG. You wonder why United's customer service and public relations are sooooo bad. They treat their employee like dirt and reward their management for screwing everyone that works for them.
Yes, United breaks guitar, but they also destroy morale and wreak havoc on the people that were loyal to them for more than 30 years. Absolutely, no conscience.
rita Mar 4th 2010 9:08AM
I love it! We have all been there. He speaks for so many of us that have had a similar experience. This is the first one I have seen but it is very clever and entertaining. It makes me laugh at what is a very frustrating and common problem.
hmilorjr Mar 4th 2010 9:05AM
As someone who has flown millions of miles I can truthfully say that United has done more to destroy the airline industry than any other airline.
Patick Fitzgerald Mar 4th 2010 9:14AM
Sorry but I think this wack-o is pushing things a little to far.. Ok ,his little toy got broken. grow up everybody gets something broken in there life. His is a guitar. It wasn't his home or anything that can't be replace within a day or so.. United replace his little toy along the guidelines set by most airlines.. Mabe the guy should walk from now on and arry his toy in his back pocket and then it wouldn't get broken.. Geeze man GROW UP and get on with your stupid life.. Your second song?????no one knows about it and now yousr so lazy to do something honest, your trying to scam and shame a company into paying you off again.. get a decent life or why not just go and get lost, crying over spilled milk only makes yo look more like a jerk every time you bring it up
Discouraged Mar 4th 2010 9:46AM
Wow. Wake up genius. This guitar was not a toy to him, but his livelihood. He's a musician by trade - not some kid who was carrying a guitar for fun. What if that had been an engineer's laptop, or a golfer's clubs? Yes, they are replaceable, but at a cost - both time and money that would be unnecessary if just a small amount of care were taken to treat the baggage as if it were their own. I would assume those baggage handlers wouldn't want their personal items tossed about like that. No matter how poorly you're paid or how badly you're treated at work, there's a certain level of human decency that we should all keep, where we remember how we would want to be treated if the roles were reversed. I teach my kids to live by that "golden rule" but it is fading fast in this selfish world.
MPhelps Mar 4th 2010 10:01AM
You comments makes you look like a jerk! When you turn your items over for someone else to care for, you expect them to care for it like they would care for their own items. Do you think that those baggage handlers would be throwing their own $3500 guitars around? You says that it was his guitar that was broken and nothing that cannot be replaced...Exactly! It can be replaced but United would not step up and take responsibility for their actions and replace what they broke. I would hope that if you ruined something of someone else's that you would step up and be a man buy paying for your actions. By your comments, something tells me that you would not!
It is time that, we as consumers command respect from the companies that need us for their livelihood. We pay for service and should expect no less that GOOD service!
Bear Mar 4th 2010 12:12PM
What if it had been a multi-million dollar Stradivarius, probably worth far more than you will earn in your entire life? And of course, the real issue is how people are treated. Just because you may have more money and power doesn't give you the right to mistreat others, as the songs suggest that United management has chosen to do so that thye can have unreasonable pay days.