United Breaks Guitars

June 18, 2012
In 2008, Carroll, a Canadian singer-songwriter, jetted to Nebraska for a gig via a United Airlines flight from Halifax, Nova Scotia, with a layover in Chicago. Upon arrival in Omaha, he found his favorite guitar, a Taylor acoustic-electric, had been severely damaged by careless baggage handlers. After seven months of phone calls and emails with unhelpful United customer service representatives, Carroll took matters into his own hands. He wrote a triad of songs called "United Breaks Guitars," and filmed funny music videos with his friends. The first video cost only $150 to make, and just four days after being uploaded to YouTube, had gotten one million views and sparked a media frenzy. Today it has over 12 million hits, and is believed to have "dropped the market capitalization of United Airlines" by $180 million. Carroll discusses United's flawed response to his complaints and why the concept of statistical insignificance is no longer a valid customer service model in an increasingly interconnected world, wherein individuals with limited resources can effectively agitate for big change. "All of us have a powerful voice," he writes, "and our voices are worthy of being heard." Carroll is a funny and charming storyteller and readers will surely be inspired by his message of creativity and proactivity. Includes lyrics and a link to free MP3s of the "United Breaks Guitars" songs.