"United Breaks Guitars"

Dave Carroll said he was on a United airline flight with his band, "Sons of Maxwell", when the band's bassist noticed the luggage crew violently throwing their instruments around while loading them. Carroll said the guitar, which was worth an estimated $3500, incurred $1200 worth of damages. After months of phone calls and e-mails to United, he was given several excuses of why they were unable to process any claim on his behalf and United refused to reimburse him.

The story told by Dave Carroll on his website, http://www.davecarrollmusic.com/story/united-breaks-guitars, provoked Carroll to write three songs to express his displeasure. The songs have become Internet hits with the first song alone garnering over four million views on You Tube. While Carroll was upset at the time, this has become a launching point for "Sons of Maxwell". The type of exposure his band has gained through their comical song "United Breaks Guitars" is far more than the local venues they were playing at before.

United Airlines, on the other hand made a huge Public Relations gaffe. An airline which is struggling economically anyway really added insult to injury when Carroll's unpleasant experience further tarnished an already struggling public image. This is why successful companies are consistently successful. In order to succeed as a company customer service has to be emphasized on all levels. This cannot just be a goal, it has to be the culture. This is why public relations professionals are vital to the success of any company. The corporate big-wigs need to measure their publics' temperature and need to communicate their vision effectively. There is no doubt that United Airlines preached customer service. Any savvy CEO would know this is paramount. Their PR department was obviously the weak link.

Had United had better customer service to begin with, Carroll might just be singing their praises. Instead, they are faced with a PR nightmare.