What would you do when your luggage is damaged by airlines baggage handlers? Call customer care to complain? or write a letter to the company? or post a complaint about the airline in online forums? or go to consumer court? Every day there are numerous complaints pouring in regarding how baggage handlers handle the passenger's luggage. Many of such complaints made by travelers to airlines go unheard. Even if the airlines do respond to such complaints, they claim they are not liable to such trivial things that had happened. Here is a novel way of making an airline respond to your unsettled grievances. Write a complaint anthem and post it online and company would heed to your sulk. Here is such a story.
Last year Dave Carroll and other band members of "Sons of Maxwell" were flying from Nova Scotia to Nebraska on United Airlines. When the flight landed at O'Hare airport, one of the band mate and another passenger saw baggage handlers heaving with Carroll's $3,500 acoustic guitar. He immediately complained to the air hostess but nothing was done to solve the issue. On reaching Nebraska, Carroll found the base of the guitar smashed. He toiled to win compensation for the damaged guitar. With no obvious compensation from United, Carroll spent $1,200 to repair the guitar. Enraged Carroll wrote a song and made a video to be seen by the world. The song has a catchy tune and ridicules United Airlines for not compensating the loss. The video became an instant hit in YouTube and have more than 3 million views. After Carroll posted the video "United breaks" online, the airline relented to his complaint anthem and donated $3,000 in Carroll's name to support music education. With such tremendous response to his first video, Carroll posted second video to thank his supporters.
Did anyone follow these tactics to make an airline relent? Yes of course! Bing Futch a musician, whose dulcimer was damaged by Northwest airlines, posted his own song on titled "United Breaks Guitars - Northwest Breaks Dulcimers" on YouTube. But Northwest airlines took no chances and apologized and offered money towards repair of the string instrument.
It is obvious that companies could never again be indifferent to a consumer's complaint. Thanks to World Wide Web! Anyone in the world would produce such a video and draw a mass exposure towards unsolved consumer grievances. If a company delays to respond or worst if they do not, chances are more that the company's name would be maligned!
Last year Dave Carroll and other band members of "Sons of Maxwell" were flying from Nova Scotia to Nebraska on United Airlines. When the flight landed at O'Hare airport, one of the band mate and another passenger saw baggage handlers heaving with Carroll's $3,500 acoustic guitar. He immediately complained to the air hostess but nothing was done to solve the issue. On reaching Nebraska, Carroll found the base of the guitar smashed. He toiled to win compensation for the damaged guitar. With no obvious compensation from United, Carroll spent $1,200 to repair the guitar. Enraged Carroll wrote a song and made a video to be seen by the world. The song has a catchy tune and ridicules United Airlines for not compensating the loss. The video became an instant hit in YouTube and have more than 3 million views. After Carroll posted the video "United breaks" online, the airline relented to his complaint anthem and donated $3,000 in Carroll's name to support music education. With such tremendous response to his first video, Carroll posted second video to thank his supporters.
Did anyone follow these tactics to make an airline relent? Yes of course! Bing Futch a musician, whose dulcimer was damaged by Northwest airlines, posted his own song on titled "United Breaks Guitars - Northwest Breaks Dulcimers" on YouTube. But Northwest airlines took no chances and apologized and offered money towards repair of the string instrument.
It is obvious that companies could never again be indifferent to a consumer's complaint. Thanks to World Wide Web! Anyone in the world would produce such a video and draw a mass exposure towards unsolved consumer grievances. If a company delays to respond or worst if they do not, chances are more that the company's name would be maligned!
