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When Customer Service Spawns a Hit Viral Video

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Many of us plan our ultimate revenge when fighting with customer service representatives. Up until recently, we could write a nasty letter, fire off an expletive-packed e-mail, post to one of countless online discussion boards, relate the negative experience to friends, or take it out on a luckless employee who probably had nothing to do with the problem in the first place.

Today, however, social media gives us new, and vastly more powerful, tools to share our displeasure... like, say, viral video. As has been recounted widely, Sons of Maxwell, a country music group, flew United Airlines last year as part of a tour and were, shall we say, dismayed to find their exceptionally expensive guitars damaged upon arrival. Dave Carroll, the lead singer of the group, battled with United Airlines for reimbursement but, despite countless phone calls and endless back-and-forth, United claimed no responsibility in the end and unceremoniously sent Sons of Maxwell on their way.

Out a few Taylor guitars and bitter from dealing with customer service reps for nine months, the group cleverly switched venues, changing the forum for the debate from the United customer service process -- where they were at a distinct disadvantage going up against a multi-national corporation -- to the world of viral video -- where their song-writing and musical chops had the ability to change the situation. See below for the result:  

United Breaks Guitars

What has the impact of this been? Well, since appearing less than 10 days ago, our Viral Reach Database has identified 30+ unique placements associated with video. These placements have collectively received more than 3.2 million views (!!) and a whopping 14,000+ comments. 

Some brief analysis of this sea of comments unsurprisingly reveals that "United" is by far the most-used term, with the vast majority of comments citing bad experiences, boycotts, and even other broken guitars. To their credit, United has called the video a "unique learning opportunity" for customer service and has requested to use the music video internally to help change the way they interact with customers. Indeed. 

Unless customer service starts getting better quickly, we can be sure to see more creative responses to similar frustrations. How would you respond in this situation? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

For more on viral video buzz, please follow @visiblemeasures and @mcutler on Twitter and subscribe to our blog.

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The data used in this post was collected from our Viral Reach Database, a constantly growing video repository of analytic data on 100+ million Internet videos from 150+ video-sharing destinations. 

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COMMENTS

There is something so lovable about Dave Carroll sticking it to the man.

posted @ Wednesday, July 15, 2009 1:05 PM by @mirywhitehill


It's obvious that United claims they are not responsible so that they won't be responsible for all the other mistakes they made, thus costing them Money$$. 
 
BUT - think how much $$ they have lost from people who have watched this (over 3,000,000 views). I would say that this video has cost them a lot more from people who have decided to go elsewhere.  
 
A great example of how technology has given a voice back to the people who get screwed by big corporations who have bad policies and customer service.

posted @ Wednesday, July 15, 2009 1:29 PM by Devin Day


What a great way to express lack of responisibility. UPS did the same thing to my 1953 Martin OOO 18. IT's almost the perfect country and western song but I took it on myself to add another little verse cause nothing was mentioned of Georgia, drinking, big motors,Martins, or red neck bars.  
 
It happen in 1996 Way down in Macon Georgia  
 
My trusty old martin was on its way to Lansing for repair.  
 
I could have shipped United  
 
Cause the results left me in a state of dispare 
 
It was two Cat Deisel engines that went out to the loading dock 
 
You could hear mornful sound as the motor parts fell onto the top 
 
 
 
Now I spend my time drinkin in some lonley red neck bar  
 
Cause UPS and United  
 
are pro's at breaking our Guitars,  
 
Yep UPS and United are partners in crime for causeing our depression for causing us to drink in run down bars  
 
For UPS and United are partners in Crime for busting up some really fine Guitars  
 

posted @ Wednesday, July 15, 2009 2:34 PM by Bill Jones


Bill Jones: winner of the coveted 'most memorable comment on the Visible Measures blog in a long, long time'! Thanks for sharing your verse. :)

posted @ Wednesday, July 15, 2009 3:28 PM by Matt Cutler


Good on you. We need people to stand up to the big corporations. Keep up the fight. Joyce

posted @ Friday, July 17, 2009 4:21 PM by joyce withycombe


Hahahah, Great stuff! Rip out their Landing Gear and let them experience what its like to land without wheels. 
 
Keep up the fight guys, you will have a win either way. 
 

posted @ Friday, July 17, 2009 10:15 PM by Max Francis


This is what happens when you let ecomomists get control of companies. 
 
"They understand the COST of everything, but the VALUE of nothing"

posted @ Saturday, July 18, 2009 12:19 AM by G Rossen


Well united I was planning to fly with you but you have lost my business and I will tell all my friends of your unwillingness to come to the party FOR YOUR AIRLINES MISTAKE with this persons. 
 
great pr for the airline

posted @ Saturday, July 18, 2009 2:30 AM by Alex Petschorskiy


When flying United from Washington to LA in May 2 distinct bad episodes made this the airline to avoid in future. One where the checkin showed my partners baggage 4lbs over but wouldn't allow us to shift any to my bag, which was under the limits, and charged $125 excess fees. In the air the steward missed our row in serving coffee. We called out to him and were ignored. The guy next to us got up excused himself and gently tapped the steward on the shoulder. He was subjected to abuse from the steward, along the lines of 'how dare you touch me'. Australians now have a choice of Delta, Qantas, United or V Australia flying to US. Guess which ones we will be recommending

posted @ Saturday, July 18, 2009 3:51 AM by John Shearer


Thank God we don't have United in Australia.

posted @ Tuesday, August 04, 2009 6:16 AM by Elva Glencross


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