Leveraging social media against corporate brands for personal gain serves only to damage an entire mode of communication.
Social media provides an inexpensive and powerful platform for regular people to make their voices heard to a massive audience. Unfortunately, people don’t always use that power in reasonable and positive ways.
When a business faces an attack on its brand through social media, what is the appropriate response?
For instance, what about party-goers who have a few drinks, get out of hand, and are expelled from a club? When iphones come out and the club brand is ravaged online by angry tweets and videos about poor service, how is the club supposed to respond? Is the club supposed to publicly admit wrongdoing when none was committed and set a precedent for others to complain so they can get free stuff? It’s a slippery slope for both a brand and the consumers that enjoy it.
Consider: A video in which country singer Dave Carroll mourns the damage of his Taylor guitar (supposedly) during a flight on United Airlines:
On his website, Dave Carroll moans the saga of his flight with United Airlines and the discovery of his damaged guitar. After getting the runaround from low-level company representatives about a damage claim, he concludes:
I realized then that as a songwriter and traveling musician I wasn’t without options. In my final reply to Ms. Irlweg [The United Airlines representative] I told her that I would be writing three songs about United Airlines and my experience in the whole matter. I would then make videos for these songs and offer them for free download online, inviting viewers to vote on their favourite United song. My goal: to get one million hits in one year.
It’s an interesting marketing plan for a small time musician in need of some publicity. He finished his diatribe with,
I should thank United. They’ve given me a creative outlet that has brought people together from around the world. We had a pile of laughs making the recording and the video while the images are spinning on how to make “United: Song 2” even better than the first. So, thanks United! If my guitar had to be smashed due to extreme negligence I’m glad it was you that did it. Now sit back and enjoy the show.
And so he launched his “show” with website updates and a youtube video that continues to gain leverage through social media.
One of the drawbacks of social media is that most users have short attention spans and little use for fact-checking. I did a bit of my own fact-checking about Dave Carroll and his #unitedbreaksguitars experience: It turns out that United explicitly states on its website that it is “not liable for damage to fragile items” and includes the type of cases approved for transport of musical instruments.
Dave states that he witnessed ground crew throwing his band’s instruments and yet he “neglected” to check his ostensibly-beloved Taylor guitar upon arrival. He says, “The guitar case looked ok and we were tired.”
Now, take the perspective of the United Airlines representative dealing with this situation: A guy complains to you that his expensive guitar was damaged but that he didn’t notice it until a day after his flight. What is your first thought?
If your silly claim/fraud detector went off, good. It should. There are many ways a guitar could be broken in 24hrs and it would be ridiculous for an airline to welcome a suspicious liability.
Dave admits to filing a claim after leaving the airport. I’m familiar enough with shipping claims to know that once you leave the location of a business you’re filing against without confirming damages, your chances of successfully settling a claim dramatically dwindle.
But all was not lost for Dave Carroll and the Sons of Maxwell. They had social media, some production talent, and a desire to embarrass a company into bending its rules just to shut them up.
United Airlines responded via Twitter to the barrage of tweets directed at them concerning the video:
Is this a step forward for social media? I don’t think so. Dave Carroll and his Sons of Maxwell get some cheap publicity but at what cost to the rest of us?
We encourage companies to engage their customers through social media but little is said about how to deal with rogue campaigns bent on embarrassing a brand into cooperation.
It’s tempting to jump on the “UnitedBreaksGuitars” bandwagon and gleefully watch as social media is used to force a company into action. ( This in spite of legitimate reasons for inaction.) It’s tempting to say “the customer is always right” and ignore the need for policies meant to protect companies from fraudulent claims. It’s tempting to get caught up in the seductive power of social media and forget that some people are interested only in promoting themselves.
Did United Airlines break Dave Carroll’s guitar? Perhaps. But the only person he should be singing to right now is himself for not checking his guitar for damages when knew the rigors of its journey.
If social media is going to be a sustainable conversation between consumers and brands, it’s important that we show respect to the brands that bravely step into this space. We need to be responsible participants in social media and use the powerful tool we’ve been given for good causes and not for senseless complaints.
Social media need not be about consumers whining to get free stuff. It must not be.
How do you think United Airlines and other companies faced with a similar situation should respond?
I think companies need to address issues moving forward with the thought that it can be VERY public, VERY quickly. Addressing each incident / issue as though a million eyeballs are watching, as they can be in a short period of time.
It should not take an issue being exposed for “Customer Support” to do what is by definition their job.
But what about the customers you just can't make happy? Is it up to United Airlines to fix every broken Taylor guitar brought to them long after a flight?
Hi-grade whining should not be tolerated by the professionals in social media. If Carroll had discovered damage to his guitar at the airport and the airline had denied him recompense of some sort, I'd be on his side completely.
But this? This smells of a clumsy groupie who didn't want to admit that he dropped an amp on a band member's guitar.
I hate to say this, but I think that companies should start suing for liable in some cases. People should be held accountable for attacks and campaigns designed to cause damage to companies. Of course, the best defense against liable is truth, and I firmly believe that a rant stating one's negative experience is appropriate.
I think that the same laws that apply in other media outlets should apply here.
I think we'll start to see more lawsuits as social media moves more into the mainstream and individuals get better at leveraging their online networks.
I agree with you that rants have their place but only if they are based on good information and published with honest intent. Blogging about how angry you are at AT&T for not replacing your uninsured iphone or making videos about an airline that didn't replace your guitar when you failed to report damage appropriately…are both examples of childish behavior that does nothing to help the cause of the ignored consumer.
It comes down to whether or not the event is plausible. Is Dave Carroll a bullshit artist? Perhaps. But that's not the point; even an errant shot strikes home sometimes. The point is that we watched the video and said to ourselves, “Yeah, that's sounds like something they would do.”
I think plenty of tinder had accumulated before Carroll's spark set off the conflagration. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 is blamed on Mrs O'Leary's cow, but the conditions for a tragedy had been in place for years. So, long term they need to improve their customer service; do that and reputation will follow.
Short term, reacting with corporate speak won't cut it. If United really has been wronged, they might benefit from taking a page out of Carroll's page and doing their own music video. Demonstrate their savvy, their sense of humor. Considering the audience, a little soul could go a long way.
My 10 cents worth… you take your lumps and move on for 2 reasons:
1. Bad publicity – true or false is bad news.
2. Time devoted to arguing the toss can be more productively spent elsewhere in your business plus someone who gets their problem fixed in short order is much more likely to put some good buzz out for your business than someone who had to fight and argue for a settlement.
Both the above assume it's not blatant fraud involved, in which case – I like the legal remedy mentioned elsewhere…
“As reputation improves, a stunt like Carroll's will no longer resonate with the audience.” Bingo! But until then we have to deal with a medium that moves content at lightning speed and companies staring at each other to see who wants to get wet first.
I think you're onto something with United replying to Carroll in-kind. If they had a savvy team turn out a music video response in 24 hours, I think we'd all be able to laugh, hug, and go about our merry way.
United has already stated that they plan on using Carroll's video as part of their training program. (Perhaps to show what happens when people aren't handled in a prompt manner?) They could have done a better job about shooting him down.
I think the problem is that 2 brands have different rights in the eyes of society. Most of people assume that big company is always wrong and the band is always right. But both of them are businesses, in fact. The difference is in our perception.
Now one brand (band) (mis)uses the publicity it receives for promotion.
I think it was a bad move to refund for the guitar as well. It shows that you feel guilty for things you havent done.
I think Nictos had a good idea with responding to the video in-kind regardless of the truth in Carroll's statement.
Zappos has been known to exchange just about anything because it's simply not worth their time to fight a customer about something silly. Hindsight says it would have been worth the $1200 to take care of Carroll a long time ago.
So a mix of rights as well? We're used to thinking that bands get screwed by big corps so when we see a band go up against a corporation–even though it's not a record label–we intuitively cheer for the band? I hadn't thought of it like that before. Spot on, sir!
No matter what United does to appease Carroll, even if he made a “I love UA” video it wouldn't get the play that his current video is getting. No way to overtake the buzz except with a truly creative response.
Seth:
Great reporting. Thoughtful, thorough, objective and not another jump on the bandwagon of “let's attack the corporation.” Yet it's also a reminder that brands have to be in this space and they shouldn't wait. Having a following of brand ambassadors (who also don't abuse the medium) to energize in these situations would be quite helpful. Thanks for taking the unpopular stand.
Edward
Hi Seth,
You can put me in the fanboy category for this campaign/reaction/viral slap or whatever you want to call it but I think that this could have been, and still can be, a huge win for United. They already have reacted and contacted him so they are in the positive on that category. However it rolls out they have their name in the news and have listened to his complaint. That's a win for them. From a marketing standpoint if they do something to help him out they will get more great press (and free advertising) and could even work with him to get a free video made to work to their advantage.
Yes, United can't go react to every hokey video response or social media attack but this I feel is different. It is a great deal of investment on his part (song writing and making a professional video) versus a snap blog post.
Trying to quash this legally will only set it on fire more. It's a classic David vs. Goliath situation and the people are behind him. In regards to libel or slander I think he is giving has satirical view on the situation and has sidestepped several legal issues.
I'm glad you did this post as it does shed light on the overall idea of using social media to vent, legal issues on both sides and achieving validity. No matter which side of the fence you sit on (or hop back and forth to) this is part of the world we live in now and capitalizing on huge beneficial options is key to a reaction. If they (United) are right then come out and say it and defend yourself truthfully. And, even if the accuser is wrong, figure out a way to use the situation to your advantage, Dave did.
Craig Moore
I'm definitely siding with your point of view. The issue isn't who broke the guitar anymore, but what the publicity is doing for both, and how both can make it out of this positively. I would love to see United jump in a make a video response back or even with Carroll.
I would say to avoid this in the future on way is to build up brand goodwill in the social media circle – the people with the tools to hurt you/help you the most – to safeguard yourself against incidents like this where no one (brand ambassadors) are really out there to help you.
I think it's okay to attack a corporation if there's good reason for doing so. Just a matter of being sure not to cry wolf too many times.
I like the term “trust investor” as it signifies, perhaps even overstates, the importance of the relationship between a brand and the people who will vouch for it when called upon. Unfortunately, “trust” has joined its brother “engagement” as one of those buzzwords that comes with too much baggage to be used in conversation anymore.
A brand that isn't just in the room but is truly present in the conversation wouldn't have much trouble with a situation like this. I think Carroll's story stinks to high heaven but there's truth in the run around he got from customer service staff as well as the public sentiment that airlines don't care about their customers.
A public recognition of their customer service failure would allow United to give the guy something to shut him up while not taking blame for the guitar. That seems like the best option to me because it lets people know that they won't get free stuff just for whining while showing signs of an effort to create a better customer service experience.
I just stand up. Sometimes it's on the popular side, too. Those are the fun days. =)
Haha! Yes, but I know how easy it is to be a fan of watching something I'm passionate about work at a high level of efficiency. Carroll's little rant is spreading well. =)
Like I said to Edward, United can stand up, recognize a failure in communication and customer service, and take care of Carroll as a customer without ever taking blame for the broken guitar. It's an opportunity to make something happen, yes. Will they take a creative approach instead of simply sending out waivers for another flight to Nebraska? Time will tell.
Thanks Craig!
To both Seths,
Yes time will tell (very quickly as we are seeing) and Dave have put it out there for a colab video so all are winning. Taking some direction from “Wig out” or recent Domino's case studies/examples this will not last too long but how you react can have long term benefits. Someone said to me a long time ago in regards to business in general “Sometimes your ride the beast and sometimes the beast rides you”. I'd say they are exchanging saddles at this time.
Craig
United could have a LOT of fun with a video. Perhaps ground crew singing as they work and a gorilla runs across the tarmac, grabs the guitar, bites it, and runs off. cue baggage handler: “They didn't include fighting off gorillas in our latest contract and I'm really sorry about your guitar.”
Announcer: In spite of all our efforts to ensure you and your luggage reach your destination safely and comfortably, sometimes uncomfortable things happen. We want to apologize for any trouble we caused. The gorilla is back in the zoo. You are now free to fly around…blah blah blah”
Something crazy that gets the point across without being so serious that we write them off as being uptight. You know?
For the record, United Airlines didn't offer me travel vouchers to write this post. =)
Domino's didn't last long because they didn't handle it well. We're still at a point in socmed where innovative and remarkable use gets lots of press and a place in everybody's timeline. The payout for smart moves is very, very high right now.
It's important to feel the saddle being lifted and act so that the exchange doesn't occur, to continue your metaphor. =) It's very interesting to watch. That's for certain!
LOVE it. That would be a riot
Everyone would win with that one.
I think they ignore complaints at their own peril, and it's not a bad thing at all that consumers gain more strength through social media. It you read the interview with him in the LA Times, it's clear he packed it with more care than should have been necessary. This was United's fault, and they should have accepted the responsibility and moved on. I think a better question is: Do they want musicians as customers or not? If so, they'd better figure out a better way of dealing with fragile luggage.
I was seeing this the same way you were. Part of social networking must be a level of responsibility for community users to search out the facts. As you point out, this doesn't happen in most cases.
What do you think the reaction of most people would be if United came back with an “aggressive” response. Maybe talking about what he agreed to, how he didn't check his stuff, etc. Would that just turn into a no-win for them? Do you think the brand they have is strong enough to sing a song that says “we're not sure we did it…he didn't check…why would we pay”?
Seth, we talked about this on Twitter, but I'd like to post my thoughts here for posterity.
This situation reminds me of the whole GM “rigged” crash kerfuffle in the 90s, appearing on Dateline TV show, and GM did a great job as a PR recovery.
http://bit.ly/1pw71E
In short, Dateline showed video of a series of car crash tests, which showed that the GM trucks would explode on impact after an accident.
GM didn't take this sitting down. So they did a bit of snooping and even went to the junk yard where cars that were used in the car were stored. They found that the crashes were rigged with igniters to make the trucks explode.
So GM mounted a very successful PR campaign and shared their revelations to the world in a widely publicized news conference. They even sued NBC for defamation — NBC settled out of court the week after this GM news conference aired.
Here's a more in-depth article on the event…
http://bit.ly/19ms2K
The last two sentences of that above report is the most telling:
“(GM) should be able to communicate to the public on its own terms.” And, “To win the marketplace for cars and trucks, it must also learn to win in the marketplace for ideas.”
My takeaway (and how it applied to United)…
I hate United, especially at Chicago. So I feel for this musician — and appreciate his plight, because I know what he's talking about.
But as a business owner, I have to agree with you Seth.
Bottom line, United didn't really fail this client/musician. Or its clients in general. It failed in its response.
I think if people are going to use social media to fight brands, brands need to use the same tools/media to fight back.
Maybe record a comparable video… maybe a news conference a la GM… maybe a Twitter viral promo… I dunno.
But if social media is going to be a powerful tool used by consumers (whether they are right or wrong), brands and companies need to wise up to this, and need to respond on the same turf if they want to gain any ground.
My 3 cents.
Social Media has become a powerful force… like word of mouth on steroids. Every business needs to take this very seriously and have a plan in place.
The first thing they need to do is return to the good ole days of treating customers with respect and dignity. This will take care of 90% of the problems.
In almost every instance like this that gets out of hand there are two primary entities:
* Someone bullying
* Someone being bullied
In this case, it sounds like Caroll is the bully. He acted stupidly by not addressing the issue up front while at the airport, then decided to play bully by using his pulpit and social media to beat up United.
That being said, there are many cases where major companies will and do bully smaller companies. Tomorrow morning, for instance, a two-person St. Louis company will be filing a lawsuit against Commerce Bank for outright stealing its work product. (They provide on-hold advertising scripts and Commerce paid for something like 20 locations but knowingly violated their copyright by using the scripts at 200+ locations. And now refuses to pay while having no problem whatsoever sicking their massive litigation team on this two-person firm.)
Bottom line: When bullies rise up it is our duty to beat them back down no matter the cost.
So shame on you, Caroll, for using your talent to push around a company that does not deserve it.
And, as soon as the Commerce lawsuit is filed, I hope you'll all help me help my friend hammer them for their behavior.
Here's a clip from the actual news conference GM gave:
http://bit.ly/Y4L5Z
They used some drama, and even lifted the trucks they found at junk yards, on stage. I remember seeing the full clip when I taught marketing management in college, I wish I had it because the full conference is awesome.
Basically, the prepped the crowd by pointing all the things Dateline said, point by point, and voila! Behind him are the actual trucks used in the car crash, and (not seen in this video) he points out the igniters used to deceive.
Very powerful.
Have you ever flown United Seth? They are in and out of bankruptcy for a reason and it ain't high fuel costs. They are one of the absolute worst companies on the planet. I have experienced first hand the exact same kind of treatment Dave has described.
Your analogy to drunken club goers is completely irrelevant. This wasn't some unruly customer acting unreasonably. This was a customer getting systematically abused by a vendor. There is no comparison between the two.
You neglect to tell the whole story here. Dave did complain the moment he became aware of the situation and not one but several United employees completely ignored him. Inexcusable offense #1.
When he did try to file a claim they gave him the run around on how to make the claim. Inexcusable offense #2.
After he filed his claim they took him for a ride for NINE MONTHS of bouncing his claim from agent to agent, literally all over the world. This is the kind of experience hit comedies are made of, but it isn't funny when it happens to you in real life. (You should read his blog for the whole story). Inexcusable offense #3.
As a bit of background I am a musician. You are at the mercy of the airlines when you travel with musical instruments. All you can do is use the best quality case you can get and pray. That guitar was in a very nice hard case (not a flight case) but it should have been far more than enough protection for air travel unless the case was abused. That is absolutely what United employees did. They through either gross negligence or intentional vandalism destroyed a $3,500 instrument. Which by the way is closer to priceless. Any professional musician would compare dozens of guitars before selecting “the perfect one”. They are not easy to replace. So those suggesting he “get over it” just don't get how much damage United really did.
There were other witnesses to the abuse by United employees. They did everything they possibly could to discourage him from filing a claim in the first place and then everything they possibly could to get him to give up his efforts. Never once did United act in good faith.
I don't care if their rules state they are not liable for the damage. They are liable. As a consumer you are trapped by their contract even if it is unfair. That is no excuse to treat your customers and their property with total disregard.
This treatment by United and the actions of its employees are systematic. This is not an isolated incident by one or even a handful of really bad employees (that any respectable business would fire by the way). Again I have witnessed it first hand and I assure you many who fly United have as well. Google United Sucks.
Dave Carroll's Video is exactly one of the things social media should be used for. It's now over 470,000 views on You Tube in less than three days for a reason. There are tens of thousands of United customers who feel exactly the same way and who just got a voice.
United's response is a sham and exactly the kind of BS (there is no other word for it) lousy company's like them pull. Treat your customer like crap from beginning until the end, and then offer a patronizing press release when someone finally gets a big enough microphone to get their attention and damages their brand in a very public way.
If you run a bad company, you deserve to be shamed in public and if you fail to correct your poor business practices, run out of business.
By the way this is the wake up United so desperately needs. This company is well on its way to closing its doors forever if they don't change their ways. I for one am highly skeptical it will have any effect. Time will tell.
Hopefully they will be listening to Dave Carroll and the thousands of comments on YouTube and other blog posts condemning their horrendous treatment of their customers and not listen to you Seth.
Rick Calvert
CEO & Co-founder
BlogWorld & New Media Expo
Susan, how do we know it was United's fault? He didn't notice the damage until late the next day.
If you were a musician and witnessed your beloved instrument treated in a harsh manner, what is the first thing you'd do the moment you saw your instrument appear on the carousel?
You'd open it to make sure your baby was okay.
Carroll makes a big deal about begging United employees to make the ground crew be careful with his equipment.
After all that, you really believe he “forgot” to check his guitar?
His story smells bad.
Now separate that from the customer service experience he dealt with. He says he got the run around from multiple people at United. That's what I have an issue with. He didn't report the damage within a reasonable amount of time and it should have been a simple matter for United to sweetly tell him to take a hike. They didn't. There was a breakdown in communication and Carroll was allowed to marinate in confusion over whether or not he'd be reimbursed for the damage. Had they taken care of the claim quickly, Carroll would have been angry but his complaint probably wouldn't have festered long enough to grow into an orchestrated social media onslaught against United.
The guitar really doesn't matter any more. Offering Carroll $1,200 probably won't do much because he's on a mission now. He's tasted his power and it will take some smart, prompt, and creative action by United to turn this issue into a public relations triumph for the United Airlines brand.
They've already been painted as an evil monster so showing teeth does nothing but harm.
However, if they come back with a focus on where they know they failed (customer service) and say “we're big fans of reggaeton here at United so it pains us in multiple ways that you needed to write a country song about your experience to get our attention. =P There was a break-down in communication and we offer our most sincere apologies for our error. Your damages were reported beyond the required 24hr window for claims but our failure to communicate looms large over your understandable accident. We'd like to offer you [insert sweet loot here] as a token of our regret. etc.”
They get to say he was a blockhead while looking extremely remorseful. Sounds like a win to me. =)
Anybody who follows your blog closely will understand why I laughed at “3 cents.” It hasn't been defined as euro or american cents. =)
The quote about GM wishing to communicate to the public on its own terms resonates with me. It's as if they're saying “we want to be present in this conversation. Not just in the same room, but actively participating in the conversation.”
I think that sort of attitude will prove extremely valuable to any company that wants to make a solid go as a participant in social media.
I think United could come away from this a winner for multiple reasons…if they move beyond a couple of tweets and aggressively (as you note) seek out a public that is obviously annoyed with airlines in general. Carroll's video is being driven forward by people who are displeased with some past air travel experience. The video's popularity highlights a PR issue for airlines in general and United, by addressing this directly, could do some positive things for its brand.
Given any other situation a video about some dude getting his guitar broken would never make it past the first circle of the producer's network.
——–
To your follow up comment: A truly powerful, straightforward old-school presentation that made everything remarkably clear without adding unneeded hype. Compelling content doesn't need glitter and GM's presentation was certainly compelling.
Thank you for digging this up. It's really interesting to see a past example of a company sure of its path and willing to defend itself aggressively.
“like word of mouth on steroids”
Yes. And sometimes it gets roid rage and runs around banging into walls. =)
I agree with your blanket solution. The percentage is probably a bit higher because most people, given an excuse, will choose NOT to complain. Nobody likes being thought of as a grouch.
Thanks Karen!
I think United owes him an apology for messing up their communication with him. It takes a big person to recognize that there are failings on both sides of many issues and take full responsibility for ones own mistakes. United gets to be the bigger person this time. I hope they do it with class.
Hit me up on Twitter when you post about the Commerce case. =)
Hi Rick,
I'm quite certain Carroll had his guitar double-cased and that he asked for $1,200 to repair his guitar. That doesn't really matter though because the guitar really isn't United's problem. Their problem comes directly from a breakdown in communication that allowed a rubbish claim to float around for 9 months. He failed to act in time so sit the man down and tell him he's out of luck and that you're sorry. It's that simple. If they wanted to be cool they could have hit him up with a domestic flight voucher or something similar. Just enough to be the bigger party.
But they didn't act promptly and Carroll got increasingly fed up over the situation. His frustration is evident in his writing and I think most readers will immediately take his writing with a few grains of salt because he's so flagrantly pissed about his guitar being broken.
I'm truly grateful for your impassioned response. I'm always delighted to see responses like this to my writing because it means I struck a chord of some value. You've told me I'm wrong in a lot of ways and I welcome that because we couldn't have a very passionate discussion if it consisted primarily of back-patting and accolades.
If you consider my view of the United case, I think you'll agree that it does relate to the bar goer case, albeit with very different circumstances.
I disagree with you that we need to hunt erring businesses down until they close their doors. I think it's unfair to all the amazing people who work very hard and do a great job at United (which I have flown-experience was mediocre) to wish them joblessness for the sake of proving a point as a consumer. We're in an age of heightened communication and increased transparency/conversation between brands and the consumers that enjoy them. Let's use that power to elicit positive changes in the companies we're passionate about. Let's work to improve things, not tear them down.
I hope United listens to you. I also hope they take a few minutes to see what I've written and consider my thoughts as equally valid (though from a different perspective) before making a decision about how they'd like to move forward in this situation.
A lot of amazing suggestions and ideas have been brought forward in this thread and I'm grateful for them all. If United does stop by I think they'll be quite impressed with the people I'm lucky enough to enjoy conversations with.
Thanks Rick!
Trying to compete with Dave in teh music video forum will fail. He's the major first mover and everything else will seem like MS's I'm a PC campaign. This is his expertise. He has a killer story (if you like it or not) coupled with a catchy song and funny video. You will not beat him at that game I'd say.
In regards to holes in the story, well I don't know what to say. It says that he did complain ASAP but untill you/we ask him directly (@DaveCarroll) we will not know the answer to that question. Maybe someone else was moving the gear, had to get the ride out, whatever the answer. We can speculate or just ask. It's a valid point.
This guy is local (to me) and has always come off as a nice person. He doesn't seem like some sort of malicious person but that's just an outsider's POV. I know people who do know him and they echo these statements. He's venting in his particular medium of creativity. Others would blog, business owners would vent at teh chamber meetings and so on. It just so happens that with Youtube and social media that this venting can reach father and father. Also I do agree that if no one else felt this way, or it was a minority or the overall service/experience this would not have gone anywhere.
Great debating here!
Craig
If United came out with a creative video and 10 free tickets to anywhere in the world, you'd see “United” at the top of trending topics and fielding interviews as innovators in rapid-response branding damage control and customer service. I think they'd catch him shortly. People like free stuff more than they like a mildly amusing country music video. =)
Dave says that he complained, yes. But he didn't check on his guitar until the soundcheck for his concert later the next day. There's a lot of, to quote the Dixie Chicks, “Wide open spaces” in the timeline where things could have happened to his guitar.
I don't believe United is liable for the guitar and even Dave mentions that he's over being mad and asking for compensation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiH2hJHPQvk Dave Carroll on Fox. He makes a point to tone down the rhetoric and correct them in stating things as fact that really aren't fact at all. He's not clear on when the guitar was damaged. There's a big fat question sitting in the front row about what the guitar *actually* looked like when it came off the plane. We'll never know for sure.
He sounds like a guy who's delighted at how well he's been rewarded for creating a music video rant.
He gets his 15minutes. I'm okay with letting him enjoy it. He's going to be embarrassed if his base player comes forward and admits to accidentally damaging the guitar and blaming it on the airline. =P
“if his base player comes forward and admits to accidentally damaging the guitar”
___
I'd puke, thank him and ride out the popularity.
Can't change the past.
Thanks for the reply Seth. Our biggest disagreement I guess is your view of the validity of his claim and your assumption that United operated in good faith.
Could it be that Dave Carroll is an opportunistic individual who took advantage of a situation to try and scam the airline out of $1,200 or even $3,500? It's possible but not likely.
Or is it more likely that scores of United employees treated their customer's property with total disregard and then systematically tried to dissuade him from a valid claim?
I think you can agree the latter is the more likely scenario.
Maybe a little more background in a couple of areas would help. First of all if someone would like to donate a guitar and hard case that I could smash up for you, you would see that it would have taken an extraordinary amount of effort to break that guitar. Not just one careless guy casually dropping it on the ground.
Second, I know for a fact that the industry I am in is very much like the airline industry (the tradeshow business) because one aspect of it involved transport and shipping. I know for a fact that general service contractors and shippers in my industry systematically act exactly the way United did with Mr. Carroll and do everything they possibly can to prevent a customer from filing a claim properly and in compliance with their intentionally byzantine damage claim process. Employees give false information, tell the customer they need to file the claim with someone else, tell them they need to file it at a later time, then when its too late tell them they needed to file the claim at once and on-site, tell them they need to file the claim with another group, or as happened to Dave simply walk away and ignore the customer.
I have seen this happen with my own two eyes time and time again. Luckily for my customers I actually give a damn and intervene when ever possible to make sure the GSC or the shipper does not give my customers the run around and their claim gets filed properly. A very small percentage of these claims ever get approved for reimbursement and I have never seen a claim approved for 100% of the damage the customer has claimed. Just as the case with Mr. Carroll this process takes months.
More often however I hear about the incident after the fact and it is too late to intervene on the customer’s behalf. The story is always the same. One shipper employee told them they had to follow one process, and then when it was too late they got a different story telling them the time had passed to file a claim.
Why do you think it takes so long for every claim?
Are they just inundated with frivolous claims and understaffed?
Or the more likely reason they drag the process out intentionally to wear their customers down until they give up and unlike Dave are left to mutter under their breath and tell their own circle of friends their story?
I know for a fact it is the latter.
Any industry that has the US Senate talking about a customer bill of rights has a serious problem. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22315491/
We all know as a rule airlines suck. However it does not have to be this way. Southwest, JetBlue and Virgin Atlantic all have amazing service, friendly employees and treat their customers like …..gasp…..customers.
Yes they have problems as any business will, but they all have a strong track record of fixing their mistakes most of the time. United does not have this track record.
Yes I sincerely hope United sees the light and undergoes a major restructuring of the way they conduct their business and yes I hope if they fail to do so they go out of business.
I sincerely hope their good employees get real jobs with real companies. There won't be fewer airline customers due to United's demise. Those employees will land somewhere. And yes I sincerely hope the bad employees at United do end up out of work and learn the lesson that actions have consequences.
Full disclosure Southwest Airlines was a sponsor of the 2007 and 2008 BlogWorld & New Media Expo, but I was a fan long before then. That's why we approached them in the first place.
Interesting take Seth, but I tend to think this is more than a struggling musician with an interesting marketing plan, or a guy with a “rogue social media attack” ..
While it's true more people now know him than ever, the only way it would work as self-promotion is if it finds an audience. Happy customers wouldn't being linking and tweeting this into the stratosphere.
What he's done is set himself up as a gathering point to a very angry customer base, that really, hasn't had a way to voice it's displeasure in a concentrated way.
If this were an isolated incident, and he put the song out there, it would have received much less traction. Look at those comments on youtube, they aren't all saying “Go Dave!” or “love the tune”, many are relating their own bad experience with United, and quite probably being heard voicing their frustration for the first time.
The power in this “attack” lies with the fact that United could learn a lot about customer service, and there are more people than just Dave Carroll who are witness to that.
It speaks to the need of companies having to step away from the formulaic “We take this very seriously…”, and actually start taking communications and customer service (and how they should be in fact, be intertwined) seriously.
Should United fix every broken guitar brought to them? If there are witnesses (other passengers, their own staff!) – you bet they should!
The problem United has isn't a social media problem. It's a customer service problem.
If United did indeed mess up communications with him (my brain didn't come to that conclusion in the article) then I agree … they should apologize.
I'll also fully agree that diplomacy is usually the surest path to resolution in these cases. So United should probably listen to you and the much wiser people than I (or is it “me”?) who have commented above.
That being said, I've spent my entire life fighting bullies (@DixieDynamite helped me realize this seems to be my visceral purpose on this planet, because it permeates just about everything I do). So if I were United, and if Caroll was indeed just being a bully, he would have a massive fight on his hands. (Never said I was a diplomat.
Interestingly, it used to be only the big company could play the bully role. Now, however, the power of social media has armed the little bully with a powerful sword, and that's why we're seeing a rash of lies, half-truths and innuendo being spewed that is just as much bully behavior as a major company throwing it's own weight around.
I'm not saying Caroll did this, of course, because I don't know the full story. Only pointing out the fact that it can be done.
Bottom line: When you see these stories, instead of assuming the corporate giant is always the bad guy, use the philosophy I learned from an old Star Trek Voyager episode:
“Eyes open.” (If anyone can name the episode, I'm @honestselling on Twitter.
Wow…I guess using a music video as a stage for your complaint is as self serving as playing Devil's Advocate to get more people to visit your blog, huh?
Definitely the more likely of the cases. United has a customer service issue and they've been pretty good about recognizing the situation as such. Will they change their approach to customers? I'm not sure.
I'm not in this to defend United. (They'd have to hook me up with some sweet tickets, I'd disclose, nobody would comment because I'd seem biased, etc.) I think it's a discussion we need to have about how a company responds when an unsatisfied customer launches an attack for which the company isn't liable. (Dave didn't find the damage in time to get his claim in on time. You're right about the damage to the guitar. You'd have to drop an amp on it.)
Dave didn't do a video about how bad United's customer service is though (which is the issue). He did a video about how they break guitars. (which isn't confirmed, just surmised.)
That's my issue, in a nutshell, and why I think both sides have some leeway on this.
From what I've seen so far, Dave has been relaxed in his interviews (nothing like his original writing about the ordeal) and United has tried to listen as best they can.
I'm very interested in how United responds to this (hence the reason for my post) because they could be aggressive and say he didn't get his complaint in on time. They could be pricks and, in a court of law, they'd probably win. But in the court of social media and consumer confidence, they must behave in a very specific way to get out of this ordeal unscathed. I like to watch them shuffle their feet as they move about social media. This can't be comfortable for them. Not in the least.
You know, if we were talking about the banking or auto industry, I'd be with you on letting a business fail. I just don't like the idea of chasing one into the ground if there's no need to. If United drops somebody else will repaint the planes, hire the staff, and keep flying. (hopefully after a rigorous customer service training program.) Things will be okay for everybody. Dave will probably get a new guitar, too.
But will he be able to write normal music? Who knows. Perhaps a new ditty for freecreditreport.com? =)
I like Southwest, too.
Thanks, Rick. I appreciate you coming back to clarify. Nothing like a good social media discussion in the comments of a blog. Whoever said commenting is dead and that we've all run to Twitter…crazies. =)
I fully agree with you on United having a customer service problem. Dave's guitar was well-protected so tossing it wouldn't have broken it. Something else happened. It may have been crushed in the cargo bay, driven over in a parking lot, or slammed under an amp in a moving truck. No matter what the cause of the damage, United has been handed a situation and told to fix it. I find that interesting.
This is a much bigger deal that Dominos or Motrin because this isn't about misinformation. It's about a company that really screwed up its treatment of a sensitive customer situation.
You're right that this would never have made it off the ground were it not for a widely-shared sentiment about UA's service levels. United could learn a lot and make something really good happen for their company out of this. Will they? I'm not sure.
I see the guitar being broken and UA dragging this all out as separate issues. Because the general population has elected to have Dave's guitar as the face of their campaign for better customer service…perhaps they've become a single issue again?
I'm happy for the thousands of unsatisfied customers who have been empowered by a song to speak out in hopes of a better experience. I hope their voices truly are heard.
Kinda makes you wonder what life would be like if we made a habit of working together on more things. That'd be cool.
If this turns into Dave's chance a big career, he's going to be so grateful for that busted guitar…=) Life is strange like that sometimes.
Rick suggests we all try southwest next time. I'm up for that. Have a great week!
I think Kelly has nailed you Seth! Good job linkbaiting.
As for the song and video, I think they do a pretty good job of telling the story within the restrictions of writing a catchy tune.
You can read his post to get the whole story. Which might be a little difficult for some to connect the two as Dave doesn't quite have them linked right and easy to navigate from the post to the video but that's another discussion entirely 8).
Oh if I haven't said it yet; United is a terrible company.
You said on Twitter that you've known Dave for years and will vouch for his being a stand-up dude. Okay.
I still see breaking the guitar (Perhaps…probably? United's fault) as a bit different from United's failure to take care of a distraught customer with a major complaint. (Very much their fault.)
That's from an outsider looking at a situation coming up through social media without the clarity I'd have if I knew Dave personally as you do. I was looking at it from the perspective of a company saying “WTF do we do with this dude singing about how we broke his guitar?”
“Devil's Advocate” is actually really appropriate because it seems that common sentiment is that United is indeed the devil of the airline industry!
There's a huge amount of talk in social media circles about how customers can use social media to gain better access to companies. There's a lot of talk about listening to the customer.
There's very little talk about how a company is supposed to react in various situations that arise once a customer has made use of various platforms to get that company's attention. That's why the title says what it does and that's why I've maintained my line of thinking throughout this thread.
I'm sorry if you feel that I was unfair to your friend. I'd be delighted if you'd like to clarify for other readers that Dave is a cool dude and, this time, the failure is all on the company's side.
Thanks for your time!
No linkbait here. I've been feisty just to be feisty before but this isn't one of those times. I really want to know what people think about addressing social media-leveraged complaints from a corporate side. Linkbait would have involved a much stronger title and different train of thought. =)
Entirely so. Thanks for stopping by!
Yeah, you'd mentioned that. Not planning on booking with them any time soon.
Well, I don't profess to be Dave's best friend…but I have known him and his brother (the other half of the Sons of Maxwell) as one of their fans and a customer (volunteering as show manager at a theatre that has hired him to perform many times). Dave has been nothing but an upstanding guy the entire time.
He has been more than willing to negotiate on price for shows for that small nonprofit theatre (that couldn't guarantee a full house either, so no guarantee to make it up on ticket splits). Last time he played there with his solo show he and the other artist sent a thank you note for the hospitality for goodness sakes! He always has time for his fans and is nothing but gracious and polite to each and every one of them.
This is not someone who is out for what he can get or trying to make a quick buck. He's been slogging away in a small Canadian music market for quite sometime and HAS carved out a very good career for himself. He is an award winning artist and acclaimed songwriter (which you can see if you read further on his site which is back up and running now, all the traffic has taxed it!). He has a great reputation as a musician and performer already and I can't imagine anyone, most of all Dave, risking that to be caught in an elaborate lie. Not too mention that I just don't see it in him at all too try to get something that wasn't owed to him.
I find it hard to believe anyone would think he was making this up. I mean if he was lying would he not say that he opened the case immediately and saw the damage when he clearly said it was 12:30 a.m when they got in and no employees could be found?
If he was lying why would he cite this woman in the seat behind who could easily be looked up by United to verify she saw the baggage handlers abusing the guitars?
I mean the story admits his errors in not checking the state of the guitar immediately and not calling right away because of the tour. He admits his errors where United could not admits theirs until the video came out.
Also keep in mind the company was warned about this — he told them exactly what he was going to do, they could have listened to that and avoided the problem but they chose to write him off as one more pissed off customer (and what's one more apparently, from all the stories coming out now). That was what, their 500th mistake?
For some reason my signing in under Twitter won't work for me right now.
Perhaps even more than 500. =) Hopefully they do what they can to make up for their failings and, even more importantly, do something about avoiding such issues in the future.
Dave, from what you've said, sounds like a stand-up fellow.
Now all we have to do is wait and see what United does. I'm sure Dave will be taken care of…I'm very interested in what United comes out with.
Thanks for taking the time to swing by and make sure Dave's a good guy. Very cool of you.
Also I do want to say that he has said repeatedly that it is no longer about compensation for him. His guitar was fixed ages ago at his expense. He's not asking for anything anymore, he got past ever expecting it.
I do think United is between a rock and a hard place – if they do nothing they will be criticized if they reimburse him they have hundreds of other maligned customers to contend with. Not that I feel bad for them…they created the issue themselves. Well, I might feel bad for the PR dept…they didn't create the issue but they have had a nightmare to deal with.
As a PR person myself I know how frustrating that can be.
On to the most awesome response…apparently Taylor Guitars offered to try to repair the guitar and offered a deep discount on his next purchase.
seth – see your point, but don't agree.
if the entire purpose of a company's collective marketing and communications efforts is to create positive perceptions of the company's products/services so that customers will continue to purchase and advocate for the brand (and i believe that IS the purpose), then it doesn't matter whether united is justified in denying the claim because dave didn't report the damage in a timely manner (and he clearly states that he couldn't have, anyway, since united had no people at the location when the plane arrived). what matters is that united handled the matter poorly for a year and how has given dave an opportunity to put the situation out for public review in what is most assuredly a negative light.
let's think about this: if united hadn't put him thru the run around … but rather had engaged with him from the first moment he contacted them, empowered someone to hear his story and maybe not cover the damage entirely but at least do something to retain his goodwill (e.g, vouchers or whatever), do we think he still would have written the song/made the video? wouldn't have made sense to do so, because he would have had to admit that united at least attempted to rectify the situation in some way.
but they screwed up, and now they're paying for it in a way that will cost much more than the $1200, you can be sure. and i do think they deserve it. corporations will not start to take consumer service seriously unless and until they are appropriately concerned over what can happen when they deliver poorly and start to behave in a way that shows they respect their customers.
You're entirely correct. Had United handled this differently from the start there simply wouldn't be any story. In fact, if they handled most of their customer service issues differently, there wouldn't be any story.
As it is, we've got a company that's struggling to make sense of things and learn how to fix a broken system from the top down.
I definitely look forward to seeing how they finish this story.
Thanks!
Dear Seth Simonds:
Your answer is far too simplistic. What if the consumer has a legitimate beef with a giant organization, and cannot get a response from anyone by following the rules your advocate like a true company man? At what point is it acceptable to publicly taunt bonehead officials on the Internet?
I think leveraging social media is a perfect way for troublemakers like me to spend their free time. It keeps traditional command and control dinosaurs like United on their fat toes.
If nothing else, it’s damn good entertainment.
D. Kellus Pruitt DDS (@Proots)
You have a critical point here. But- you're wrong too.
United screwed this guy for a LOOOng time and wasn't
going to do a thing. They know they screwed him and didn't care.
Only when it was going to cost them money.
Same as a doctor getting away with malpractice.
I can't say much more than whats been said here other than agree with the fact that social media levels the playing field now.
Large companies with deep pockets and the federal government have always held the upper hand. With social media available to anyone with a form of electronic communication, you are able to use the single best form of communication: word of mouth. Best of all its free. It levels out spreading the word/advertising/opinions versus the deep pockets of corporations. It no longer takes a marketing budget in the 6 digits to gain exposure.
In this particular case, to me its not a case of who is right and who is wrong. Its a case of exposure. Ironically for both sides. One side does simply outweigh the other, however.
In Carroll's case, he may have been at fault for falling out of United's timeline – but the greatest asset is that United's murky track record in customer service is now exposed.
Seth, you point out that using social media to push against a corporations brand may not be such a good thing. The public now has tools to use wisely and respectively and yes at times to what may seem divisive, only to be heard. In agreement with Rick about companies having processes that involve taking angles to confuse or delay customer satisfaction, I would again say social media is a leveling agent as well as a great tool if used wisely.
In my opinion, Carroll used it wisely.
Seth:
Awesome post! Social media certainly empowers and gives voice to all, but sometimes that empowerment and voice give rise to misuse. Seems like that may be the case here.
I totally agree with Nictos' point about United responding in kind to Carroll's music video. That type of response probably would've gotten more press than the initial complaint, and would've moved their stock up a notch for showing a sense of humor. Besides, you don't take a knife to a gun fight. Answer in kind.
You've won a reader here. Moving to the RSS button now…
I am a frequent traveller (not with UA), and there is always a problem to complain after 23:00. I tried some times, but I was send away. I am lucky my favourite airline can handle such situations. And as I Dave understood, he tried to complain right after he saw what happend.
However, as a customer I prefer if the company do not accuse me of lieing. They should investigate what happend. Throw a guitar. Does it break? Probably yes. Did someone throw it? There was an eye-witness. Pay, and you here some nice songs about your company.
To tell the customer “it's none of my business” – that is not an answer. To tell the customer, you should stay until next morgen (office opens) at the airport to report _immediatly_ (because there is nobody to notice your complain) – that is not an answer.
Should I use social media to accuse a company if it is a lie? No way.
I am a frequent traveller (not with UA), and there is always a problem to complain after 23:00. I tried some times, but I was send away. I am lucky my favourite airline can handle such situations. And as I Dave understood, he tried to complain right after he saw what happend.
However, as a customer I prefer if the company do not accuse me of lieing. They should investigate what happend. Throw a guitar. Does it break? Probably yes. Did someone throw it? There was an eye-witness. Pay, and you here some nice songs about your company.
To tell the customer “it's none of my business” – that is not an answer. To tell the customer, you should stay until next morgen (office opens) at the airport to report _immediatly_ (because there is nobody to notice your complain) – that is not an answer.
Should I use social media to accuse a company if it is a lie? No way.
The blog author implies that the guitarist did this video based on a marketing plan to get the band publicity.
The small print at United, and other airlines, is based on reasonable care. United isn't liable, but says they will take reasonable care of baggage they handle. Throwing guitars is not reasonable care.
Also, the process for United complaints is obviously unclear – reading the chronology of events, you learn that customer service in India told him to call NY, who told him they don't know why he would have been sent to them; he was told he had to show up in person in Chicago; he was told he had to take the instrument to Halifax airport where he was told he shouldn't have been sent to them. The process for complaints is unclear to employees, and that is a problem for all customers.
These two examples show that this is quite a different situation than the argument made in this blog entry, that brands can be ruined by social media created out of petty issues like drunks annoyed at being expelled from a club.
Gotta say I disagree. United blew it multiple times:
1. Their baggage handlers almost certainly man-handled the cargo and broke the guitar. Res ipsa.
2. The in-flights Carroll approached immediately didn't do anything, and worse didn't act like they cared.
3. Same story upon arrival. “I'm not the lead agent”, etc. etc.
4. Then United's phone service gave him the runaround. I'm betting the next song is about that and will strike yet another chord.
5. Finally, and perhaps worse, United chose to stand behind its policy, even when it was pretty clear to anyone that it was generating a perverse result, which is they weren't paying for the guitar they'd damaged. Hey, wake up: when that occurs, it's the POLICY that must bend.
This strikes a chord because it speaks to rot within the company: they don't care about providing good service. A GOOD company would have taken any one of several off-ramps to avoid going over this bridge.
Example 1: You're the CEO of an airline and a customer tells you that baggage handlers THREW guitars with such ferocity that they broke at the base despite being double-cased. What's your concern? If it's
a) this guy is going to release a viral video and hurt our brand and sales, MAJOR FAIL.
It should be
b) Wow, we have a major failure in customer service here. Let's apologize quickly to the customer and make this right but more importantly let's find out and correct the craziness which is going on on the ground at O'Hare.
And likewise the indifferent inflight crews, no agent available on landing, the disconnected number for customer service, right on down the line.
Complaining customers, especially volunteer firefighters from Halifax, are NOT your enemy, they are your FRIEND, because they are providing an opportunity for TQM.
One additional point:
United “appears” to be one of those companies which is using the law of large numbers to improve profits. Our customer service is crap yes, but we're screwing a whole lot of customers a little bit, so what are they going to do? Carroll could have sued but he's not going to, he can't recover costs that way because the costs of action are too high.
So United is making profit by denying and minimizing claims. Fair enough.
But the risk you take is this: If the RIGHT (or WRONG) customer acts as a catalyst in a super-saturated solution of these actions, his action is actually going to be much much stronger in effect than it would have been ordinarily.
And when he does so saying
a) I no longer want recovery, I've given up
b) I'm posting this for free
c) the people that helped me make this video also did so for free
Wow, your credibility is blown out of the water in comparison.
Carroll had no idea this would be a career break, he was just venting.
He can't effectively be torn down, he doesn't smell like a scam artist. United even tries that, my God, the backlash.
Agree with excellent suggestions that United needs to get out in front of this with in-kind response, but so far they are running a playbook which predates social media. They've got their two sentences in the earned media story, but past that, they're getting killed out there.
Here's an update — yup it's clear he's a schemer out for what he can get.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay7hFIYQFnw
I think that you missed a crucial point in your criticism of the song writer. He and several other passengers on the aircraft witnessed the mis-handling of his property.
Should I assume that you dismiss his credibility simply because he is a country-rocker from a “small town” region in Atlantic Canada? If so, I suggest that you take a look at a world Atlas, pin-point the U.S.A., and compare it to the rest of the planet.
Here is a hint: you WILL find “weapons of mass destruction” in one of them, and not one is pointed at you, or at least your country, anyway. There is always the possibility that some renegade feels that a well-targetted projectile should crawl through your plumbing and seriously violate you as you wipe your ass, as I suspect that you may do.
You give the meaning to the term Douchebag!
Cheers, Ken
To the Hon. D. Kellus Pruitt,
My question was very clear though: What do you think the company should do?
I'll have to post on the joys of using social media as a large boat to troll the water of business endeavors sometime soon. =)
I'm okay with being wrong about Dave's intentions. Some people have said it's obvious that he's a wonderful guy and would never do such a thing.
Madoff was also a wonderful guy with a lot of people who vouched for him.
I'm not certain that they did screw him over. He admits that he didn't check his guitar and report the damage within the required time window.
United's inability to treat his claim promptly and decisively is at the root of this fiasco. They need to fix that.
I think using social media to push against corporate brands to bring about positive change is a VERY good thing.
The two instances I brought up, I believe, represent cases where a company was within its initial rights to behave as it did.
Clubs can't let guests run wild when they're trying to close up for the night.
Airlines can't let people waltz in with broken stuff and hand out money just because some random person said it happened on a plane.
When big things happen and companies try to sweep them under a rug, we need to leverage social media to keep them on their toes. Yes.
We see the cases a bit differently but we agree on the power of the medium to bring about changes and the importance of doing so wisely.
What would you like to see United do?
Thanks, Brad.
When traditional media giants begin to make large moves into this space, they'll do so with a plan and tactics for an extended effort.
A well-orchestrated social media effort by United would have snuffed Dave's video out in days. Why? Because United has money. Nobody will refuse the chance at a free plane ticket (even on an “evil” carrier like united) to stand in solidarity with a musician they've never met.
=)
Agreed. UA could have made this quietly go away. I don't think they would have heard any songs though.
If Dave is so hard up for inspiration (word is that he's doing okay as a musician) that he's writing about airlines for fun…he needs a vacation! =)
This time, it seems that Dave will be taken care of and United will perhaps make an effort to update their CS policy.
Thanks!
The commenter implies that one should take a disillusioned customer's timeline of a frustrating situation as worthy of in-depth contemplation.
Such an exercise is nearer omphaloskepsis than anything worthwhile.
When a person is angry, that person typically shares only the parts that support one side of the story.
The author of this blog sought to delve the other side and asked for responses divining the possibility of a progressive response from the corporation in question.
Perhaps next time.
I don't think “this guy will release a viral video” should be the first thing to pop up in the CEO's mind. “There's a common feeling among a percentage of our customers that we don't care about them.” probably should be right up there in responses though.
We completely agree on b. 100% Would have taken care of everything. Treating the complaint like a valuable tip toward improving business…good call!
=) I never liked the water anyhow.
Seriously though. You're right about the catalyst. Carroll's video simply put a spark to the gasoline-soaked issue that United has already.
It's cool that he's being nice to the the lady he spoke with on the phone.
He should release a music video for one of his non-united songs in between his united songs though. Interest will be dead by the time song 2 is up.
Attention spans are quite brief in social media.
One of the more interesting comments I've ever read. Thank you, Ken!
He never saw his guitar thrown. His friends didn't see his guitar thrown.
I didn't see the WMD bit coming. A non-sequitur for sure. Well done, sir! =)
Hey Seth,
Are you being paid by United for your opinions?
Sounds like it.
Airlines have to be accountable for their inability to respond to passengers' complaints. This is an excellent example of one passenger who wouldn't take it lying down.
More power to him.
Iain
“In this case, it sounds like Caroll is the bully.”
“Bottom line: When bullies rise up it is our duty to beat them back down no matter the cost.”
Gill Wagner, even if organized lynching were possible, before we attempt to “beat them back down,” don’t we need better criteria than “sounds like”? Here’s the bottom line: This battle is between United Airlines and their customer. What gives anyone else the right to interfere “no matter what the cost”?
This is a personal issue for me. I’ve been accurately described as a bully because I go after deceptive employees of command and control entities such as Delta Dental, BlueCross/Blue Shield, the American Dental Association, Intelligent Dental Marketing and others. And I have no sympathy for silent good ol’ boys that are too shy to attempt to justify their company’s policy.
Would you like to try to beat me back down, no matter the cost? And if you are somehow successful, will it improve our neighborhood if citizens are afraid of getting beaten down?
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
D. Kellus Pruitt DDS
Hi Iian,
Are you being paid by Dave Carroll to post your comment? Sounds like it.
Except it doesn't really. We all encounter situations that we respond to in different ways because we have inherently different opinions about it.
Airlines should be accountable, yes. And so should social media users.
Social media offers the power to speak out about a situation before a large corporation has time to respond powerfully.
Dave waited months before producing this video.
He's on a mainstream media timeline.
What would you have had United do?
btw. very cool spelling of your name!
What do I think United should do? Since by now the incident with the guitar is oh so yesterday’s news, I think United should silently take their lumps and hope this all passes over soon. As is often the problem with fat command and control dinosaurs like United, they move so slowly that they cannot protect their brand. As mentioned by other readers, if their PR team could have persuaded the officers of the company to react with a clever response exhibiting a little “mea culpa” mixed with self-depreciating humor, they could have capitalized on the bad PR.
Power to the people.
D. Kellus Pruitt
By supporting Carroll you're interfering…even though it's of little cost to you.
The social media neighborhood has yet to experience a true beat-down from a company fighting back. Check out Michel Fortin's comment above for a great example of a company saying “ENOUGH!” and fighting back. Good stuff.
What, in this particular situation, would you suggest United do as part of a satisfactory response?
But the didn't.
I want to teach the “fat command and control dinosaurs” how to do that so we all benefit from situations like this in the future.
How cool would that be?
Very.
Power to the people? Yes. ALL of them.
Hey! You and I aren’t so far apart after all, Seth.
Now you got me started. This could really be fun – at least for me. I love to write, and it makes me giddy to share with you and your readers an overlooked section of the event horizon of American history – dentistry (Did I hear a groan?). Since I am a dentist, I enjoy a special point of view of breaking news in a niche industry that has evolved under insulated and self-perpetuating traditional bureaucracy with little accountability to the consumers they serve. In other words, my niche targets are a lot like United Airlines.
In response to a post earlier in this popular thread, I admitted that I am a troublemaker and mentioned that I target employees, mostly public relations reps and officers, of insensitive, slow-moving dinosaurs. These include, but are not limited to Delta Dental, BCBS, the American Dental Association and Intelligent Dental Marketing. As I read some of the comments from apologists for United Airlines, it occurred to me that I am the vicious, relentless special bastard that a couple of them would stone in the public square for pestering huge defenseless corporations. I’m an easy target because I never hold myself as anonymous, yet very few publicly disagree with my discoveries. And at last, after 3 years of being mostly ignored by stoic CEO-types, today I observed a tangible sign of victory and power to the people which I will share with you later, if you don’t mind.
I propose that in many ways, the dental industry is a microcosm of American business, and is small enough to serve as testing grounds for new tools using emails, Facebook, blogs, comments such as this and microblogs such as Twitter. I use them all in a power-multiplying fashion to bring intense niche attention to my points of view. After I share this morning’s project, which shows one way I beat down a disrespectful editor using unconventional PR, I will show you proof that my techniques have a track record of working very well already – and I haven’t yet begun to explore the extent of advantages I have over dinosaurs and their traditional PR departments. This adventure of mine which has attracted a respectable number of followers whom I affectionately call “sports fans,” is pretty much under the radar, and may never become common knowledge. That’s OK as well. I do this stuff between checking hygiene patients, strictly for grins. And yes, I am interfering, and you are correct when you say It costs me nothing. Sweet.
You asked me what I would suggest as an appropriate response to United Airlines’ public relations problem, and I think a few of your readers have already suggested that the only response that has a chance to be successful these days is to PROMPTLY promote such a PR incident as a guilty plea in a clever and entertaining way – but only on the Internet. It’s too late now, though. At this point it is better to just let it go and learn from the experience the hard way once again.
United must play to win and not waste resources and credibility by playing not to lose. This is where modern PR reps like Richard Edelman earn their pay these days. Telling a boss who cannot be told a thing to become transparent is tricky. It needs professional courage, as well as talent.
I’ll be back with more soon, whether you want it or not. I’ve already been called a bully, and worse.
D. Kellus Pruitt DDS
I told you I’d be back. I also told my Twitter followers about our conversation here on your Website. Here is what I posted on the Internet and sent my private spamgroup.
Soon, I’ll show you how I helped cause ADA/IDM to fail, plus I’ll show you that the ADA’s CareCredit could fail as well. Hope you are enjoying this. I’m sort of proud of my accomplishments. I consider cleaning up the neighborhood as my civic duty. It’s also incredibly fun.
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Spamphlet 7/11/09
I will not be ignored
I posted this on benefitnews.com because I think the Website which is sponsored by Aetna insurance is ignoring me. I can’t let them get away with that.
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http://ebn.benefitnews.com/blog/bythenumbers/-2...
Dear Employee Benefit Advisor (?):
I am re-submitting my comment from yesterday that failed to be posted. Since I see that others, including EBA editor, have successfully posted their comments following your article with no byline. I’m sure I probably screwed up something in my attempt to post mine.
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(7/9/09) – If dental benefits are taxed as income, for the first time in decades, employees will have an honest choice to purchase truly competitive dental plans that are not propped up by quirky taxation rules. The subtle federal subsidies that are now in place favor benefits companies while contributing nothing to improve value for employees. After all, the plans are marketed to their busy bosses, and salespeople are slick.
When subjected to true market competition, the players in the benefits industry would either improve their products or risk their clients turning to Direct Reimbursement-type benefits plans where bosses can purchase a transparent, fair deal for once. And if the employees are not satisfied with the treatment their dentist provides, they are not limited to a preferred provider list of strangers’ names.
Employees can take Direct Reimbursement wherever they want – same as cash. That means natural, free market quality control without huge administrative expenses. DR also keeps employees out of the HHR office with repeated complaints about their choices of dentists.
D. Kellus Pruitt DDS
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Since it is not unusual for my comments to be lost before they can be posted, I almost always simulpost my comments on PennWell blogs and Medical Executive-Post.
http://healthcarefinancials.wordpress.com/2009/...
The one I am re-submitting today actually seems to be fairly popular on both. If “EBA Editor” is the anonymous author of this piece titled “Support for taxing health benefits slips,” all I need is his or her real name and I could help increase his (?) page-rank for free. I’m really good at that.
Darrell
Seth, you bring up some very good points regarding social media. I can agree with you when you say it has the power to be abused by folks trying to pull one over on large companies. I can see how someone who had the smarts, the talent, the plan, and the greed might be able to use it as a way to defraud or besmirch a company's reputation.
What I find upsetting is that you would use this video as an example. Going over some of your replies where you point out that Dave may not be what he seems went a little too far. Seeing Madof's name mentioned as an example of someone who other reliable folks vouched for in your thread got my blood up a bit, but i have calmed down.
I understand that you are making a point that United has and had no idea that Dave's admittedly faulty claim was genuine. He could have been launching a fraudulent claim. Now it turns out the guy is a volunteer fire fighter, and from what i have read so far is a stand up guy. Someone I wish i could call my friend. I noticed as well you toned down the attacks on Dave's character and focused more on what United should do the further along your thread, so i will focus on what United and for that matter all companies should do.
Customer complaints:
Speed and accuracy. Every employee should be a member of the complaint department. Any customer who has a beef should be made to understand that they are being heard. That their complaint is understood. They should be told what the employee will do to get their complaint to the people that can make a decision/corrective action. They should be told when to expect further contact and from whom. Every employee should be trained to treat any complaint as a method to improve service. Even if this is a fraudulent claim. Any fraud claim will find “holes” in service/products and if treated properly will lead to corrective actions that will solve the service/product failures.
Attacks on brands/companies:
Here is where large companies are at high risk. Speed and accuracy still apply. I think each attack must be understood. Who is the source? What are they claiming? Is there any truth to the claims? If so immediate action is required. If a customer attacks the brand through social media for example, the company must put all the cards on the table. Complete honesty and immediate details of responses. If for example a customer claims to have had their $3500 Taylor guitar willfully damaged by employees, attempted to notify employees but failed to follow correct procedures in making their claim, if I was United I would be working fast to change policy/procedures to prevent this in the future.
What can United do to get this mess behind them? Top to bottom, side to side revamp policy and procedures to strive to excel in moving people and their goods safely from place to place on time, every time. (weather and delays beyond company control excepted)
They need to work with their partner airlines (Air Canada for one) to get their joint claim processes ironed out seemlessly. They need to train every one of their employees, incentivise, what ever method works to empower their employees to prevent damage to goods, to enable fast, efficient complaint resolution. They need to put smiles back on their customer's faces or get into another line of business.
I guess the bottom line for this issue for me is this:
I believe this guy had his guitar damaged willingly by United employees.(admittedly no evidence to support this but after reading about this guy i am willing to go out on a limb to support his claim) United employees mistreated him and the situation on the plane and on the tarmac. After the faulty claim process was started they really screwed up. Sending him here and there through the process was their main undoing. I understand your point Seth about companies protecting themselves from bad claims but this should be done immediatly and with extreme care. United tortured that poor Canadian and as a fellow Canuck I can say that we do not react well under torture.
Either we politely write songs about our tragedies and release them on You Tube or we unleash Celine Dion and Cirque de Soleil to conquer unsuspecting innocent towns like Las Vegas.
I don't think Dave is a fraud or someone looking to get anything but satisfaction from a large corporation. I do think he writes a great revenge song though…
Seth, he does that and the cynics (I'm looking at YOU, Seth) will suspect/accuse him of fabricating the whole thing for his personal gain to get word out on his music.
1. His other music is online, where it's been for months.
2. He's stated repeatedly that he's ALREADY written United 2, but hasn't written 3. When Song 2 comes out, expect people to say, “Oh come on, you've made your point, stop milking it.” But maybe this guy is exactly what he says he is. He promised 3 songs, he's writing three songs. He says 1 and 2 were written and had been performed live before the videos were made, they were. He was given the runaround months ago, he says he's done being angry with United, sure seems that way.
United (and many others) keep thinking about this thing in dollars and cents. I don't think this guy can be bought. I think the service he got was crap and THAT's what he's decrying. That's also why it strikes a chord.
It's also why United is so overmatched in the credibility department. This guy has a response online which actually addresses the cynics in us. You can say the “Hey, don't be mean to Ms. Irlweg” thing is a “masterstroke of PR” if that's the way you see the world, but if anyone does, I'm sad for them. I think he said it because it came out of him instinctually because he's a nice guy. That's what's striking a chord with so many people and that's why United is screwed, because they have zero intention of changing their corporate culture. They have a PR problem and they want to pay money and make it go away. The longer this unfolds the more it's clear how United (and let's be fair, this could be any number of corporations) has really lost its way on customer service.
1. Carroll should have checked his guitar immediately, especially if it was worth $3,000 and he had been pre-concerned.
2. United should have dealt with the complaint better.
3. No-one comes out of this well.
I love how you (and most companies) immediately conclude that a complaining customer is out to defraud the company. I recommend you read the complete story on Dave's website. The reason this song is so popular is because it rings true and wholly plausible based on a shared public experience with baggage mishandling and pass-the-buck customer service.
Companies need to risk honoring a fraudulent claim once in a while in order to avoid inadvertently denying a legitimate one.
At any rate, “high grade whining” in social media is a perfectly legitimate response to high-grade anti-consumer practices. When the official customer disservice channels are geared to deny claims and suspect all claimants as criminals, the consumer has to take their claims through other venues.
Well put! I don't think I “toned down my attacks on dave carroll” so much as it became obvious that a few illustrious readers were getting caught up in the example instead of the general question of the post. I tried to steer the conversation back to the original question.
That said, how sad is it that we're actually discussing the need for large corporations to develop robust customer service policies that respect the customer first and foremost? Sometimes the basics seem so very far away.
The fact that there was a breakdown in communication on United's part is enough for a savvy manager to make the call and fix the guitar. Not sure why that didn't happen.
Thanks!
1. Agreed.
2. Absolutely.
3. United comes out very well if they find a way to improve customer service. Carroll? Probably not. Youtube is famous for giving people 14minutes of fame. The last minute never comes.
Just posted about the Commerce Case.
See: http://bit.ly/dFhsb (The suit is out there in PDF format at the bottom of the post.)
[...] via How Should a Business Respond to a Social Media Attack on its Brand? [...]
[...] been 3 months since United Airlines was dragged into social media. There are hundreds of social media sites a big brand could use to connect with customers. Twitter, [...]
I have to admit, I never considered the viewpoint you presented on this topic.
I agree with you that there is potential for abuse in social networking. The problem I have with this article that the topic of “Why did the video succeed?” has not been addressed in depth.
I’ve made many videos for a few websites, and only one of them went viral. Even then, it’s only at about 50,000 views in a period of one year. It’s not like anyone can make an attack online it will automatically explode online.
Did Dave do the video for promotion? Of course he did, music videos are one of the most effective forms of promotion online for a band. Was there issues that he may or may not have brought up? Probably. Do I know that they broke his guitar? No. So legally, they are correct in stating that they are not liable. From that angle it looks like United were treated unfairly, but I believe that United had acted inappropriately as well.
The reason why the video became successful and that I believe it is that people can relate to it, and it takes a frustrating ordeal and brings humor to it. I know many people who travel frequently; stories of poor customer service is often mentioned in the same breath as United.
United should have been proactive rather than reactive when it comes to policy.
I suppose I should answer your main question of the article though as it is a good one.
I think companies should respond by improving their reputation by using social media proactively instead of reactively. Voltswagon’s “The Fun Theory” is a perfect example of how social media can promote a business, they’ve improved their online presence without showing a single picture of their product. If anyone had a complaint about voltswagon’s customer service, it would be in a medium in which voltswagon already has presence in.
[...] I’ve had very memorable (both good and bad) with my service providers and I am going to give you a quick run down of what happened and what I did to get better customer service from them. In some cases it was successful and in some others it wasn’t. I will look at AT&T, United and Minted. I recommend you look at the United story for things you can do. This is beyond social media. [...]