2310: United Breaks Guitars

Airports are frustrating places. Blinking lights of DELAYED or CANCELLED crush all hope that travelers have for a smooth journey to wherever they are going. Many people will tell you about the nights they spent curled up in a hard, plastic chair with an inflatable pillow because flights were delayed for rain, sleet, snow, or hurricane conditions. But in all fairness, the airline companies have no control over Mother Nature’s unpredictable patterns. Therefore, airline companies should not be blamed for people’s unbearable, sleepless nights they have spent in airports.
However, what should be done about the customer service given to clients? Specifically in the case regarding Dave Carroll? He was a customer who chose United, and had his $3,400 guitar damaged in the process. He tried to make a claim, but after a nine month process his claim was denied. What was the problem in this case? Could things have been handled more effectively?
To me, the problem isn’t that baggage handlers were rough in handling a guitar, it was everything that happened after the fact. The flight attendants who ignored him and told him it wasn’t their problem, and the run around he received from the company, are the real root of the problem.
On their website, United says, “In the air and on the ground, online and on the telephone, our customers have the right to expect — to demand — respect, courtesy, fairness and honesty from the airline they have selected for travel. “ From his perspective and the perspective of others, Dave Carroll was not receiving any sort of respect. So after nine months of trying to get respect from the company, he decided to try a different approach. I wonder what the outcome would have been if one person was helpful and actually tried to find a solution to the problem. I find it interesting to read their “Customer Commitments,” but then to read someone’s real life experience with the company. When there is such a large discrepancy between the two, I think something needs to change. This is often where a PR professional would be needed or utilized. The company has a philosophy and ideal, but the involved public is not seeing it practiced in everyday interactions. If the company wants to stay in business and be successful, I think this needs to be evaluated and fixed.
Often, the company really can’t do anything about the problem. There are liability laws and legal loop holes that protect them from having to fix the problem. However, if they really wanted to live up to their motto and standard, they would try to find a way to compensate the loss that Dave Carroll experienced. They would also do so in a timely manner, and not drag it out for nine months.
On their website, it also says, “Our Customer Relations representatives have one goal: to acknowledge customer questions and complaints and provide prompt resolution. We will follow-up within 30 days and provide an answer or resolution, or information about next steps in the resolution process.” Dave Carroll says that each time he tried to reach the company it took about a month or longer. They may have been following the 30 day policy, but they didn’t give helpful information to help solve the problem. It just sent him in circles back to where he was before. Also, the customer relations representative that he dealt with didn’t seem to have the goal of providing prompt resolution. When he first contacted one representative, she said she didn’t even know how she could help him, or why someone directed him her way.
In all of this, I understand that Dave Carroll wanted something that probably wasn’t realistically possible. No large, corporate company wants to dish out $3400 for a new guitar, or even $1200 to cover the damage costs. At the same time, I don’t think they like to see their stock drop 10% causing their shareholders to lose $180 million dollars, which was the result of Dave Carroll writing a song about his experience and posting it on YouTube.