Social Media Case 12

While I had not heard of Dave Carrol and the songs he wrote about the incident with United Airlines and his guitar, I have heard about United Airlines having horrible customer service. I would think that this is not a case of any press is good press, and that United Airlines could have handled the situation a lot better.

It seems like an extremely frustrating experience, and I think that Dave Carrol had a right to write those songs about his experience. He tried talking to several employees, and every one of them turned him away or said it was not their job. Everything that happened to Dave went against the corporate values the company has. They claim that “As a united United, we respect every voice, communicate openly and honestly, make decisions with facts and empathy, and celebrate our journey together.” They mishandled his luggage, did not respect what he was saying to them, were difficult to communicate with, and felt no empathy for him. That is until the backlash started coming in and they started losing money. If they make these kinds of customer service claims, they should live up to them. They could not have known that his songs would go viral, and the hate the internet would deliver. Yet if they truly want this kind of atmosphere of empathy and respect for their customers, you would think it would not be so hard to get help like it was for Dave Carrol.

You can try to make up for your mistakes, but one thing I have learned from this class is that the internet, and especially the powerful force of social media, do not forget. United Airlines has had many incidents where customers were mistreated, and it does not seem like they are trying to fix it and live up to the values they claim they have. Their twitter page is full of angry customers and complaints, and if I saw all that negativity, I could certainly choose a different airline.