07 Jul Revenge: United Breaks Guitars

In the spring of 2008, the Halifax group Sons of Maxwell headed out on a one-week tour of Nebraska. They flew United Airlines from Halifax to Omaha, with a connection in Chicago. While waiting to deplane at O’Hare, band members heard a woman behind them cry out, “My God, they’re throwing guitars out there!” They watched helplessly as ground crew pitched their instruments recklessly across the tarmac. Before boarding the next  flight, the band took all the steps normal people would to report the abuse, only to be shunned by every United employee they encountered.

Once in Omaha, band member Dave Carroll discovered the peghead of his $3,500 Taylor 710 six-string had had been smashed. For nine months, he pursued a damage claim, only to be stiffed by United employees with every imaginable Catch-22. So he promised the last United rep to slam the door on compensation, one Ms. Irlweg, that he would write and produce a song trilogy about his experience, complete with videos for all the world to view on YouTube. United Breaks Guitars is the first installment.

Read a detailed version of Carroll’s travails with United here.

Hat tip: Emmy Alcorn.