United Breaks Guitars
Fuming about mishandled baggage? Singing's the best revenge. When Canadian country singer Dave Carroll found his $3,500 guitar smashed after a 2008 United flight, he tried to navigate the company's layers of bureaucracy, only to see his $1,200 claim get denied because he didn't file through the proper channels. So in July, Carroll made a music video to chronicle the absurdity, with a scathing refrain: "Should have flown with someone else or gone by car/ 'Cause United breaks guitars." The video was quickly seen by millions and "struck a chord" (United's words) with the airline's p.r. department, getting Carroll compensation at last. But the twist? Carroll kept flying United, only to have the company lose one of his bags during an October trip to Colorado. Fortunately, Carroll already had a sequel all queued up.