Grab your brew, because this one is a masterclass in how not to treat your customers.

We’re talking about Dave Carroll, a Canadian singer songwriter who watched his guitar get manhandled by United Airlines baggage handlers back in 2008. He did what any reasonable person would do. He complained. He filled in the forms. He followed the process. And United did what United did best at the time… absolutely nothing.

Thanks to a tidy little 24 hour reporting rule, his claim was denied. Case closed. Or so they thought.

Instead of shouting into the void, Dave picked up another guitar and wrote a song. Then he made a music video. “United Breaks Guitars” landed online in 2009 and went properly viral, racking up over 23 million views and becoming a global case study in reputation damage.

The fallout was brutal. All because one customer wasn’t listened to.

We unpack why this story still matters, how quickly bad customer experiences can spiral when content meets the internet, and why ignoring a complaint can cost far more than fixing the problem ever would.

It’s funny, painful, and wildly instructive.

About Simon and Danielle:

Simon and Danielle are both business owners, based in the East Midlands, who met through mutual business contacts and who share a love of all things business.

Simon runs Skylight Media – Award-winning experts in Website Design, E-commerce & Marketing running since 2003.

Danielle runs Goldspun Support – a multi-faceted support service for fractional directors and small business owners across the globe, running since 2009.

Since they first met Simon and Danielle have spent a ridiculous amount of time talking about the subjects that interest them – usually over a drink in the pub – and they decided that now was the time to bring these conversations to a wider audience and invite them to join the chat.

Both Simon and Danielle are successful business owners in their own rights with big plans for the future but will never lose their love of talking all things business… and the pub.