“United Breaks Guitars” – a lesson in social media and reputation management

Over the last few weeks United Airlines has learned a costly lesson on the impact of social media and what it can do to a companies reputation.

Last year a Canadian musician had a bad experience on United Airlines which resulted in his $3500 custom guitar being damaged.  When he approached United regarding this incident for a remedy he encountered several employees that were less than helpful and no one that wanted to take responsibility and compensate him for the damages.

After several months of trying for a resolution, upon being told this is the last you will hear from us on the incident he decided to share his story about the incident and poor customer service with others by posting a video on YouTube.  As of this writing this video has been viewed by over 4.3 million people and United’s stock is down 10%.

Today, it is possible for anyone to publish and share information via methods such as blogging, social networks, YouTube and other forums.  It is critical that companies monitor and watch what is being said and published about them.  It is also more important than ever that companies provide exceptional customer service.

Unfortunately, United Airlines now knows the power of Social Media and the damage that can be done.

Here is the video if you would like to see it:

SourceOne Technologies can assist you in managing your online presence so that you can leverage Social Media for your business.  To find out more contact us at 720-306-5001