Take the Canadian folk singer, Dave Carroll. After nine months of complaining he had had enough.

United Airlines baggage handlers had damaged his $3,500 guitar, but the airline refused to pay compensation and its customer service agents were less than courteous.

So he made a music video about the experience and on 6 July 2009 posted it on YouTube. Within three days it had been watched half a million times; by mid-August it had reached five million.

United had a massive public relations crisis at its hands, not least as thousands of other unhappy customers now came forward to vent their frustration.

These days one witty tweet, one clever blog post, one devastating video – forwarded to hundreds of friends at the click of a mouse – can snowball and kill a product or damage a company’s share price.

Song Lyrics

I ……….. United Airlines on my way to Nebraska
The plane …………., Halifax, …………….. in Chicago’s “O’Hare”.
While on the ground, a passenger ………… from the seat behind me,
“My God, they’re ……………… guitars out there”

The band and I ……………… a look, best described as terror
At the action on the tarmac, and ……………whose projectiles these would be
So before I ……….. Chicago, I alerted three employees
Who showed complete indifference towards me

United… (United…)
You broke  my Taylor Guitar
United… (United…)
Some big help you are

You ………….. it, you …………. fix it
You’re liable, just admit it
I should’ve flown with someone else
Or ………….. by car

‘Cause United breaks guitars.

When we ………….. in Nebraska, I …………….. what I’d suspected
My Taylor’d been the victim of a vicious act of malice at O’Hare

So …………….. a year long saga, of “Pass the buck”, “Don’t ask me”, and “I’m sorry, sir, your claim can go no where”.
So to all the airlines people, from New York to New Deli
Including kind Ms. Irlweg, who says the final word from them is “no”.

I …………… all your excuses,
And I’ve chased your wild gooses
And this attitude of yours, I say, must go

United… (United…)
You broke my Taylor Guitar
United… (United…)
Some big help you are

You broke  it, you should fix it
You’re  liable, just admit it
I should’ve ………… with someone else
Or gone by car

‘Cause United breaks guitars.

Well, I ………… say that I’ll never fly with you again,
‘Cause, maybe, to save the world, I probably would,
But that won’t likely happen,
And if it did, I …………… bring my luggage
‘Cause you’d just go and break it,
Into a thousand pieces,
Just like you broke my heart

When United breaks guitars.

United… (United…)
You broke my Taylor Guitar
United… (United…)
Some big help you are

You broke it, you should fix it
You’re liable, just admit it
I should’ve flown with someone else
Or gone by car

‘Cause United breaks guitars.