(MYFOX NATIONAL) - A man singing about how baggage handlers broke his guitar is becoming the poster child for anyone who has ever experienced frustration with the airline industry.
Dave Carroll made a music video called " United Breaks Guitars " after he said the airline mishandled his guitar and broke it. The video, posted on YouTube, is quickly becoming a viral sensation, registering over 168,000 hits as of Wednesday afternoon since being posted on July 6.
Carroll tells the story of his experience with United through clever lyrics and a catchy tune on his blog . While waiting to deplane a United flight in Chicago to connect with another to Omaha, Neb., Carroll and his band, Sons of Maxwell, noticed the baggage handlers throwing their guitars off the plane. Carroll's $3,500 710 Taylor was one of the victims.
Carroll said he tried to tell three flight attendants who showed little concern. When he arrived in Omaha, he found that the base of his guitar had been smashed.
After six months of complaining to United -- which included numerous e-mails and even calls to an 800 number in India -- a United representative named Ms. Irlweg e-mailed Carroll and said they would not pay for the damages. But instead of getting angry, Carroll got inspired.
"In my final reply to Ms. Irlweg, I told her that I would be writing three songs about United Airlines and my experience in the whole matter," Carroll wrote on his blog. "I would then make videos for these songs and offer them for free download online, inviting viewers to vote on their favorite United song. My goal: to get one million hits in one year."
Carroll said the video for "United: Song 2" is currently being shot and hopes to release it by the end of the summer.
"[United has] given me a creative outlet that has brought people together from around the world," Carroll wrote.
The video has finally made United think twice. "This has struck a chord with us, and we've contacted [Carroll] directly to make it right," United said in a Twitter post .
As for whether United is really that bad when it comes to baggage handling, the Los Angeles Times reports that a U.S. Department of Transportation tally found that United ranks 10th among 19 carriers for lost, delayed or damaged baggage. The airline had 13,517 "baggage reports" among 4.03 million passengers.