The danger is when you give people too much “power” – a valid claim can soon become a witch hunt, and no-one wins there. Then business gets held to ransom by people with agendas (and I'm not saying Carroll has/had one in this case) and soon we don't need customer service because we're at the hands of customer blackmail.

As Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li explained in “Groundswell,” the balance of power is shifting. Companies have attempted to marginalize, ignore, or muzzle customers for years. In a dispute, the customer was most often outgunned and took the financial hit. The groundswell levels the playing field, and companies that ignore it — or think a customer service problem is not a social media problem — are putting their profits and reputations at risk.

http://sethsimonds.com/business-response-to-soc...

Speaking of Mr. Carroll, I think he's basking in the limelight just a little too eagerly. Any sympathy I had for his plight is quickly disappearing with each video message he comes out with.

I'd go with Chuck in that this isn't a social media issue. The original complaint began long before Carroll made his Youtube videos. So I'd say that the real issue here is United's lack of response to a physical as opposed to virtual complaint. After all, they did reply when Carroll started his viral tirade, so they were listening from that point of view.

The top of the organization has no idea what's going on in the bottom half and it's too easy to justify passing the buck the further you are from ultimate accountability.

I don't know that there's an easy fix for that problem, but they need to figure it out because if a company won't hold themselves accountable, their customers will.

Great post!

I have a new catchphrase for this: “Failure is viral.”

Losing you as a loyal customer may cost a few hundred dollars. Your influence over friends probably costs a company a few thousand dollars. That scenario played out over and over can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. And if the root of the problem is a feeble commitment to customer service, it causes companies to go bankrupt.