United Breaks Guitars

All images in this post belong to Dave Carroll & were taken from Dave's website

Apparently I'm not the only one tired of being screwed by companies or organizations, and not being able to do anything about it.

I was watching The View (see below) last Thursday - a rare occurrence for me. I wasn't really paying attention because I was doing other things - but then I heard them talking to this guy about a broken guitar, which caught my attention. (Wix, the middle son, is learning to play the guitar.) It turns out the guy was Dave Carroll, of sons of Maxwell. Apparently I've been under my rock again, because I seem to have been the only person who hasn't heard of Dave or his United Airlines experience. To sum up the situation, Sons of Maxwell were on their way to Nebraska for a gig. While at Chicago O'Hare Airport, another passenger said the flight attendants were throwing guitars. Knowing his guitar had been checked, he immediately got a sick feeling in his stomach - and sure enough, his guitar was broken. He tried to settle with United, but was unsuccessful. CBS spoke with Dave, and the interview can be heard here.

You can also read the story in Dave Carroll's own words, by visiting his website.

Dave gave United a deadline in which to settle the issue. Dave had warned United he was going to write 3 songs - and produce 3 videos - about his experience if they did not fix the issue within a six month time frame. However, United ignored the problem - and did nothing to resolve Dave's complaints. True to his word, write a song he did...in fact, he's written two of them to date, with a third in the works. After the popularity of Dave's song became apparent, United offered compensation - but Dave said it was too late. In a feeble attempt to save their image (and based on Dave's request), United contributed funds to some music foundations - but the damage had been done. Dave made his point very succinctly - and humorously. The response to his video, which cost him $150 to make, has been phenomenal. Taylor Guitars, the makers of the guitar broken by United, even got involved.

You can hear more about the story on YouTube, but since his first song is so amazing, I'm posting a link to it here. If you aren't familiar with the song, you've got to check it out. You can do that below. Trust me - you won't be sorry you did. You'll wish you had come up with the idea - and want Dave on your side the next time you get screwed by a large organization, like the travel industry.

Way to go, Dave - thanks for standing up for what's right. I can't think of a better way to get your point across!

 xx,

Promos In A Snap Review

This post is a long time coming. Mostly because I'm a dork. Ok, totally because I'm a dork.

January 29, 2009 - yes, almost exactly one year ago - I won a blog contest for 50 really cute stickers. The stickers could be two different designs - and would be professionally printed by Promos In A Snap. I had never heard of Promos In A Snap prior to this contest, but was instantly smitten with their adorable products. I worked with Maree (the owner of the now defunct blog) to design the stickers, then went on about my life.

custom printed button choices

While digging through my spam folder in November, I came across the emails Maree and I had shared - and it dawned on me that we never completed the giveaway. I wrote to Maree, who was very sweet, and then to Crystal, the owner of Promos In A Snap. Even though it had been a really long time, Crystal agreed to honor the giveaway and ship the stickers. I was totally shocked - she was not under any obligation to fulfill the prize and to be honest, I don't know that I was expecting her to when I contacted her.

I received the stickers soon after in the mail - and I have to say, I'm really, really happy with them. They are darling! Professionally printed, the graphics are awesome. They look like they were printed by a large company - and rival anything a "professional printing" company could do. Kinko's has nothing on Promos In A Snap!

The adhesive is also nice. Not too sticky, but sticky enough. I'm not worried they will fall off any type of paper - they adhere securely but aren't obnoxiously sticky. I can't stand the adhesives that grab anything and everything, without giving you a chance to place the item where you want it. There's no worry of that happening with these - but you will be confident in the adhesive. It may also help that the stickers arrive on a slick background, cut into individual squares. The stickers are also a nice size, at about 2" in diameter.

custom 3"x3" full color product tags

Crystal has so many other awesome products to advertise your business - or just make your life easier. From custom printed notepads to custom address stickers, and double sided business cards to buttons, Promos In A Snap has you covered. The prices are extremely competitive - you can order 100 full-color product labels, at a whopping 3"x3" size for a mere $20...and 2 custom 3"x3" notepads - with 50 sheets each - are $10.

Promos In A Snap has earned The Queen's Seal of Approval - for fantastic products, fair pricing, A+ customer service, and honoring an almost year-old giveaway. Whether you need to begin building a brand for your company, have to replace business cards, want to launch an advertising campaign, make your business  stand out from the others with clever advertising, or just need some address stickers or notepads for around the house, give Promos In A Snap a try. You will find them more than able to meet your needs and provide you with a succesful image you can be proud of.

xx,