We all know that customer complaints spread faster and farther than customer compliments. But I have to admit my astonishment when a relatively minor horror story that happened to me ended up on NBC Nightly News, on the front page of USA Today and in newspapers ranging from The Cincinnati Enquirer to The Peninsula in, of all places, Qatar.

To avoid having to go through the hassle of getting copyright clearance to record an incident from my own life, here's a paraphrase of the way the incident appeared in The London Times.

Author, Barry Maher speaks and trains on topics like leadership, communication, management, motivation and sales. On April Fool's Day last year, he flew across America from California to Virginia to give a presentation on customer service.

The airline, Delta, surpassed itself, losing his luggage first on the outward leg and on the return trip as well.

Arriving late the night before his presentation, Mr. Maher waited fruitlessly at the luggage carousel at Roanoke airport in Virginia. His laptop and presentation notes were in his carry-on. But the missing bags contained the clothes he was to wear for the presentation the next day along with copies of his books to autograph for the attendees.