Customers are using technology to bring uncooperative companies to heel in a way that marks a new chapter in consumer empowerment.

The most cited example of the past year has been Dave Carroll's United Breaks Guitars campaign. This musician couldn't get any satisfaction after United broke his guitar during a flight and refused to take responsibility for their actions. So Carroll wrote a song about it and filmed a low-budget YouTube video that made United change its mind.

In a similar way, USA Today recently spotlighted a couple whose honeymoon was botched after Expedia told them they didn't need visas to enter Russia. Expedia even denied that one of its representatives gave out such advice at first. Their prescription for a remedy? The offer of a mere $100 hotel credit.

That's when the couple started blogging while stranded in Frankfurt, Germany, because of the visa issue. The couple's friends made their compelling story viral via Twitter and Facebook. Pretty soon, everybody around the world knew all about the honeymooners.

And that's when the outrage grew so loud that Expedia couldn't ignore it any longer. The company suddenly produced a record of the conversation and fessed up to its wrongdoing.

Of course, not everyone who Tweets or blogs with a gripe will get results. But it can be a great strategy if you do it with humor or have a compelling story like the honeymooners.

As Clark has always said, go guerrilla if you must to get results with giant uncaring companies!