Imagine losing access to your Facebook account and spending the next four years trying to get it back.
You start with the Help Center, follow the recovery instructions, and answer the questions about your account. When that doesn’t work, you look for another way to contact Facebook. Maybe there’s a telephone number somewhere, an email address, or a chat option where you can explain what’s happening.
You search Google, watch YouTube videos from people who claim they’ve figured out how to reach support, and read discussions from other users with similar problems. Occasionally, you find a promising link, only to discover that it takes you back to the same Help Center where you started.
Facebook is one of the biggest technology companies in the world. They know what we like, what we watch, who we’re friends with, and probably more about our habits than we’d care to admit. But try finding a telephone number or an email address where you can explain a problem to an actual person.
And it’s not just Facebook. I’ve run into similar problems with other companies, spending more time trying to reach someone than actually dealing with the issue.
So how did we get here?
When Did Customer Service Become So Hard to Find?
When I’ve needed help with certain paid Google business services, I’ve been able to reach someone pretty quickly. But with other Google products, I’ve spent more time trying to find someone to contact than actually dealing with the problem.
And I know my way around a website. I’ve searched through Google’s Help Center, followed links, and looked for a phone number or live chat option. Depending on the product, you might find a contact form, a community forum, or instructions that send you right back to where you started.
It makes me wonder whether customer service is becoming something you have to pay for.
I understand companies can’t provide the same level of support to everyone, especially when millions use their products for free. But Google also makes money from those users, even without a monthly subscription.
So where does that leave the average customer who just needs help with something?
The Technology That Was Supposed to Make Things Easier
A patient needs an updated medical form from her doctor’s office. She’s told it’s available in the patient portal, but when she logs in, she can’t find it. She sends a message explaining the problem, only to be directed back to the same portal she’s already checked.
She decides to call the office, but first has to get through an automated system that keeps offering instructions for accessing medical records online. Nearly half an hour later, she finally reaches someone who can help.
She actually likes her doctor and is happy with the care she receives. She just needs a document, and what should have been a simple request has turned into an unnecessary hassle.
I’ve experienced similar situations, and I wonder how much of this is really making things easier for customers. Don’t get me wrong, I love technology. Scheduling appointments, paying bills, and handling things online is convenient. But when something goes wrong, finding a real person to help shouldn’t be this hard.
According to a 2026 Gartner survey, half of customers said generative AI made service interactions easier, but 87 percent still wanted access to a human representative.
In July 2026, Gartner also found that customers were about three times more likely to use outside AI tools than a company’s own chatbot when seeking customer service help.
So we’re at a point where people are using AI to figure out how to get help from companies that are already using AI to provide it.
When Nobody Owns the Problem
Fred filed his Maryland income tax return in August and received confirmation in September that his $2,439 refund had been approved. By late October, he still hadn’t received the money.
He’d called the Comptroller’s Office several times, submitted inquiries through the online portal, and even opened a case trying to get answers. Each time, someone acknowledged his request or referred him to another department, but nobody could tell him when he’d receive his refund.
And it’s not like Fred could take his business somewhere else. What was he supposed to do, move to Virginia?
I’ve experienced something similar with private companies. Back in July, I wrote Hertz, We Need to Talk about an experience at a rental location where I’d been a regular customer. Hertz contacted me on July 14 and requested additional information to investigate the complaint. It’s now late October, and I still haven’t received a resolution.
Then there’s AT&T. Earlier this year, I canceled service for a business I’d closed, but the bills kept coming. During one conversation, I mentioned filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and the representative said they weren’t worried about it. I wasn’t expecting them to panic over a BBB complaint, but I certainly didn’t expect that response either.
And apparently, plenty of people are having similar experiences. The 2025 National Customer Rage Survey found that 77 percent of Americans experienced a product or service problem during the previous year. Among those who complained on social media about their worst problem, 43 percent said the company never responded.
So what happens when you’ve followed every instruction, contacted every department, and still can’t get someone to resolve the problem?
What Happens When Customers Give Up?
Have you ever spent so much time trying to resolve a problem that you finally decided it wasn’t worth the trouble? Maybe it was an incorrect charge, a refund that never arrived, or a service you canceled but kept getting billed for. After enough phone calls and unanswered messages, sometimes you just move on.
But I’ve wondered whether companies actually benefit when customers give up.
Take a hypothetical company spending $10 million a year on customer service. They introduce automation, cut staffing, and reduce that expense to $6 million. Some customers get frustrated and leave, costing the company $1 million in lost business.
The company still comes out $3 million ahead.
Now, I’m not suggesting companies are intentionally making customer service difficult. But if reducing service expenses saves more money than losing dissatisfied customers costs, where’s the incentive to improve?
According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, customer satisfaction in America hasn’t materially improved since 2017. And given how difficult it can be to switch banks, internet providers, or even social media platforms, it’s not surprising that some customers stay with companies they’re unhappy with.
Maybe losing a few thousand unhappy customers isn’t nearly as expensive as keeping everyone satisfied.
Did COVID Change the Rules?
Remember when COVID hit and suddenly everything had to be done online? Restaurants pushed mobile ordering, doctors expanded virtual appointments, and businesses started directing customers to websites and apps instead of answering the phone.
Some of those changes were great. But how many businesses discovered they could operate differently, with fewer employees handling certain tasks, and never went back?
The pandemic also created behind-the-scenes problems. According to McKinsey’s 2022 customer care research, 61 percent of surveyed customer service leaders reported increasing call volumes, while nearly half reported higher employee turnover.
And the staffing problems haven’t necessarily gone away. Gallup’s 2026 research found that 37 percent of employees identified staffing as the biggest obstacle to providing excellent service. While 43 percent felt a strong personal responsibility for customer experience, only 23 percent strongly believed their companies consistently delivered on their promises.
So maybe some of the employees we’re frustrated with are just as frustrated with the companies they work for.
Having run a business for years, I understand both sides. Customers aren’t always easy to satisfy, and employees don’t always have the answers. But there’s a difference between not being able to solve someone’s problem and not trying to help.
COVID didn’t create the customer service crisis, but it changed how businesses and customers interact. And many of those changes have stuck.
Are We Measuring the Wrong Things?
Remember when a bad Google review could really get a business’s attention? Customers knew that if they couldn’t get a problem resolved, they could share their experience publicly, and other people would see it.
But businesses have gotten smarter about managing their online reputations.
Take Twin Peaks in Doral. When the restaurant first opened, it had some negative reviews and a relatively low Google rating. Over time, the rating improved, and employees began encouraging customers to leave reviews. There’s nothing wrong with asking satisfied customers to share their experiences, but it shows how businesses can influence their ratings simply by getting more people to participate.
Encouraging real customers to leave reviews is one thing. Buying fake reviews or creating misleading testimonials is something else entirely. In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission adopted a rule targeting those deceptive practices.
So what happens when a customer leaves a legitimate negative review, but a business can bury it under hundreds of positive ones, whether those reviews are genuine or not?
The complaint is still there. It’s just a lot harder to notice.
For years, online reviews gave customers a way to hold businesses accountable when traditional customer service failed. But as companies become better at managing their reputations, it’s worth asking whether that leverage is disappearing too.
Some Companies Still Understand
Not every company has forgotten how to provide good customer service. Expedia has generally been helpful when I’ve had issues with travel arrangements, and I’ve had good experiences with SIXT Rent a Car. However, reaching a specific SIXT location by phone can still be a challenge.
Other companies are getting recognized for it, too. H-E-B, Edward Jones, USAA, Patagonia, and Costco were among the highest-ranked US businesses in KPMG’s 2025–2026 customer experience research.
So clearly, good customer service hasn’t disappeared. Some companies still make it a priority, even as costs rise, staffing gets harder, and technology changes how businesses operate.
And AI could actually make things better. Imagine calling a company and not having to explain your problem to three different people. Or getting an update without calling back every few days. The technology to make those experiences possible is becoming more accessible.
The question is whether companies will use it to improve customer service or simply reduce what they spend providing it.
When Did Customer Service Become Optional?
We depend on companies like Facebook, Google, and AT&T for work, communication, entertainment, and so much more. Some of us have spent years building accounts, relationships, and businesses around them.
And when something goes wrong, walking away isn’t always that simple.
A small business might feel the impact of losing a handful of customers. But what about a company with millions, or even billions, of users? How much pressure does it really feel when a few thousand people are unhappy?
If a company can keep growing, making money, and attracting new customers while becoming increasingly hard to reach, what will make it change?
Editor’s note: Some characters and situations are fictionalized to illustrate customer service experiences inspired by real events. Research findings and company statements are attributed to their respective sources.
