[SoftTalker]

Yes, companies which have real customer service will in theory have a competitive advantage over companies which have a voice response system that hangs up on the customer.

What often happens though, is that consumers go with the lowest price above all other considerations. Then they get the hard lesson in "you get what you pay for."

It's the same reason that air travel is so awful. You'd think that one or more of the airlines would compete on comfort and service, but that's impossible when travelers go to Expedia and overwhelmingly pick the flight with the lowest price.

I personally don't pay rock bottom for insurance, and I have an agent I can call and talk to without any intervening voice menus. A human in a local office answers the phone.

[bmitc]

You pay health insurance out of pocket? I was referring to my medical insurance provided by my company.

I in general try to speak with my wallet, so to speak, but it’s like posting into the ocean. And with some things, like mail and shipping services, there are no options.