Ever feel like customer service used to be better? You’re not imagining things.
These days, calling a company for help often means dealing with long wait times, frustrating automated systems, and representatives who seem either undertrained or just plain indifferent. That is, if they even have a phone number where you can reach them. It can feel as though the company designed the process to be so cumbersome that customers will just give up.
It’s enough to make anyone wonder: Why is customer service so bad now?
Well, there are a few big reasons, and if you’ve been feeling frustrated lately, you’re definitely not alone. Let’s break it down.
One of the biggest reasons customer service has gone downhill? Money. A lot of businesses treat customer support as an expense rather than an investment, so they cut costs wherever they can. That means:
- Fewer employees. Ever wonder why the hold times are so long? There just aren’t enough people to answer the phones. Employees cost money, and more employees means lower profits.
- Outsourcing. A lot of support teams are based overseas, and while that’s not necessarily bad, companies often prioritize lower wages over quality training. Add to it the cultural differences, and bad outcomes for the consumer are often the result.
- Shorter support hours. Remember when you could call a company at almost any time and reach a human? Now, many businesses only take calls during limited hours, making it even harder to get help. That is, if they offer human support in the first place.
Instead of focusing on making customers happy, a lot of companies are more interested in making their shareholders happy—and unfortunately, that often means skimping on customer support.
Phone Frustrations
Don’t you just love getting stuck in an endless loop of “Press 1 for this, Press 2 for that. Please wait, your call is important to us.”? Yeah, me neither.
Automation has made customer service more efficient for companies, but not necessarily better for customers. Chatbots, automated phone menus, and self-service portals are great for quick, simple questions, but they’re awful when you have a more complicated issue.
For example, if you need to dispute a charge or explain a unique situation, chances are the bot won’t understand. You’ll end up yelling “REPRESENTATIVE” into your phone while the system tells you, “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”
What’s even worse? Some companies make it nearly impossible to reach a human at all. They want you to give up and stop asking for help. After all, they probably already have your money.
Customer Service Jobs Are Awful
Customer service jobs are tough. They’re stressful, usually low-paying, and often thankless. Because of that, there’s a huge turnover rate—meaning the person helping you is either brand new, overworked, or both. Who wants a job where they get yelled at by strangers all day?
Ever had a customer service rep seem completely clueless? That’s probably because they haven’t been there long enough to really know what they’re doing. And when companies don’t invest in training, it only makes things worse.
On top of that, many customer service workers deal with angry customers all day long. After getting yelled at for hours, it’s hard to blame them for sounding a little detached. It’s a vicious cycle—frustrated customers, burned-out employees, and companies that don’t seem to care. Companies know and accept this, and all too often, their attitude is “if you don’t like it, work somewhere else.” Many employees do just that, and in turn, that leads to new people who aren’t as proficient as the experienced who they are replacing.
Self-Service Isn’t Much Better Than Talking To People
A lot of companies now push “self-service” options, where you’re supposed to solve your own problem using their website, app, or chatbot.
Sometimes, that’s fine—like if you just need to reset a password or check your account balance. But what if you need to talk to an actual person? Too bad. Google is infamous for this, as is Facebook. Good luck getting someone who lives and breathes to pick up a phone and assist you.
Airlines are just as bad. Used to be, you could call and easily rebook a flight. Now, they make you go through an app or website, which is fine until something goes wrong—then you’re stuck in a digital nightmare, unable to get help. Time to spend three hours on a phone queue that may or may not end up with a positive result.
Not everyone is tech-savvy, and some people just prefer human interaction. But companies don’t care, because self-service saves them money.
Let’s be real: We live in an instant-gratification world. Thanks to companies like Amazon, we expect fast, smooth, no-hassle experiences everywhere.
But a lot of companies haven’t kept up. Instead of making things easier, they’ve made it harder to get help. Instead of being proactive, they’re reactive—only fixing things when people complain loudly enough.
Social media has changed things, too. Some companies care more about public complaints than private ones—so you’re more likely to get a response if you tweet angrily at them than if you actually try to reach their support team. Complain about American Airlines on X.com, for example, and you will get an immediate chatbot response directing you to send them a private message detailing your issue.
If you’ve had a terrible experience with an airline—whether it’s delays, lost luggage, or straight-up being ignored—you don’t have to just accept it. You can file a complaint with the Department of Transportation (DOT) and actually get results. Just know in advance that they don’t accept complaints about safety and security, as those two items are specifically exempted.
👉 How to do it: Go to https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/file-consumer-complaint and fill out the form. The DOT will investigate your complaint, and airlines usually respond pretty quickly when they know the government is involved.
- One traveler had their flight delayed for 12 hours with no compensation due to a “mechanical issue.” The airline offered no compensation, either in the form of refunds or even a meal voucher. They filed a DOT complaint and got a full refund plus a travel credit.
- Another passenger had their luggage lost for days. The airline refused to reimburse them, so they filed a DOT complaint—and guess what? They got every penny back.
If an airline is being shady, don’t let them get away with it—file a complaint and make some noise.
Will Customer Service Ever Improve?
Honestly? It depends.
Some companies are starting to realize that bad service hurts their reputation and bottom line. Investing in better-trained staff, offering real human support, and balancing automation with actual customer care can make a difference.
But for now, a lot of companies just don’t care unless they’re forced to. That’s why consumers need to push back—whether that means complaining publicly, filing complaints with government agencies, or simply choosing to support businesses that treat their customers well.
Because at the end of the day, companies only improve customer service when they realize that bad service is costing them money.
So if you’re tired of bad service, don’t just accept it—fight back. Stand up for yourself and insist on getting what you spent your hard-earned dollars on. In the meantime, let’s hope businesses wake up and remember that keeping customers happy is actually good for business.
