Today's New York Times article, Customer Service: The Hunt for a Human, relates the frustration that many consumers feel when trying to contact an actual corporate consumer contact person.

According to the article, many people try to outwit automated phone systems by pressing zero, yet still fail to reach an operator. But some savvy consumers have learned that pressing zero multiple times will patch you through. Another individual was able to reach a company president directly when he pressed the star key and was presented with a company directory.

But what about when you can't locate a company's phone number at all? Try the government-run The Consumer Action Website's directory of corporations, with many phone numbers for customer service, along with e-mail and Web addresses. Definitely work bookmarking!