That's deliberate. It's cheaper. If they don't let their customer service agents have any autonomy, then they don't have to hire for things like 'judgement' an

That's deliberate. It's cheaper. If they don't let their customer service agents have any autonomy, then they don't have to hire for things like 'judgement' and can just throw warm bodies in a chair, which makes people easy to replace and cheap to employ. It also prevents your cheapness from causing issues; if you hire decent people and rely on them, then it causes issues if those people leave en masse or start siding with your customers over you. "Sure, Mrs. Johnson, I'll forgive last month's bill; they don't pay enough managers to check and I'm quitting tomorrow what do I care?"