I agree with this. There are websites that list all the undocumented ways to reach a human for many companies and government organizations but even that can be

I agree with this. There are websites that list all the undocumented ways to reach a human for many companies and government organizations but even that can become exhausting and daunting. Those sites may have trouble staying current. Even if one gets past the phone trees there are the issues of under-staffing. The current wait time for the CA FTB is 4 hours. My cell coverage is not good enough to stay on hold for that long. My personal solution while a bit heavy handed was to move from one of the most populated states to one of the least populated states. There are drawbacks but most of the time when I call a number I reach a real person and no phone tree. Of the two phone trees I came across I was able to reach a real person within seconds. Oh and not just a real person but a real friendly, polite and respectful person. I still occasionally run into an org that is understaffed but they are always willing to go out of their way for someone that is polite to them. This solution is probably not for everyone.