I agree with this. I am generally not a direct or assertive person, but when it comes to issues of customer service I strongly dislike the asynchronous aspect o

I agree with this. I am generally not a direct or assertive person, but when it comes to issues of customer service I strongly dislike the asynchronous aspect of most computer based communication. Online chat wouldn't qualify as asynchronous, I suppose, but the one experience I had with it (ordering internal parts for a malfunctioning HP laptop) involved an agent replying once every 7-10 minutes -- one time it was so slow that I actually left for lunch before getting a response. Waiting 10 minutes to get a very clearly cut and paste answer does not give one happy customer service feelings. So yeah, for me a quick phone call (even if I have to have the phone on mute for 10 minutes while I wait for a person) wins out over the new (cheaper) ways of communicating.