Recruiting.com

It sounds like you're venting and I understand your frustration - believe me do I EVER understand it! But there's a way to make this work to your advantage. With just the right amount of simmering rage in your voice, when you DO get someone on the phone you tell them in no uncertain terms you expect them to tell you EXACTLY what you want to know, immediately, without any more transferring you to anyone else. It helps to ask their name and number upfront "just in case" we get disconnected..." Invest them in your process. It works more times than it doesn't.

The REAL problem, though is when these call center calls go to some overseas location -then you know you're lost. When you hear that distinctive overseas ring, or that distinctive overseas hollowed out accent, just hang up and start over. Then one thing I do is google the company name and look for some internal phone numbers here in the U.S. Then I start with the outrage thing again, explaining to them I know logically it's not their fault but emotionally their company is turning alot of people OFF out here in the "real" world and please please PLEASE can they help me locate...

It's a phone thing. NEVER EVER use 800 numbers. NOT ONLY do they unblock your own "perhaps" blocked number, they're more than likely to descend you into just the sort of round-robin voice mail hell you describe. Always call the non800 number when you have the choice and when you don't have the choice, look for the non800 number - it's out there somewhere!

;)