I recently had to call an insurance company to try and get a refund that a statement said was owed to me.  In truth, it was an accounting error and they actually didn’t owe me anything, and I could hear the fear in Melissa’s voice as she told me that I wasn’t, in fact, owed thousands of dollars.

When you call customer service, and you get bad news, there is a tendency to shoot the messenger and shout and scream, and demand compensation for your frustration.  You can let go of taking any personal responsibility and just hope that by shouting loud enough, you’ll be heard.

On the other end of the phone, there’s someone who is underpaid for the sheer volume of emotional labor that they do.  They probably will lose compensation by acquiescing your demands, and it is likely that they had almost nothing to do with the reason you’re upset.

Shouting and raising Hell might get you what you want.  But what’s the cost?