Wait Times, Bad Chatbots, Outsourced Reps—It's All Deliberate

Bigfoot vs. Customer Service Hell – Why Everything is Broken Customer service used to be a feature. Now it's a weapon. In this episode of The Bigfoot Manifesto, host Dave Pederson is joined by Jared Lerner, the creator of Customer Service Hell, a website documenting the most infuriating, absurd, and soul-crushing customer service experiences of modern capitalism. Jared has spent nearly two decades working in client-facing tech roles, and he's seen firsthand how customer service has shifted from human support to intentional obstruction. Together, Dave and Jared break down why customer service feels worse than ever—and why that's not an accident. We dig into: How long hold times, bad phone trees, and AI chatbots are designed to make you give up Why airlines, telecoms, Big Tech, and travel platforms are the worst offenders How outsourcing, underpaid workers, and executive decisions fuel the problem Why bad customer service has become a cost-cutting strategy, not a failure And how documenting these stories is the first step toward accountability Bigfoot may be elusive, but at least people are still looking for him. Good customer service, on the other hand, has practically gone extinct. 👉 Check out Jared's site and contribute your own horror story: Customer Service Hell https://www.customerservicehell.com/ Takeaway: Bad customer service isn't just annoying—it's a symptom of a system that prioritizes profits over people. And sometimes, the only way to survive that system is to laugh at just how broken it's become. Progressive politics. Cryptid metaphors. Corporate nonsense exposed. Welcome back to The Bigfoot Manifesto.