I remember calling Capital One last year and finding it absolutely impossible to get a live person on the line to answer my question about my credit card account. No matter which option I chose, I was stuck in voice mail hell. I finally gave up and used their online customer support to reach them. But that doesn't work for everyone.

Case in point: Yesterday my Internet connection went down for several hours. I found a phone number in my old fashioned phone book and called Comcast, my Internet service provider. After pressing numerous buttons to answer questions about myself and my "needs" I got routed to a voice mail message that told me to try unplugging my modem or rebooting (I had already done that). When I chose the option to "press two to speak with a customer support agent," I got the same message again..

I won't bore you with the details, but I finally reached someone hours later, only to discover I needed to call my computer guy in to fix the problem. Although it turned out my connection problem wasn't Comcast's fault -- it was a recent upgrade in my anti-virus software that created the issue -- I wasn't happy that it took me hours of trying to get through to Comcast to diagnose the problem.

What I should have done is found a way around the system. Here are three websites that can help you do that:

Bypass IVR Cheat Sheet
GetHuman.com and
NoPhoneTress.com

Today I decided to try all three to see how they could have helped me with Comcast -- had I been able to get online!

GetHuman and the Cheat Sheet both had the same advice:
Press * at each prompt, ignoring messages. It worked and I got through quickly.

One tip: If you use the GetHuman "Cheat," be sure to click on the name of the company afterward so you can report whether it worked and how long it took to get through to someone.

Small complaint: GetHuman's listings are arranged by category. Comcast is listed under US TV/Satellite but not under Internet, which would be a simple fix. A search field or comprehensive alphabetical listing on the site would be an added benefit.

NoPhoneTress.com is operated by a company called Bringo. You find the company you want to talk with, then you enter your phone number and moments later get a verification call. Then you wait for a phone call back to connect you. A half hour later, I am still waiting.

By the way, when I called Capital One recently I noticed they seem to have improved their phone system, relatively speaking. This time I was able to talk directly to someone (after "answering some questions," of course). Still it would be a lot more pleasant if companies took the example of Southwest Airlines and just answered their phones!