Use the representative's name and just be patient. Another easy way to get someone on your side during a customer service interaction - ask them for advice. What would you do in my situation?

I know I'll fold as soon as a customer representative says they can't help me, and I feel like I've lost before even trying. But there is a way to actually get what you want when you're calling ...

Of the roughly 3 million customer service agents in the U.S., about 1.2 million exit those jobs every year, and abusive customers are a key reason.

A 47-year-old customer-service representative for Southwest Airlines says it's been a challenge. They've worked there since 2008 and the airline pays them $30 an hour.

On the other end of that music is a customer-service rep with a line of callers that never lets up. “We power through it,” laughed Daphne Cervantes, a customer-service rep at Freshly, a meal ...