> I've heard Google has similar issues, if the machine works, then everything is fine, until you need a human...
I have had great support via phone, chat, and email with google a number of times over the past 3 years, and I live on an island foreign to Google in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. My experience has been that if you're using a paid Google product, the support is excellent.
I have similar experience with most paid services online, so I think the point is clear - you have to be an actual customer with your payment, although it won't guarantee that you will be treated nicely as a customer, but otherwise, it's certain that you are almost always the product.
I have had great support via phone, chat, and email with google a number of times over the past 3 years, and I live on an island foreign to Google in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. My experience has been that if you're using a paid Google product, the support is excellent.