A human will help you

This week's column is by Online Editor Mike Pilewski.

Is there a way to contact Google or Facebook? There is, but it's not easy to find. With no "contact us" link on the home page, it takes a lucky guess, then some digging through several levels of their websites, past lots of Frequently Asked Questions and legal information. If you look long enough and your feedback is particularly negative (a threat of litigation, for example), you might find a form you can fill in and send off into the dark void of the internet.

Or you might not. On Facebook, you have to be logged in to contact Mark Zuckerberg's employees, assuming you can contact them. Roadblocks are there to discourage you at every turn.

Most of us use the "new media" all day long, but don't have the slightest idea whom to contact or complain to about it. That's a little unsettling, given how much these companies already know about us. Of course, their services are free.

Paying for something is no guarantee of service, though. We've all had the experience of calling a doctor's office outside of opening hours or of trying to get through the voice menu ("Press 1 for this; press 2 for that") of, say, an airline. The more urgent our need, the harder it seems to be to get an actual person on the other end.

Is this what our world has come to? Maybe. Is there any point in even trying to communicate? Yes. I still try, and because I do, I've got some results.

As a private individual, not a journalist, I've written to, and received personal answers from, the author of software I use, the webmasters of two popular websites I consult, the staff of four European TV stations, and even my old senator, Rick Santorum. The length, detail and nature of the responses convinced me beyond any doubt that I was dealing with real people at the other end, that they really wanted to answer my question, and that they definitely valued my opinion. This is the way it should be done.

So at the top of this page, and every page on this website, you'll find a link to our customer-service department (Kundenservice). If you're having delivery problems or have a question about an order, call or write to them. A human will help you.

At the bottom of this page, and every page on this website, you'll find an e-mail address through which you can contact me personally about the website or about our weekly electronic newsletter.

Most pages on this website let you post comments once you've registered and logged in. (Set your browser to accept cookies first.)

In the menu on this page, and every page on this website, you'll find a link that says "Contact us". Your comments on Spotlight magazine, Spotlight Audio, Spotlight plus and Spotlight in the Classroom will go to the editor you choose. What stories did you like? Which lessons were useful to you? Which areas of grammar would you like us to offer more practice in? Tell us!

The readers' survey in the January magazine gives you the chance to tell us in more detail.

Further, you can exchange views with other readers in the Feedback section of every issue of the magazine. And why not start a discussion on our Facebook page?

Facebook? You can't really contact them, but you can contact us — in at least seven ways. I can guarantee you, in all of them, a human will be on the other end. That's how we reward your loyalty.