To get a live person when calling a support number, I use tricks like pressing zero even if it’s not given as a choice, or doing nothing to make the system think that I don’t have touch tone phone.

50+ Hacks and Tips to Get to a Real Person at Any Corporation in 10 Seconds or Less has some clever ones I’ve never thought of before, like:

• Choose the Spanish option, which often has a shorter wait time, and you’ll probably be connected with a bilingual person.
• Press everything. By pressing multiple numbers, you can trick systems into thinking you’re on a rotary phone or that you’re crazy. Either way, you’re in.

The article also has links to some good resources, like 800-numbers.net and Gethuman.com.