I had a critical technical problem with outbound emails from my systems. I'd configured them to send confirmation emails to new users, they had not verified my DNS setup. Without outbound email, my systems were completely down. I won't name the company because usually their service is damn fine.

I posted a tech support request for help in their forums.

I got a (slow) response from tech support.

They reply: “your config is wrong”.

I told them I know I have configured it right.

Time passes….

They reply: “your config is wrong”.

My reply "please stop saying that, I know I have configured it right".

Time passes….

Again: “your config is wrong”.

At this stage I'm going crazy. Fortunately I know someone at a very high level in this company. I emailed him "please is there anything you can do? I've been trying for a long time to get this sorted out but your tech support people keep telling me I've configured it wrong."

Within one hour, it was fixed at their end and I got an email asking if all was now ok. For the record, I did have it configured right.

If I didn't have a friend at the company I would be completely stuck. How do you get issues resolved with a company when their support system is completely failing? Most ordinary people can't email senior management and say "Hey can you please help?".

SO .... Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Google and all companies down to the smallest startups .... you NEED an ombudsman - someone who your customers can go to when the system has failed, when they need an "inside friend" who can help you out when the ordinary channels have failed.

Right now, what is the mechanism that you have in place for customers to get help when the ordinary channels have failed? Probably none,

I got stuck in a tech support loop, it was lucky that I knew my own personal ombudsman at the company who could go and rattle the right cages and get the issue sorted out.

You owe your customers an ombudsman.