“Press 1″ call tree hell

Can I pleeeze just talk to someone or hit ‘zero’ and go directly to a live person? I hate, hate, hate, hate being given twelve options to “input” on a call - worse yet, I must hear all the options repeated ( which takes three mintues) before I select a second option. Some call trees don’t allow you to talk to a live person if your account isn’t profitable enough — I know because I have worked for companies who held this policy. Of course, the reasoning behind this is to better target the ’superb’ service you will get. Did I already mention what I think when the service rep asks for my thirty-two digit account number after I’ve keyed it into the phone a moment ago?