Apr 7, 2026
If you’ve ever spent hours waiting on hold to talk to a customer service representative, you might have wondered whether the time it took was even worth it — or if that time spent actually cost you money.
Some experts say that it all adds up, and Americans are potentially losing billions in lost time, and fees, to the so-called annoyance economy.
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A report from the think tank Groundwork Collaborative defines (1) this frustration economy as what you pay in “time, fees and irritation to navigate” daily life. This includes waiting on hold, navigating unnecessarily complicated paperwork for things like insurance, as well as spam calls and hidden or “junk” fees.
The report’s authors estimate that the annoyance economy costs American families “at least $165 billion in wasted time and lost money” every year.
So, what can you do to take back your valuable time and money? Read on for tips on how to ensure that you’re not losing out to the annoyance economy.
Talk to an actual human
Calling a company to cancel a subscription, request a refund or negotiate a better deal can end up being an excruciating task if you’re forced to wait on hold for hours.
Maybe you’ve thought about calling your cellphone or internet provider to try and get a cheaper plan, but knowing how long you’ll have to wait has actually made you avoid doing so. Or you’ve made the call, and given up because you waited so long.
You might have wondered whether the long wait was deliberate. According to the Groundwork Collaborative report, you’re not imagining things. “Many forms of annoyance are more deliberate — cynical attempts to slow consumers down, wear them out, or quietly extract value,” report (1) authors say.
However, there are ways to potentially shorten these wait times, and actually talk to a human being.
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In a Today Show report (2), NBC correspondent Brian Cheung recommended the website GetHuman.com (3), which lists direct customer service phone numbers for major companies. Cheung also says that calling on Mondays and Fridays can mean longer waits, so aim to call Tuesday through Thursday.
There are also professional hagglers that can negotiate bills and cancel subscriptions for you, though they will typically charge a fee, based on a percentage of the savings they negotiate for you. Still, it can mean not waiting on the line yourself, and not having to bargain.
If you opt to make the call yourself, make sure you have all your account and personal information ready. If you have another task that you can do while you wait, it can lessen the frustration of waiting for your call to be answered.
If you’re calling to try and negotiate a lower rate for a service, and the person you’re speaking with says they can’t offer any deals, ask to speak to a supervisor. It means more waiting, but you may be able to get what you want if you speak to a manager.
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Watch out for hidden fees
It can feel like there’s additional fees for nearly every type of service out there — and these charges can add up.
While the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) introduced the Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees (4) last year, which applies to live-event ticketing and short-term lodging, it’s still important to read the fine print when it comes to fees.
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NBC’s Cheung says (2) that cancellation fees are one area where you might get tripped up if you don’t read the agreement. Cheung advises that when it comes to resort fees, it’s worth asking whether charges can be waived if you don’t plan on using a certain amenity.
Subscriptions are another area where it’s easy to rack up charges without realizing it. Some services may have auto-renewals, so watch out for charges that you weren’t expecting. If a subscription renews that you weren’t anticipating, it’s worth seeing if you can cancel and get a refund — though you may have to face a customer service phone call to do so.
The Groundwork Collaborative report authors noted (1) that while the FTC did try to pass a “click-to-cancel” rule last year, which would have required businesses to make canceling a subscription as easy as it is to sign up, it was blocked (5) by a federal appeals court.
Say goodbye to spam
Another time-waster of the annoyance economy is the dreaded spam call. Not only can these pesky calls and texts waste your time, but they’re also a tool of fraudsters.
The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report (6) showed that Americans reported losing more than $2 billion to tech or customer support scams, close to $800 million to government impersonation scams and more than $200 million to phishing or spoofing scams.
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You can add yourself to the national “Do Not Call” list at DoNotCall.gov (7), though the FTC notes (8) that, “Scammers don’t care if you’re on the National Do Not Call Registry.”
The FTC recommends (8) call blocking and call labeling to deal with unwanted calls. It advises checking with CTIA (formerly the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association) lists or call-blocking apps for different devices such as Apple, Windows and Android.
Consider asking friends and family members who are older if they have taken steps to block unwanted calls, as seniors can be targeted by scammers.
The NBC report notes (2) that spam calls now use AI to mimic human voices. Watch out for red flags when it comes to calls and texts, including pressure to act quickly, or stay on the line; being asked for any personal information; and messages from unknown senders with links.
Also, remember to be wary of unexpected calls (9) from financial institutions or government agencies, even if the caller ID says that’s who’s calling. And if you have loved ones who might be more vulnerable to these types of scams, remind them of the red flags, and that if they’re in doubt, they should just hang up.
Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
Groundwork Collaborative (1); NBC Washington (2); GetHuman.com (3); Federal Trade Commission (4), (8), (9); PBS NewsHour (5); FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (6); DoNotCall.gov (7)
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Rebecca Payne has more than a decade of experience editing and producing both local and national daily newspapers. She's worked on the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, Metro, Canada's National Observer, the Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press.
