Remember this post next time you have to drop the hammer on customer service.

A tremendously helpful piece on MSNBC today tackles how to get what you want from call-in customer service.

There are about 20 tips listed in the post, but the best one is this: The Web site GetHuman.com keeps a database of ways to get a human when you call customer service numbers.

I'm basically just posting it here so we can all find it easily next time one of us has to make a complaint call.

For the record, the best customer service I've experienced is probably Starbucks. They replaced a pricey grinder over the phone despite the fact I had never registered for the warranty (and I had broken it while cleaning it). I also sent them an e-mail about their beans being of decreasing quality, and they sent me a $20 gift card. Not bad. (But their beans are still ass compared to what you can get at a local roaster.)