I Just Wanted Info

Time for my latest technology rant....or better said, "the abuse of technology". What I write of now is the business office telephone message. You know the one. it's the message that gives along and useless introduction or a rehashing about business hours, followed by a hazardous menu the caller must navigate.
I tried to call my local school board the other day to obtain a bit of info. What i got was very frustrating and representative of how institutions and businesses shun the consumer. My first contact included the message that "If you know the extension of the party you wish to contact, please press the extension now." Of course I did not, other wise I would have dialed directly.
So a list of departments and extensions were given, none of which would be helpful. To close out the torture I was receiving the closing message was, "hold for an operator who will assist you." (Why didn't the operator assist me from the start?) The operator was an elderly woman (apparently on the doorstep to a nursing home) quite confused and hard of hearing. I know the school board hired here because it hoped I would hang up in frustration when trying to communicate with that "rain man" on the other line! Mercifully the operator gave me a number she indicated would be right.
I called it and....you guessed it. I got another _ _ _ _ message!!!!!! This one was the dreaded, " We are on another line or out of the office, please leave your name and telephone number and we will contact you as soon as possible." Only a moron would leave a message after hearing that (Don't ask if I did!). In most cases there will never be a call back or if there is, it will occur when the caller is on the toilet or in the shower.
Why can't businesses answer the phone and speak to a caller? Is human contact now a secondary consideration to machine messages. Sigh... I hate technology, and I'm going to the toilet (they will probably call me when I am in there) What is this communication madness we suffer these days.