If you have a consumer problem, how do you get through to a decision-maker at a large corporation?

In my experience, many executives try to insulate themselves from public contact. They outsource customer service to call centres, which follow company policies but never challenge them.

I recently helped a grieving mother gain access to her late son's Facebook memorial page. She was locked out, since she wasn't his Facebook friend before he died, and wanted to share memories with his network.

She tried to call the company, based in Palo Alto, Calif. She sent emails and online request forms. She even wrote to founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg through his Facebook page.

She never heard back from Zuckerberg or in fact, any real people. All she received were many emails, signed by The Facebook Team or Harvey in User Operations (no last name), denying access.

I worked with Facebook's Toronto public relations firm to unlock her son's account. Just 25, he'd died working on power lines in Alberta in September. His mom didn't need the aggravation.

So, how can you reach a decision maker at a large company? Going to the media helps, but there are other outreach strategies you can try.

• Do a Google search for the company you want to contact. Look for phone numbers or email addresses that don't put you through to the customer service department. Try the media relations people.
• Check Twitter and Facebook. Many companies use social media to communicate with customers and to monitor complaints. Twitter is effective if you have lots of followers or your message is retweeted by someone with lots of followers. 
• Try YouTube. One video that went viral was Canadian musician Dave Carroll's famous YouTube series, "United Breaks Guitars." Find a camera or smart phone that lets you make videos. 
• Check out Get Human.com, a U.S. website that gives you tips on contacting companies that don't want to be contacted. 
• Check out Consumerist.com, another U.S. website that tries to help outsiders get access to the inside ranks of corporations.
  

At my own blog, Ellenroseman.com, consumers write about their bad experiences with Canadian companies. Some have tips to share and try to help others profit from their hard-won successes.

There's also the CBC, which has some excellent consumer shows that can provide information and connections. The TV show, Marketplace, starts again in January. Go Public with Kathy Tomlinson airs on CBCNN.

I wish you luck getting in touch with companies and breaking free from their call centres.