Disappearing services

Some years ago I bought a supplementary health insurance policy from Australian Unity at a shop in Glen Waverley. Yes, all claims were handled over the counter then. I also remember going to an AGL office to apply for my electricity supply connection. Nowadays you cannot find such offices anymore. You have to telephone an anonymous person. You cannot see the expression on their faces when you try to lodge a complaint. It is a faceless, expressionless, anonymous voice that we get to deal with. If you cannot settle any matters over the phone, you are left out in the cold as you would be at the mercy of the service provider. Yes, theoretically you can choose another provider, but then they all behave the same way. Is society regressing or moving forward with advancement in technology? In my opinion, the public is shortchanged. As more and more companies move into providing faceless service, they have not passed the savings to the public.