"i hate to bother you but please explain that to me again"

because i'm really stupid and your last explanation didn't include giving me exactly what i want.

"so, you are saying that....?"

"i'm sorry but what if..."

"well if you don't mind please tell me who..."

"i don't mean to waste your time (yes i do!) but i really need you to explain..."

i'm so pleasant they don't even realize that it's actually a standoff lol!!!!

it usually works faster than you might think. and if they want to stick to "i can't help you" thencall back tomorrow and pretend like it's a new conversation lol.. it's also amazing how you can dial up or down one number in the phone number or extension and get another department. explain the problem to a new set of ears and even though they can't do anything directly you start throwing folks under the bus and hopefully they will help you bypass those "people who didn't want to answer the phone".