United States Patent and Trademark Office

Last week, I dialed the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) customer service line at *******000, expecting professional and timely assistance. To my extreme disappointment, I was left on hold for an agonizing two hours. Even worse, my call was then inexplicably and rudely disconnected at the end of that time, wasting not only my time but also shattering my confidence in the system designed to support innovators and creators.

Fast forward to today: I am currently in the queue again. The automated system estimates a wait time of 47 minutes and informs me that there are 28 calls ahead of mine. This ongoing inefficiency is unacceptable and raises serious questions about the USPTO's operational capabilities. Are we to believe that a government agency responsible for protecting intellectual property has only a single customer service representative? Or, is this level of service indicative of a larger resource or management issue within the USPTO?

In either case, it's clear that the customer service arm of the USPTO is failing its constituents spectacularly. The agency needs to urgently address these glaring inefficiencies to restore public trust and to adequately serve those who rely on its services.