I can't recall ever having to call them more than once per issue. If the person who picks up doesn't meet my needs, I ask to transferred to Level 2 support, and if those guys can't help me on the spot, I reject their offer and negotiate further via email (by that stage, everything has been documented, so further phone calls aren't really advantageous). I explained my SOP in more detail in the other ctrip thread, but the gist of it is that I usually end up with a decent resolution plus $40 in Trip Coins (my impression is that's the maximum Level 1 people are able to offer me without getting approval from higher up). I typically accept that because it spares me of having to spar via email.