Calling Subaru of America is fairly simple, but it takes a long time to actually get through to talk to someone. Getting through the directory, but there's a wait time to get to the customer service agent and that is annoying. However, you can get to an agent by the end of the phone call and they can help you with your questions, so it's better than nothing.
Of course, millions of people own Subaru vehicles across America so I can see why the wait times can be long. One other thing that's worth noting is that they keep strict hours. I tried calling a few times at my convenience when I got home from work, but they close at 5 p.m. EST sharp. That's also a bit annoying since I had to use my lunch break to call, but it is what it is.
I called about an issue I was having with my Subaru and I wanted to see if my warranty program would cover it. I imagine there are lots of people calling for that type of issue, but I bet a lot of other people call with financing issues or issues with their lease. In fact, that's probably what makes up the majority of calls, but things like recalls could also account for some.
When I first called, a friendly recorded message thanked me for calling Subaru of America and then stated the line's business hours. It then told me, "If you know the extension you are trying to reach, please dial the 6-digit extension now." I didn't have an extension number since I simply had a casual warranty question, so I kept listening.
The recording then told me, "For the customer advocacy department, press 1. For Subaru and security, press 2." I assumed that advocacy would be a better fit for my question so I chose the first option. The voice then told me to, "Wait while I transfer your call."
From there, I was transferred to hold music and a message repeated, "At this time our advocates are assisting other callers. Please stay on the line," every minute or so. It amused me that the hold music was the same as my doctor's office. I would say the wait times were about the same as well seeing as I was probably on hold for about 10 to 15 minutes. I set the phone down on speaker so I'm not precisely sure, but it did take quite a bit of time. In the end, the agent was able to answer my questions in a friendly and clear manner.