But then he was told there was an error: He could send only $500 at a time.

So he split up the payments and tried again.

/news/0-1007-201-2770573-0.htmlMore than a week later, his friend still had not received any money.

After finding no phone numbers on PayMe’s Web site, Benjamin sent an email about the missing money.

After another round of emails, PayMe finally sent a number that Benjamin could call.

Then, nobody answered the phone.

“It was like a black hole,” Benjamin said.

“This kind of bad customer service stymies the movement of commerce on the Web.”

Not being able to reach a human being is a frequent roadblock for shoppers on the Information Superhighway.

“Companies still want to control the experience.”

E-tailers that cut corners in customer service can end up paying a far greater price in other ways.

And making up for lost ground is no simple task.

“And this could potentially hurt sales.”

Even tightly knit departments handling customer service can easily unravel under buying-season pressure.

Last holiday season, the volume of customer calls crippled about 23 percent of commerce sites, Jupiter found.

After customer service emailed her a second number, she said that number didn’t work.

When she finally reached an agent, she said the person was indifferent to her problems.

A BlueLight representative acknowledged problems with customer service before the new site launched but said they have been resolved.

Companies say they are better prepared this year.

Catalog companies online also have phone service down pat because of their already polished infrastructures.

“It’s expensive.

That’s why people don’t do it,” said David Daniels, an analyst at Jupiter.

Expenses can range anywhere from $4 to $50 per call, depending on the business.

Financial sites are big culprits here.

American Express lets card members pull up past statements online if they ever have a billing problem.

Hiring specialists outside the company to provide customer support is also an attractive alternative to many online businesses.

Analysts say this can reduce hiring costs by as much as 60 percent.

“I could have made a road trip in less time,” Benjamin said.

Next time, he’s using Western Union.