Corporations desire to hear their customer complaints…or do they? We take a close look at ways companies use technology to raise the drawbridge on customers. Technology barriers exist for many reasons; some are good and some are bad. Automated customer service systems can speed up the support process for customers while cutting costs for businesses. But when they are designed to slow customers down, they risk becoming a “technology moat”: an intentional obstacle to make customers think twice before proceeding. In this article, you will learn the difference between technology moats and dark patterns and how to spot them.