Information barriers and bad service

In the pre-GME days, companies benefitted from their customers' lack of access to alternative providers. Access was determined not only by physical space but by lack of knowledge of who alternative providers might be and how to contact them. But the web has greatly lowered that barrier. As a result, it is much easier for disgruntled customers to find alternative providers.

Try asking a college student how to buy a book, get something designed or printed, buy a car, or choose a bank.