Like most popular free services, Facebook does not normally have any live support options.

However, I discovered a way to get live chat support today. (Not on the phone, but at least real-time online chat with a human.) It takes a while to set up, but that part only has to be done once. Perform these steps:

1. Make a Facebook business Page. It doesn’t matter what it’s called or what on it. Start a page for Dust Ball Collectors, Ltd. Just make one: Create a Facebook Business Page
2. Make a Facebook Ads account, for which the above business Page is a prerequisite. You don’t actually need to run an ad, I don’t think; you just need the account. The only detail on the account that really matters is the Ad Account ID, so make sure you capture that, and put it where you save these kinds of things (if you use 1Password or similar password keeping software, then I suggest the notes area for your Facebook entry). You’ll see the Ad Account ID as you follow these instructions: How To Set Up Your Ads Manager account

Now, when you need to get support for your personal profile page:

1. Go to https://business.facebook.com/business/help/
2. Scroll down to “Find Answers or Contact Support” and click Get Started
3. Click on “Policy & Account Security”
4. Scroll down to “Need more help? Contact Support” and click “Chat With A Representative”
5. Fill out the form. (This is where you’ll need the all-important Ad Account ID — you can’t start the chat request without it.)
6. Under “Facebook Page” choose Dust Ball Collectors, Ltd., or whatever your Page is called
7. In the first “What is your question about?” section, if you’re not sure, select “Pages”
8. In the second “What is your question about?” section, choose Other
9. Fill out the Subject Title, and be as descriptive as possible about the problem in the Optional section
10. Click “Start Chat.” A Facebook Messenger window will open and connect you to an actual live person, at which point you can discuss, from what I can tell, any kind of technical issue you’re having with Facebook.

In my (very limited) experience, the quality of the support was pretty decent, and they took the time they needed to see through the issue I was having.

How to figure out your Ad Account ID if you forget it:

1. Go to business.facebook.com
2. If you see a big box that says “No Ad Accounts”, then in the upper right of the screen, click on your Page name (it’s a little menu with a down triangle). Choose “Your Personal Ad Account.”
3. You should see an empty table.
4. Click on “Ads Manager” in the upper left.
5. Scroll down to and click on “Ad Account Settings”
6. Your Ad Account ID is at the top.

Image by benstein, courtesy Flickr Creative Commons