Small claims court doesn't take three years, doesn't allow counsel, comes to decisions quickly, and best of all: Small claims judgements are accepted as dispute resolution by all credit reporting agencies.
I've used small claims 4 times now. Each time, I spent less time with the court than I did with customer service prior to the court.
Lesson learned. I ask customer service once, in plain english, on a recorded line. If they don't resolve it at that opportunity, I just go to small claims.