Your experience with Symantec/Norton is nothing short of disgraceful on their part.
I had a similar experience with Computer Associates. Because of the offshore support teams and the fact that different teams in different places handle different aspects of the business it is nearly impossible to get the right person to solve the problem.
I really hope you can find some level of management at Symantec and can forward your transcript to them to show what apalling value their getting for their outsourced support.
Stuart
Teco & EDT Rule