Eh their hold times can't be any worse than when the game launched, it was insanely bad then, which is fairly normal for the launch of a game.
The issue though isn't the fact that people may get charged to call ( although I can see why it would be for some), its not that it burns up minutes, its that BioWare/EA is a major company and as such its just ridiculous that they have dropped their toll free support number. Its not about the money ( at least for me), its about the fact that a major company who has been hammered since day one for really bad customer support, is doing something else to make it possibly bad for their customers.
Secondary to that is if you remove the ability for your customers to get in game service and then keep telling them to call when they use email, you really shouldn't be surprised that your toll free number is getting heavy use. It would be similar to building a car that can't turn right and then complaining because everyone turns left.
Psychlon, I will also say that continuing to point out that SOE has done something as a reason for it being ok for BioWare to do, is just not a good stance ( although I realize it has been somewhat tongue and cheek) . SOE has one of the worst names in the industry when it comes to MMO's, they are the poster child for how NOT to run your MMO's and make your customers happy. If at any point as a company you make a decision and you can say " Well SOE did it that way", you probably want to stop, turn around, and go the complete opposite direction.
TLDR: The issue isn't about money or minutes, its the fact a major company dropped it toll free support line, a standard for even the smallest of businesses.