Can you actually talk to a person at EA customer support?

Yes, but not by ringing a number. You have to go through the EA help site: sign in, pick the game, platform and the topic, and only then does it show you contact options. Depending on the issue that's live chat with an agent or a callback request. The catch is the topic you pick decides what you're offered. Some topics only ever give you help articles, so if you see no contact button, go back and choose something closer like account or purchase problems. Waits vary a lot by time of day.