Honestly, I would have expected it to take hours. 42 minutes is actually not too bad, I've been on hold with my ISP for longer than that.
To be fair, he didn't get the answer he was looking for, so this could have dragged on much longer if he persisted in the phone-only route. I actually would have preferred that instead.
> I've been on hold with my ISP for longer than that
Sounds like it's time for a new ISP. I get impatient with XS4ALL after more than a minute or two, but then they've been spoiling me with sub-minute answering times for years. They scored extremely well in ratings, I figured they went "well we can do a little less well and save some money". Still great service -- but to come back to your situation, 42 minutes is ridiculous. Snail mail is faster at that point.
To be fair, he didn't get the answer he was looking for, so this could have dragged on much longer if he persisted in the phone-only route. I actually would have preferred that instead.