(A later call to Alamo reached a more helpful representative, who found a downtown location open on Sunday).
The Internet is an excellent add-on for sales and support, but remember that your customers still expect to have a courteous, helpful representative available when self-service doesn't fill the bill.
"This is an audit, and it's helpful," Representative Tim Griffin, Republican of Arkansas, said of the investigation of I.R.S. targeting by the Treasury inspector general for tax administration, "but it's the tip of the iceberg".
"It's not helpful," Representative Charles W. Stenholm of Texas, a leader of the Blue Dog coalition, a moderate group, said, referring to Ms. Pelosi's stance on Iraq.
"My personal view is that complexity in a leader is not a helpful thing," Representative Blunt said, "and certainly not a helpful thing in a crisis".
Using the G.M.R.S.-only channels without a license, even accidentally, can mean stiff penalties -- fines of up to $87,500 -- and even imprisonment, according to a helpful F.C.C. representative.
I called back and spoke to another helpful representative.
The very helpful representative I eventually spoke with explained that they were being inundated with calls about the tax rebate, creating a logjam at the switchboard.
The problem, according to the helpful representative I spoke to on the phone, is that federal rules (Regulation D, to be precise) permit just six withdrawals a month for savings accounts.
Two helpful representatives from Wells Fargo gave me a raft of reasons to disregard the call reports and trust the S.E.C. filings.
