Yes, this is Ellen not Dean 
We’re using the laptop while away and it’s hard remembering to always check to see who is logged in on what forum!
I personally like speaking to some affil. managers. It seems the ones we speak with ocassionaly on the phone are the ones that are always very willing to help out and answer emails immediately. Also they’re the ones we do well with for the most part.
But I do totally agree that the unannounced calls are the worst! So far most do make arrangements to call first. When I first moved to Australia, we got a few annoying calls, one at 4am even though we told that manager that we were 13 hours ahead of EST….some just don’t listen! 😡