As an ex-VMCC Marque Specialist I have to say the system was set up many years before the internet was ever thought of. The concept was always that the enquiry would be by post with an accompanying self addressed envelope for the reply. The service was free and the marque specialist was a volunteer. The M/S would research the question, answer as best they could and in due course stuff the answer in the accompanying sae and post it back.
Needless to say that was sheer romance. Not once in two years did I ever get an accompanying sae, not once did anyone ever offer to pay for the photocopying I did, not once did I ever even get a thank you. I gave it up when I realised I was spending more time and effort answering queries than I was actually doing anything on my own bikes. I was even getting queries on marques I'd never heard of "because you were so helpful last time".
So, be polite to marque specialists. They are volunteers and are helping you in their own time. They get nothing out of it and your query is probably costing them money to answer.
I won't go into telephone queries except to say I soon learnt never to give my number out. People would ring at any hour and then get terse when I couldn't give an instant answer to whatever bizarre question they had in mind. Try explaining that there was no specific grade of spark plug recommended for their 1923 Frumblejug because such a thing didn't exist in 1923 while your dinner is getting cold and your wife is glaring from the table and the kids are getting grumpy. You soon learnt to keep the world at arms length.
The VMCC and marque specialists may be able to help. Appreciate what you get and a polite thank you afterwards will win their hearts forever.
Cheers,
