My own experience suggests that people are more comfortable calling what appears to be a local number than one which may be a centralized location some distance away. Once in need of a plumber on short notice, I called an 800 number which turned out to be in Atlanta (I'm in Boston). They said they would have someone arrive right away. Hours later, in the evening, some exhausted plumber arrived at our house, having travelled from MAINE to get to us. He needed a part, and only obtained parts in Maine, so this service, for us, was a disaster. I for one would never call an 800 number again. This, of course, occurred before the existence of such services as AngiesList and Craigslist.
