As as result, Mr. McCusker said, the company had received over 1,000 consumer inquiries.

And two separately proposed the same toll-free telephone number, 800-NEW-YUGO, for consumer inquiries.

The move that garnered Tillamook the most nationwide attention though, came in 2005, after a slew of consumer inquiries about dairies' use of a genetically engineered bovine growth hormone designed to boost milk production.

The stories have spread for more than 20 years, making Procter & Gamble the object of boycotts and resulting in thousands of consumer inquiries about whether its executives worship the Devil.

Yet consumer inquiries - about 200,000 to date - continue to pour in to the company's headquarters in Cincinnati from as far away as Africa and Europe.

The brand's limited availability continues to generate frequent consumer inquiries and requests.

"This has been a chronic problem regarding homeowner's insurance, but over the past five years, it's gotten worse, and based on consumer inquiries, taking place with long-term policyholders," Mr. Howard said.

They offer a variety of brand-name merchandise and have aimed to build their names through customer service, charging little or nothing for shipping and responding promptly to consumer inquiries.

The group most active in trying to promote standards is the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association, an organization in Tampa that offers programs, supports crash-testing research and responds to consumer inquiries.

As for answering consumer inquiries, however, the stated goal is now to do so within 72 hours, instead of the 48 hours the company originally promised to Ms. Levine.