This is sort of drifting off the topic, but my dealings with WR were also local (Bozeman, MT) WR, not Birmingham WR. I only used that as an example of the level of importance placed (by a lot of people) on the viability of email.

Communication seems to have a tier of acceptance. First and foremost is in person, followed by the more established means of communicating; letter, telephone, fax, and (now extinct) telegraph. The newest form is going to be the least accepted as sincere, irregardless of the contents stating otherwise.

By the way, the other factor is annoyance. You don't let a ringing telephone go unanswered (unless its someone you do not want to talk to showing up on caller id), but most email accounts must be manually checked and are quitely left running where they are not seen on some distant server. I'm lucky to check mine once a week, unless I know someone is sending me something. The fact that yours were answered rules this out, but if they weren't answered, it could pose a very distinct possiblity as to why.