He's also noticed a friendlier attitude, even on the phone, noting "I used to be scared of them."

Warde Allan of St. George agreed that it was nice to be able to schedule an appointment in advance, but he said it would be more convenient if the office were tied to Las Vegas, which is three hours closer to St. George. He added that he had had trouble connecting with a live operator at the 1-800 number.

However, Allan, who flew to Salt Lake for his appointment, noted he had been able to schedule it just one day earlier. Only a few people were waiting in a room, he said. It used to be so crowded the wait time was between four and five hours.

"I think that is quite a bit better," he said. Formerly, "You had to get here by a certain time. . . . There were so many people waiting you had get here early in the morning."

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com