Ghost Rider,
I have to say that my experience of dealing with ops has always been fine.
Usually contacting ops is to find out the status of an aircraft, such as its next destination (for fuel tankering purposes)or some other similar reason.
Occaisionally it is due to an AOG situation, and in those circumstances ops becomes the focal point for advice and information. Where that has been the case I have never found them wanting.
As Captains we are accustomed to having all our resources at arms length. It is therefore very important that when something goes seriously tits up down route, that we have a reliable point of contact. Ops is just that.
[This message has been edited by Jetdriver (edited 28 August 1999).]