Does that mean the actual manager or a local contact.

If you have any questions or need further clarification, please feel free to contact me directly.

Any advice, mentorship or direction would be greatly appreciated. 

I contacted Zillow about this issue but received no response.

Thank you very much for the prompt response.I will contact them soon.

Of course, if the agent has an entire team of people working with him, he might pawn off any contact with a client or potential client to a team member who may or may not be licensed until the buyer gets serious about purchasing. 

Potential for manipulation: Some agents may be using this argument to discourage sellers from allowing buyers and their agents to negotiate commissions directly.3.

Quote from @Keith Miller: Hello,My partner and I, @Brent Maier, are looking to find and contact multifamily owners.

Then if in the US you have to find a friend of theirs to get their contact info.    2.  

If you get a plumbing bill for $100, that $100 goes directly to the plumber.