The way I see it, keepatit, I'm still in the learning phase of listeners. I only started doing them properly jut over a year ago now. I'm not really familiar with all of the tricks, and so at times I ask for help. My aim isn't to be able to do these entirely on my own now, but in a few years' time. I'm actually very pleased with myself because, up to aids and prior to this listener, I was on a streak of 3 or 4 done entirely by myself, and on the most recent numerical I think I was one of the first to solve.
Also there have been a couple of times when I've received more help than I asked for. Say on a clue I might have an idea of the wordplay but want to check one part of it, I send an email asking am I on the right lines and occasionally get back a reply saying no the answer is actually such-and-such. One time I think I got back half the grid on a question like that. That time it did take the fun out of for me, because I was making some good progress on my own.
To be sure, this week I probably gave up faster than I could have, but to the people who gave me help I gave some back in turn this time, as I finished before them, so maybe it was really just an unequal collaboration.