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This is an issue I think that we, as webmasters, really need to stand together about. WE are the ones who are selling this stuff, and WE are the ones who are making the sponsors their money. Therefore, WE should expect to receive respect from these guys.
SPONSORS: It is an absolute necessity to keep your sales people happy. An important, if not the MOST important, way to do this is rapid, friendly and helpful communication. C'mon, this is Management 101 we're talking about here! It's Marketing 101. Invest in live chat support and have someone available to answer that support. My hosting company has it and it's one of the main reasons that I have stayed with them even when their software doesn't support TGPs or some of the other sites that I would have wanted to try. If you start losing webmasters because you're too damned arrogant to converse with them, then your income streams start to dry up.
People in this thread have said that they've waited 30 days for a response. That's obviously too long to wait. Another said that he typically waits from 3-4 days to well over a week for a response. Seriously? If you were a sales person for, say, IBM and needed answers while your customers were waiting, would you be happy waiting a week? Guess what? You would lose the sale!
Look, there are a couple of sponsors out there who are constantly in touch. They're on ICQ and AIM. They have live support on their websites. They actually answer emails within a couple of hours. They are always asking for input on their programs, looking for new ideas to improve their products. This isn't hard. It's not brain surgery. It's not expensive. It IS common sense.
Sorry. But I felt the need to TESTIFY, my friends. I work in customer service and am required to treat my clients like they were pure gold. As a result, I expect the same when I am a customer. There is no excuse for piss poor support. NONE!
SG
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