Of course, I push programs that have not dedicated (or allocated to our account) a program rep. I actually prefer it this way, mainly because I rarely need them.

As for them not replying: I would have moved on after the few weekdays of them being N/A!

I am not a huge fan of IM's (ICQ MSN etc) - I''ve always preferred e-mail. Matters not as I do reply within a 24-hour period (of course some are missed because they were sent to the spam trap because some still insist on using subject lines, such as question). Of course, this excludes those whom have mailed me before and continue to use the same addy (they're on my safe list).

I'll also admit that I created many 'cut & paste' responses, but only for scenarios that require a typical response (account updates, site member replies etc), but that does not mean my eyes do not read every word!

I never use auto-response!

However, let's be honest: the problem you mention is not with reps alone. Horrid comunications skills plague our industry! Many have "accidentally" delete my mail, which ALWAYS has a beyond clearly marked subject line (plus the fact that my addy, and unlike most, has not changed since '99).