I couldn't agree with you more on the discrepancy between the way you're treated amongst different schools. After the invasive, tortuous, protracted application process in which we are asked to bare our souls and empty our wallets, the least they could do is answer some basic questions with even just a modicum of enthusiasm and/or return calls or e-mails within a reasonable timeframe. At this point, I'm still waiting on a few schools to notify me of my status (!) but I am heavily leaning toward going to a program without a big name behind it because the DGS has spent a total of 2.5 hours on the phone with me over the course of 3 calls and gushed enthusiastically about my future in their program in specific ways, among other reasons (great faculty, decent fellowship, and seemingly good pedagogy going on there). As you said, it's a good sales pitch for how the program operates and how you will be treated as a student. If we're going to spend the next 5+ years of our lives somewhere, it matters.
Thanks for the 411 on UNCG. I have pretty much scratched it off my list due to other factors anyway.