[valesco]

Wait I'm Belgian and it is basically unheard of that a company cannot answer a customer's message for a month.

If it is a small company, then the owner will answer. If it is bigger, holidays will be planned so that no interruption will occur.

Companies can close completely for a week, usually between Christmas and New Year. That's all.

[nkmnz]

I was referring to (mostly) internal projects in "German Mittelstand". Some of them with external partners. Customers might have the same problem, though, if they rely on the expertise of a single specialist. Regular customer support is usually available 8 hours per day, 5 days per week, but that's not what I was referring to. They usually don't manage projects.

[dopidopHN2]

And its the same in my experience in France. Companies want to survive.

But I stand by my ( bad ) joke on our ( beloved ) German neighbors!