Listen up business owners: In times like ours, when everyone is pinching pennies until Abraham Lincoln uses his safe word, customer service counts — big time.

You can't go around tickin' people off so bad that they call the Better Business Bureau on your sorry ass if you expect your company to thrive in the Great Recession and beyond. Step up. Offer a little more. Be friendly. Do what you say you'll do.

And, while you're at it, treat your employees well. They are your company's face after all. If they're not happy, they're not going to go out of their way to make your clients and customers happy.

Here's one more tip: Don't be like the 12 businesses The Charlotte Business Journal called out for not responding to customer complaints:

The Better Business Bureau of the Southern Piedmont Inc. has identified the 12 Charlotte-area businesses with the most unanswered consumer complaints in 2009.

Last year, consumers filed 16,251 complaints with the bureau against businesses in the Charlotte region. That was up from 14,972 complaints in 2008.

The businesses of the bureau’s annual “Dirty Dozen” list are:

You'll have to click here to find out. Here's a hint: two gyms, two Internet businesses, four service providers, two door-to-door sales companies and two auto parts suppliers.