More bad customer service

For another business I run I'm trying to set up an account with a distributor -- in a very competitive area for distributors, mind you. I had to get a new sales tax id from IL and give it to them. I sent the form in and received a call that went something like this:

Them: That taxpayer ID is not valid in IL's system. But your paperwork is fine.

Me: It's a new registration. I have been incorporated for 8 years but just changed my registration to tell them I will be doing retail sales and collecting sales tax.

Them: It's not active in their system and I have a ton of these applications. Can you call me back in a few days to have me look it up again? It usually takes a few days. You won't need to redo paperwork or anything, just call me so I can look it up again.

Me: Sure. Thanks. Have a great day.


What I meant was "No. If you don't have a CRM system to track your potential customers then I am not going to do your job for you. I already have 2 other LOCAL distributors for the same products."

When is it ever okay to put the onus on your customer to remember to follow up on your paperwork? How many customers are you losing from paperwork falling through the cracks?