Just giving a host perspective here.
The question was should the host "treat" shared customers the same as dedicated. Yes, I believe that they should. Everyone should be treated with respect and kindness no matter the amount of money that is being paid to the company.
There is a difference in treating and priority however. If you have 2 tickets in the que and 1 is from a dedicated customer and the other is from the shared hosting customer with the "what is an ftp client" question. I think you all would agree on who should be served first in this instance. However, regardless of how stupid we all may think that question is, that person deserves a response and not one that is directing them to a knowledge base. That is my opinion. I personally am anoyed when my questions are responded with directing to me FAQ. It just seems so unpersonal to me. We answer the question specifically for them, but then also show them where this information can be found for future reference.
As others have pointed out. Shared hosting clients eventually become dedicated clients, if they are "treated" right
