I haven't played on p99 for a while, but GMs being involved with the community is a happy memory. I've been watching
aLovingRobot's interviews with a lot of the people who were involved with EQ over the years. One of the takeaway's was CSR intentionally sought out involvement with the community. I don't know if I've seen that in any modern games. Certainly didn't see it in WoW. It's part of what makes EQ different.
If I had been more involved with the hardcore raid scene maybe my opinion would be different, but my dealings with Sirken were always positive. I think most who I interacted with would say the same. Chances are the people who have shit to say probably aren't happy with any CSR they've dealt with. Pixels and all that stuff.