It's indeed a pleasant surprise to receive the gift from Medium as well. Thank you for mentioning me as well. :))

But, honestly, I think the publications are doing their job well. Yes, it can be annoying that they take weeks to respond (or don't respond), but I think that's the standard, not just in Medium but elsewhere too. I doubt editors of big publications have all the time in the world to evaluate each submission properly and critically. Anyway, thanks again for the mention and I wish you all the best :))