I thought my custom variables were finally working, but I'm not sure anymore. As someone suggested I used fiddler to check the utm.gif request to see if my custom variables were sending, but I can't tell for certain.
The utm.gif request does not contain the "utme" parameter that is used for events and custom variables, but it does have at the very end a "gaq" parameter with a value of 1.
So, while I don't have the "utme" parameter I do have a "gaq" parameter with a value that matches the slot I use. I'm not sure if this means Google is sending the custom variable or not.
In the Google Analytic reports my custom variables started showing up 2 - 3 days after I set them and then each day after with new values. Now it has been a couple of days again and the data is not being recorded. There has been absolutely no change to my site or analytics code.
I also notice that in the "User Defined" section of the reports that I have a (not set) value for each visit. My guess is this could be the Custom Variable data, I'm not sure.
Thanks